"My grace is sufficient for you"
Nicola Morrison shares the powerful testimony of Pastor Paul Brown and how his faith has been rocked, tested and has ultimately grown stronger, despite a terminal diagnosis
When I first heard of Pastor Paul Brown, minister of Beacon Community Church in West Yorkshire, I was instantly captured by his story; a pastor living with Motor Neurone Disease, who had just recently been told his condition was terminal, but was continuing to preach, evangelise, conduct funeral services and minister to his community, was truly astonishing to me. And after reading a recent interview of his where he was quoted as saying, “I’m not dying, I am living for Jesus”, I was left in no doubt that I had to meet him for myself.
After an hour-long conversation, where we laughed, shared and brought each other close to tears, he left me with an experience that genuinely humbled me and a story that truly took my breath away.
But let’s start at the beginning.
Pastor Paul was brought up in a Christian family, in a little village in North Wales. His mum and dad were both Christian and at 13 he attended an open-air mission.
“It would be an experience that would forever change my life,” he recalls.
During the event, a gentleman stood up and gave an impartation: that so often people think that Christianity is automatic when raised in a Christian home. He went on to use the example of,...
The next pivotal moment was when Paul was 18, and a spiritual mentor told him that he was called to be a leader and serve others. “In that moment, I had complete clarity. My life’s mission...
At the time, Paul had just started an apprenticeship in carpentry and joinery, but soon after completing his course he wasted no time in taking up the mantle. Around his 20th birthday,...
