Joseph Iqbal Zahid

Life Sketch of Joseph Iqbal Zahid

Joseph was born on October 25, 1951, on the Pakistan Adventist Seminary and College (PASC) campus to Pastor Iqbal and Zenith Zahid. Joseph's educational journey began in government schools. Arriving at PASC without English training, he returned to grade 3. To fund his way through summer school, he worked diligently in PASC fields, contributing to activities like threshing wheat and digging the campus swimming pool. He followed in his father's footsteps into the gospel ministry, achieving a bachelor's degree in religion in 1974. In October of 1978, Joseph married Audrei Una Fernando and adopted two children, Adrian from Sri Lanka in 1981 and Joyce from Karachi, Pakistan, in 1984.

He was the youngest ever elected to a Pakistan Union department at 27.

In 1985, Joseph attended and earned a master's degree in Pastoral Studies from the Adventist Institute for Advanced Studies (AIAS) in the Philippines. He was formally ordained to the Gospel Ministry by Division President Jan Paulsen in 1986.

Fluent in English, Urdu, and Punjabi, he translated and edited Sabbath School materials. A talented poet, he contributed humor through poems and served on hymnal committees, being a preferred interpreter for foreign Adventist evangelists in Pakistan.

He was known as an honest man and a fierce anti-corruption leader.

Joseph's college and seminary classes blended humor and practical pastoral wisdom. He advocated for child education and strongly emphasized girls' education in a culture that often overlooked it. His commitment to education extended to adult literacy programs.

In 2012, four months after he retired and immigrated to the United States, he asked to return to Pakistan to serve as the Field Secretary of the Pakistan Union during the complete reconstruction of the leadership at all levels. His extensive institutional knowledge helped to install competent workers and leadership.

He lived and worked through a transformational period in the Pakistan Union's history.

Joseph trained almost every pastor in the service in the Pakistan Union from 1974 till his retirement in 2011. Many of his Seminary students became leaders in every area of Pakistan's work and worldwide.

In his retirement, his heart was still in Pakistan. He was a prolific fundraiser in the United States to support the Church work in Pakistan. Through his original compositions of poems and songs, he sought to provide comfort and guidance to church members during the Global Pandemic.

In March 2023, Joseph visited Pakistan for the last time.

He passed away in the early morning of January 23, 2024. He is remembered as a dedicated husband, a loving father, and a faithful friend. Survived by his wife, Audrei, son Adrian, and daughter Joyce, Joseph Zahid's legacy endures in the transformed Pakistan Union and the lives of those he touched throughout his dedicated service.