Sarah Young death cause, obituary: Beloved ‘Jesus Calling’ devotional author Sarah Young died peacefully August 31, 2023 at the age of 77.
Before her death, reports say Sarah Young battled with Lyme disease and other chronic illnesses that sometimes forced her to stay in her room for 20 hours a day.
Sarah is survived by her husband, Steve, two children, Stephanie and Eric and six grandchildren.
Sarah Young death – obituary, funeral
Sarah Young death was announced on Twitter in a tweet that read:
We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Sarah Young, MTW missionary and author of “Jesus Calling” and numerous other devotionals. Sarah passed away peacefully yesterday afternoon, Aug. 31.
The Memorial service will be held at Christ Pres Nashville at 1:50 on Sept. 9.
The tweet announcing Sarah Young death was posted by Mission to the World, an organization that Sarah Young had served in when a missionary.
Another statement also announcing her death and posted on the JesusCalling website reads:
HarperCollins Christian Publishing Mourns the Loss of Beloved Jesus Calling Author Sarah Young
With great sadness, the publishing team at Thomas Nelson Gift and Tommy Nelson announce the passing of Sarah Young, the New York Times bestselling author of Jesus Calling.
“It has been a joy and an honor to have Sarah Young as part of our publishing family,” said Mark Schoenwald, President and CEO of HarperCollins Christian Publishing.
“Sarah was a remarkable woman who deeply loved God. Her words have resonated with people from all walks of life, and the global impact of her work is unparalleled.”
Sarah Young cause of death: ‘Jesus Calling’ Sarah Young obituary
Young was born Sarah Jane Kelly on March 15, 1946, in Nashville. Her early life is not well-known, but her dad was a college professor, and her family lived in the South. She finished high school at E. C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1964. After that, she went to Wellesley College, where she studied philosophy. She loved learning, and in 1974, she got a master’s degree in education, focusing on child study, from Tufts University.
Sarah often mentioned her passion for philosophy and how Francis Schaeffer’s book “Escape from Reason” inspired her to study at L’Abri Fellowship. This Christian community is nestled in a small Alpine village in France and played a pivotal role in her journey to Christianity.
Sarah pursued her education diligently, earning a master’s degree in biblical studies and counseling from Covenant Theological Seminary. It was during her time there that she met Stephen Young, and they decided to marry in 1977.
Their shared commitment to missionary work led them to join World Presbyterian Missions in 1977, which later merged into Mission to the World (MTW) in 1983. MTW serves as the global missions-sending agency of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). For eight and a half years, they dedicated their efforts to planting churches and providing ministry in Japan.
Between 1987 and 1991, Sarah and Stephen were on loan to Mission to North America, where they collaborated with the Westminster Japanese Church in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1991, the couple relocated to Melbourne, Australia, where they initiated a Japanese language church in cooperation with the Presbyterian Church of Victoria.
In 2001, they moved to Perth, where Sarah embarked on a significant undertaking. She began the process of revising her personal devotional journals, eventually transforming them into the manuscript that would become “Jesus Calling.”
In 2013, Steve and Sarah returned to Nashville, Tennessee, where they remained active members of the PCA, continuing their journey of faith and service within the church community.
The legacy of Sarah Young is undeniable, and her passing has left a void that can never truly be filled. May her soul rest in perfect peace.