David Hathaway

David Hathaway

David Hathaway
Religion Christian
Personal
Nationality UK
Born 1932
London, United Kingdom
Spouse
  • Zena Margaret Anne Corps

David Hathaway is an evangelist from the United Kingdom and founder and president of Eurovision Mission to Europe, as well as editorial director of Prophetic Vision magazine.

Biography

David Hathaway at the Border
David Hathaway and Zena Margaret Anne Corps,1955

David Hathaway was born in London, UK in 1932, and was the younger twin son in his family. His father - William George Hathaway, was born in 1892.[1]

In 1950 David pastored his first church in Dorking in Surrey. He was full-time pastor and evangelist for 14 years in the UK from 1950 to 1964.[2]

He became known after his pioneering 1961 expedition to Jerusalem by road, through the Iron Curtain countries. What he had done proved so popular, he began a tour company to take tourists on the overland route to the newly formed state of Israel through the communist countries, Turkey and Syria.

In his book, Czechmate, David writes how he then became involved with underground Evangelism. In 1964, Hathaway informed Bass about his experience of delivering small numbers of Bibles and New Testaments which he brought on the request of friends in communist countries.

From 1961 to 1972 he smuggled quantities of Bibles into Soviet Union and Eastern Europe countries - and he delivered more than 150,000 copies. The biggest smuggling operation was planned for June 1972. The bus was loaded in Würzburg, West Germany and next day it would cross into Czechoslovakia. On the border of Czechoslovakia customs discovered the elaborately concealed secret compartment with 5000 Russian Bibles as well as some leaflets deemed to have political overtones. Hathaway was arrested on the border on 24 June and was accused of committing the offenses of attempted sedition and attempted violation of customs regulations. Finally, arrested and tortured, he was sentenced to five years in prison and imprisoned in Czechoslovakia in 1972. He served less than 1 year of his sentence and in 1973 was released at the request of the then UK prime minister, Harold Wilson.[3][4]

In 1976 he organised the successful international campaign for the release of the poster Georgi Vins from Kiev (Soviet Union), who was in a prison for his faith.

During the 1980s, David continued to travel all over Europe – Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, even back into Czechoslovakia. In 1985 David held a series of powerful meetings in Hungary – he got permission to minister in Catholic Churches. In the end of 1980s he began to openly hold services and conferences in the Eastern Bloc countries. When the communist Eastern Bloc countries collapsed, in the 1990s he continued his work.[2]

In 1995, David launched his Prophetic Vision magazine.

In recent years David has been working in Israel to help the Holocaust survivors from the Russian and former Eastern Bloc countries, both spiritually and materially.

Personal life

David married his wife Zena Margaret Anne Corps on 27 April 1955. Zena soon began to help her husband in his evangelistic efforts and became part of his evangelistic team.

David Hathaway has three daughters, Carol and Sharon (twins born in 1956) and Mandy (1968), 5 grandchildren, 2 great-grandsons and 2 great granddaughters.[2]

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ David Hathaway
  2. 1 2 3 David Hathaway. Minister and Evangelist
  3. ↑ David Hathaway Ministry in Wales
  4. ↑ BIBLES FOR COMMUNIST EUROPE – A COLD WAR STORY – PART 1.

Links

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