Celebrating over 70 years in ministry since he pastored his first church in Dorking, Surrey, June 1950, and held his first tent evangelism that same summer, David Hathaway is a British Evangelist who ministers worldwide. He has devoted his life to preaching the Gospel with signs and wonders, across Russia, Ukraine, Eastern Europe and Israel.
David's vision
I have a vision in my soul - Eurovision - a vision of Europe won for Christ. This vision is God's vision, His desire - to see His Power, His Glory in Europe, and I will not rest until God fulfils this vision that He has put within my soul.
“I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the Power of God unto salvation for those who believe, first to the Jew and then the Gentile.”
"From childhood, I wanted every day and every part of my life to be under the direction and control of the Holy Spirit. Now when I look back over 70 years of ministry I know with absolute certainty that there has been both purpose and direction. God has been in control of all of my days and all my experiences. Everything has been part of His foreknown plan." - David Hathaway
“I accepted Christ as my Saviour at the age of 7 years and 11 months because I knew that if I did not accept Him in my life I could not enter Heaven. I took this decision alone in my bed, because the conviction of the Holy Spirit was so strong I could not sleep. I knew that if Jesus were to come back that night, my parents and my twin brother would go to be with the Lord, but I would be left. I knew Jesus was coming back, but only for those who have found personal salvation through faith in Him. That night I had to obey Him. Without Him, life at the age of 7 years and 11 months was meaningless!
“Not much more than a year later, to get some relief from the war time bombing in London where we lived, my parents took me and my twin brother to Scotland, to Kilsyth, where my father had been a pastor before I was born. We stayed in the house of one of the church members. We boys went up to bed early. But hearing the sound of music coming from downstairs, I got up and stood at the top of the stairs to listen. I heard the most wonderful music and someone singing: ‘Hear the Lord of Harvest sweetly calling, Who will go and work for Me today? Who will bring to Me the lost and dying? Who will point them to the narrow way? – Speak, my Lord, speak, my Lord, speak, and I’ll be quick to answer Thee; speak, my Lord, speak, my Lord, speak, and I will answer, Lord, send me.’ I was just 9 years old, but I knew at that moment that He was speaking to me. I heard, and young as I was, I literally answered Him and said, “Lord send me!”! Only three years later, I began to preach the Gospel in the streets as a young teenager.” - David Hathaway
Brief History
After 11 years as a full-time pastor and evangelist in Britain, David's ministry to Russia and Europe began in 1961 when he organised the first ever expedition to modern-day Israel by road, through the Iron Curtain countries.
In 1964 David began smuggling Bibles into Russia and Eastern Europe until, in 1972, after taking in 150,000 Bibles and New Testaments, he was arrested, tortured and imprisoned in Czechoslovakia. After serving just one year in prison, David was released by Prime Minister Harold Wilson, by miracle, in answer to prayer.
In 1976 David led the successful worldwide campaign for the release of Georgi Vins, leader of the Baptists in the Soviet Union who was imprisoned for his faith.
Despite his own imprisonment, David continued to go back many times into the Soviet Bloc, openly holding evangelism in Hungary in the 1980s, and in Bulgaria in 1990.
In 1988 David organised the first of four 'EuroVision' conferences in Karlsruhe West Germany. Thousands of East Europeans came by a miracle through the Iron Curtain to receive a new Fire of the Holy Spirit.
David was at the forefront to bring the Good News to the Soviet Bloc, holding a crusade in Rovno, Ukraine in 1991, before communism fell. In 1992 and 93 he was the first evangelist to hold a crusade in the Dynamo Stadium in Kiev.
In 1994 he rolled out an unprecedented programme of evangelism in Belarussia, Siberia and Ukraine - in total five months of non-stop evangelism - six crusades in Belarussia, seventeen in Siberia, four in Ukraine. 50,000 miles travelled by road and air; 400 team members; all 84 crusade services held by David; over 100,000 recorded decisions for Christ, thousands of miracles of healing.
In 2004, during one major campaign, David reached over 40 million Russians every day for ten consecutive days with LIVE-TV Evangelism.
In April 2011, David held the first mass evangelism in Israel since the days of Christ and the Apostles, leading to 4000 Russian Jews hearing in the Gospel in the amphitheatre in Caesarea 2016.
Faced with external territorial aggression since 2014, every major Ukrainian denomination has united with David in annual National Days of Prayer, so that in 2018 the President could say, the whole nation is turning back to God!
“And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, ‘This is the way, walk ye in it.’”
“The people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.”
Eurovision Mission to Europe is a member of The Evangelical Alliance and subscribes to their Statement of Faith. Click here to read the Basis of Faith