IT IS the story of a hero, but few outside his native Bishopton, or the city's Kinning Park, where he preached, know the tale of the Reverend John Harper.

"Of all the films and stories which have been told about the disaster, you never hear about this man from Glasgow who, if all the accounts are to be believed, was a real hero," says Gordon Webster, one of the organisers behind the church's Titanic weekend in April.

Standing in Craigton cemetery, on a freezing February morning, he adds: "It is a very moving story – he was a remarkable man."

John Harper was the son of a draper, born in Houston in Renfrewshire. When he was 14, he left school and worked in a paper mill.

In 1890, he started preaching, mainly on the streets of Houston village, and became pastor of the Paisley Road Baptist Church shortly afterwards, where the congregation grew from 25 to more than 500 during the 13 years he spent there.

He married Annie Bell in April 1903, and three years later their daughter Nan was born. However, Annie died just seven days later, and was laid to rest in Craigton Cemetery.

Shortly after her death, Reverend Harper set sail for Chicago to preach at the Moody Church.

He had been there before and had been so popular, he had been asked back. He had originally planned to sail to New York on the Lusitania , but, delayed by a change in arrangements, travelled on the Titanic instead.

On the evening of April 14, 1912, he stood on the deck of the impressive ship, admiring the sunset.

"It will be beautiful in the morning," he said to Nan, who was now six, and his grown-up niece Jessie Leitch, who was also travelling with him.

When the ship hit the iceberg, Reverend Harper woke up his daughter, wrapped her in a blanket and carried her up to A deck. There, he kissed her goodbye and handed her to a crewman who put her into lifeboat 11 with Jessie. Then he went back into the ship.

"There are survivors' accounts of how he tried to help other passengers, and a book, The Titanic's Last Hero, includes testimonies about what happened as the ship went down," explains church secretary Jim Wylie. "The story is probably better known in America, where there were many newspaper articles about this minister from Glasgow coming to preach in Chicago who died on the Titanic trying to save others."

Witnesses painted pictures of a man desperately trying to save the souls of drowning passengers. It was reported he made his way up the deck yelling "Women, children and unsaved into the lifeboats!" and he was seen swimming frantically towards people in the icy water, hoping to lead them to Christianity before they died.

One survivor told how Reverend Harper asked him if his soul had been saved, and when he said no, Harper gave him his own lifejacket, saying: "Here then, you need this more than I do."

Now, almost 100 years later, Jim, Gordon, other church elders and members of the congregation have put together a weekend of events to celebrate the life of John Harper. The centrepiece of the programme will be a memorial service at Craigton Cemetery, conducted by the pastor of the Moody Church in Chicago, Dr Edwin Lutzer.

"It is fantastic that Reverend Lutzer is coming over to help us celebrate John Harper's legacy," explains Gordon. "We are also repairing the memorial stone, as the lettering is very faded, and we will have an assortment of events and activities for all ages."

The Titanic Weekend will include a Mad Ministries Get-Together for young people on Friday, April 13, a performance by the Superhero Christian rock band on Saturday, April 14, and a performance by the Govan Salvation Army Band at the Sunday evening service in the church.

Dr Lutzer will be a guest speaker at the Saturday evening events, which will also feature A Man Called John, a short play by Clare McCracken.

Just before we leave Craigton cemetery, Gordon and Jim produce a fascinating array of letters and glass slides which illustrate John's life and which have been kept in the church for the past 100 years.

There are also many documents and pictures online, particularly on Encyclopedia Titanica (www.encyclopedia-titanica.org). They include photographs of John's house in Houston, the order of service on the day the memorial stone was put in place, and a copy of a leaflet issued by the Glasgow Christian Workers' Union after the tragedy which says he "had compassion for the multitude" and calls for his "noble example" to inspire us all.

Most moving is a copy of a letter he sent during his journey to his congregation back home. "I am penning this wee note just before we sail into Queenstown," he says. "We hope to be back in ... Scotland in the autumn. Remember me to all both auld and young, and tell them they might each one of them write their auld Pastor a wee note and he will send them a post card.

"Kindest love to yourself and all of the clan, your loving auld Pastor, John."

IN THE middle of a South Side cemetery stands a memorial with an astonishing link to the past. The stone is crumbling in places, but one phrase is very clear. "Called to higher service from the deck of the ill-fated SS Titanic" applies not to Annie Bell, the occupant of the grave, but to her husband, John Harper, who was on his way to preach in Chicago when the ship sank with the loss of 1500 lives. Reverend Harper was the first pastor of Paisley Road (now Harper Memorial) Baptist Church, in Kinning Park, and, as Britain and America prepare to mark the Titanic's 100th anniversary, the church is planning a weekend of events in memory of the man who links the city with the most famous maritime tragedy of all time.