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David Hathaway – Founder and President of Eurovision Mission to Europe, Editorial Director of Prophetic Vision magazine – is an International Evangelist who has ministered worldwide for more than 50 years. Today he reaches millions through his Live-TV evangelism in Russia, Siberia, Ukraine and Europe and through his weekly worldwide Power of Faith TV broadcasts. His 2004 Russian Easter TV broadcast was viewed by 10 million in 7 broadcast regions. In 2005, he held the largest crusade in Europe, reaching over 101 million in Russia, 50 million in Ukraine, and 7 million in China. Today the broadcasts are even more effective – in 2006 a free-phone call centre was introduced to enable the viewers to freely respond to the broadcasts – in the first nine months over 100,000 people had telephoned! During the 2007 Russian Christmas a special celebration was broadcast – 46,106 people responded by phone – with 95% repenting. In 2007 we signed a 12 month TV contract to broadcast the evangelism on Das Vierte (the equivalent of UK Channel 4) in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on secular TV. As a direct result of these programmes, CNBC Europe – one of the world’s largest business and news broadcasters – approved our Gospel programmes for broadcast. The programmes are shown in three languages – English, Russian, and German. In September David will hold one of the largest conferences and crusades ever held in the Baltic States. Join us in Tallinn, Estonia, 19-21 September 2008 for this life changing event. For information click here. Watch a 7 minute extract from David's biographical documentary 'Through the Iron Curtain' (windows media 9): Dial-Up 56k / Broadband 256k |
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A VISION AND A MINISTRY FOR OVER 50 YEARS
David has always chosen to live on the edge, in the danger zone, to take amazing risks for God …miraculously released from a communist prison, healed of cancer twice, almost killed on five occasions. Through this and many other miracles, he is proving that life with Christ is a continually unfolding adventure. David says he would rather be in a storm with Jesus than live at peace without Him.
After 10 years as a full time pastor and evangelist in Britain, David’s work in Russia and Eastern Europe began in 1961 when he organised the first ever modern overland expedition to Jerusalem, travelling behind the Iron Curtain through the Middle East countries and into Israel. He had heard that there was to be a World Pentecostal Conference in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, so full of expectation, he determined to be there! He had no money to go, but was challenged to do the impossible, set up an expedition and go by road!
Everyone, from the motoring organisations to the British Foreign Office, said it was too dangerous: in addition to the hazards of crossing the Iron Curtain countries, on unknown roads, without suitable hotels – in Turkey they could be killed by bandits, and in Syria shot as spies – and it was impossible at that time to make the two way crossing by road in and out of Israel!
The successful overland expedition to Israel generated so much interest amongst Christians that David was almost forced to set up his own travel company to Israel – Crusader Tours. With official licences to travel all over Eastern Europe, it was whilst crossing communist Europe that David saw the desperate spiritual need caused by communism. This new direction in his life was precipitated in 1964 by a miraculous healing from throat cancer! David began smuggling Bibles in a secret compartment on his tour buses – he could take in two tonnes of Bibles every time! But in 1972, after taking in over 150,000 Bibles and New Testaments, David was stopped at the Czechoslovak border with 5000 Bibles destined for Russia. He was arrested, tortured and sentenced to five years in prison – then another five years for continuing to share his faith inside the prison!
In answer to his prayer, God showed him the day of his release and after ten months’ in prison, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson came personally to Czechoslovakia and brought him out on that exact day! This second miracle and his experience with God in the prison meant that before returning to work in Eastern Europe, David told his story around the world – many gave their lives to Christ.
After his miraculous release from prison, David’s heart continued to burn for Eastern Europe, the last words of one of his fellow prisoners ringing in his ears, “David, don’t forget us. No one knows, no one in the West cares.” In 1976 he organised the successful worldwide campaign for the release of Georgi Vins, a renowned Russian pastor from Kiev, sentenced to long years in a Siberian prison for his faith. David also continued to go into the Underground Churches to preach until eventually in the 1980’s, he began openly to evangelise and hold conferences in the communist counties.
