Church Leaders

Pastor David Williams

I was born October 1962 into a devout Roman Catholic family and consequently brought up in the Roman Catholic church, being involved in its various aspects.

At the age of thirteen I was converted through the reading of the Scriptures and the encouragement of Christian friends, particularly, a Christian teacher who supplied me with Bible reading aids. I remained in the Roman Catholic Church for a further six years until I went away to university. Prior to this time I had very little Bible teaching, this radically changed when I went to university, I was away from parental influence and had the encouragement of a strong Christian Union and I attended a good evangelical church.

I studied at Swansea University from where I received a degree in Biochemistry. It was during my final year here that I first received a call to the Christian ministry. I had the opportunity in my final year to attend the graduation ceremony of two friends from The New Tribes Mission Bible College. We had met on a Beach Mission and had kept in touch. It was during this graduation ceremony that I was challenged by the fact that there were over two thousand known tribes who hadn’t even heard the gospel and the question came to me, what was I doing about it?

I was advised separately by my pastor and a missionary friend, that before I thought of Bible College I should get a job. Consequently I worked as a laboratory technician in a local pharmaceutical factory for about two and a half years.

I applied and was accepted at the Evangelical Theological College of Wales where I studied for three years. It was during my time here that I began to preach on a regular basis and indeed fell in love with preaching. In my third year I was sent on a months church placement to Droylsden in Manchester this being my first introduction to the EFCC. On my return to college the church at Droylsden decided in principle to call someone to work alongside the pastor. I was called to this work and spent three years as a full time church worker.

At the end of my time at Droylsden I was asked to preach with a view by the church in Cowes and was subsequently called as pastor to Sun Hill Congregational Church. I was at the church for ten years during which time we knew times of great blessing and encouragement as well as times of discouragement and decline. After a great deal of consideration and prayer we believed that God was calling us to the work at Cannon Park

Throughout my time at Cowes the church had been unable to pay me a living wage which has meant that my wife Roslyn, a physiotherapist, had to work in order for us to support the ministry. I looked after our three children in a full time capacity which did limit some of my pastoral responsibility.

We moved, as a family, to Middlesbrough in September 2003 and have enjoyed getting to know the folk in the church and community.

Roz and I have been married for eleven years and have three children.

I have been active in a number of evangelistic activities including beach missions, Christian youth camps (Christian Camps in Wales), open air work and church campaigns. I think it is vitally important to be involved in the community and to this end I am presently serving as a governor at a local primary school and leading assemblies at others.

I have been serving as a member of the EFCC committee for the last five years.

                                                   David