FAMILY  I live with my wife, Carmel, in Derby. We have four children, who are all independent. God is our first priority, and our family is our primary responsibility. We both gave our lives to live and work wholly for the Lord when we were teenagers and before we knew of each other. Carmel is a Nurse Practitioner; and where possible, we work together in ministry. God has guided me through five distinct phases of work and ministry.

1 - Engineer: In 1974 I graduated from Imperial College London in Physics, and designed medical radiographic equipment. After a career which included producing the first Doppler ultrasound imaging equipment manufactured in the UK, I responded to God’s call to offer for the ministry of the Methodist Church, and was trained at Bristol.

2 - Missionary and Physics Teacher: After ministerial training I went with my family to Zimbabwe, as chaplain to Thekwane High School and Head of Physics. Unfortunately, we were caught up in Zimbabwe’s troubles. In 1985, gunmen martyred our headmaster and his wife, Luke and Jean Khumalo, and shot other staff. We were grateful to escape with our lives.

3 - Church Minister: On return to the UK I became minister of Highworth and Shrivenham Methodist Churches near Swindon, where I learned much from the people there. People came to faith and we experienced growth in many areas of church life. Both churches were rebuilt to serve growing congregations and developing work with both young and old.

4 - Bible College Tutor: In 1993 I went to Cliff College in Derbyshire, as Old Testament Tutor. It was a privilege to be at the pastoral and academic centre of College life, eventually as Senior Tutor. As well as teaching the Old Testament and Hebrew, I also taught new students how to study the Scriptures, and developed the College’s teaching in Pastoral Studies, Prayer Ministry and Counselling.

5 - Illness, God’s call, and healing? I left Cliff College because of ongoing unresolved back trouble. After much surgery, my spine is now pinned together at the base, and morphine is fed directly into my spinal column to help relieve chronic pain. Also, as with many people, I have had a triple heart by-pass operation. God has used my incapacity to give me the time to create this web site ministry, which would have been impossible had I continued in full time ministry. At present (summer 2008), God has healed me of some of the pain in my back, and I am greatly blessed! The website has been running for nearly three years now, and I find great joy in writing it. Thanks be to God!

‘All things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose’  (Romans 8:28)

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Meet Revd Paul Ashby and read about his ministry