In 1986 David believed that the Iron Curtain which had separated East and West Europe for so long would fall, and that a new great move of faith would sweep across the whole continent, uniting East and West. So in 1988, when it was still impossible, David held an ‘East-West’ conference in Karlsruhe, West Germany: 4000 delegates came to the first conference – and six hundred came from the East through the Iron Curtain! David held a second East-West conference in West Germany in 1989, again publicly stating his belief that the Iron Curtain would fall. Six hundred again came from the East – and within a few days of the ending of the conference, the Iron Curtain began to fall!
This was the beginning of a new powerful and life-changing vision for Europe – first the opening of the Iron Curtain – then holding meetings in stadiums in Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania – followed by the first conferences in Ukraine, Siberia, and now all over Russia.
In just the first ten years of freedom after the East-West conferences, David personally held over three hundred conferences and meetings in the former Soviet countries with hundreds of thousands of people coming to know Jesus Christ.
In 1995, David launched Prophetic Vision magazine. Eleven years later, the magazine is distributed to over 130 countries and has a readership of over half a million – one of the largest Christian readerships in the world!
Then in 1998, as a direct result of an organised armed attack on David in Ukraine, intended to stop him ever preaching there again, Eurovision International TV Company was formed. David was not shot as had been planned. To maximise publicity after the attack, and hopefully see the return of his stolen vehicle and its contents, David called a press conference. Amazed by the positive response both in the press and on TV, David saw that if the authorities wanted to stop him holding meetings in auditoriums and stadiums, he could reach the whole nation through the media – every home has a TV set as part of the old Soviet propaganda system.
David Hathaway’s weekly broadcast, The Power of Faith, is well received by the viewers, by the local authorities and by the local TV companies in Russia and Ukraine. In Ukraine the programme is broadcast weekly to the whole nation on National TV.
In 2002, David saw a new way to reach Russia: continuing to work with the local churches, taking a sport-hall/stadium – AND to buy air-time on TV, to broadcast the whole meeting live, reaching the entire region – between 1 and 5 million every time – via terrestrial TV – direct into every town, every village, every home, every apartment – using the TV system set up by the communists for propaganda!
Outside the big cities, in the regions, there are usually only one or two TV channels, so that the programme has a great impact: the majority of people within the whole region, if they switch on their TV, will see the programme – many come to the churches as a result. In the Mukachevo region of West Ukraine, the television company estimated that 90% of the one and a half million population watched the broadcast in March 2003. So many people called the TV Station afterwards, that the TV Director re-broadcast the programmes five times, FREE!
Following the launch of the Live-TV broadcasts, David was diagnosed with lung cancer. He was faced with a personal challenge: does he really believe God or not? The doctors fast-tracked him into a process which would lead to an operation to remove part if not all of his right lung. The challenge for David was: how can he go back into Russia and say that God is the God of the impossible, a mighty God who has got power to change lives and heal cancer, if half of his lung is cut out?
On the Monday David was in the hospital, tubes down his lung – the doctors were looking for the cancer – but God had already given him the answer, he knew it was gone! The doctors looked at him in amazement – they were shocked – and said, “You have NO cancer!” David has the ‘before’ and ‘after’ X-rays!
In April 2005 we held the largest crusade ever in Europe, reaching over 101 million – that is 80% of the viewing audience – in Russia! Plus all Ukraine, 50 million – plus Russian-speaking populations worldwide via CNL, including Europe and the Baltic States! And 7 million in China!
Today the Live-TV Broadcasts have a bigger impact than ever, making use of the free-phone system just recently introduced into Eastern Europe – in the first nine months over 100,000 people had telephoned! During the 2007 Russian Christmas a special celebration was broadcast – 46,106 people responded by phone – with 95% repenting.
Many of our meetings are also combined with a humanitarian aid programme to alleviate the extreme poverty that stills affects major sectors of the population in these former Soviet countries. Every meeting has a follow-up programme, where we support the new converts through the ministry of the local churches – with New Testaments, Bible Correspondence Courses, and follow-up campaigns in halls and on TV.
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David's vision is to support the Russian nation, its government and its
people through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
David's ministry, Eurovision
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Bible
smuggling bus with a secret compartment that could carry two tonnes of Bibles at a time into |
...David
smuggled more than 150,000 Bibles behind the Iron Curtain... |
...before
being put in a communist prison... |
...in 1972
God used Prime Minister Harold Wilson to bring him home from prison
fulfilling his vision... |
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David's
parents |
George Jeffreys,
evangelist, |
