1973: Preaching in Royal Albert Hall Upon Prison Release

1949: Bible College Acceptance Letter

Brest, Belarus, 1994

Bulgaria 1990

Varna, Bulgaria, 1991

Czechoslovakia, 1990

Debrecen, Hungary, 1990

Duldurga, Siberia, 1994

Duldurga, Siberia, 1994

EuroVision conference, Karlsruhe, Germany, 1989

EuroVision conference, Karlsruhe, Germany, 1989

Free Georgi Vins Rally, London 1976

Jambol, Bulgaria, 1990

Khabarovsk, Siberia, 1994

Dynamo Stadium, Kiev, 1992

Dynamo, Stadium, Kiev, 1992

Dynamo Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine, 1992

Krasnokamensk, Siberia, 1994

Odessa, Ukraine, 1992

Odessa, Ukraine, 1992

Romania, 1990

Romania, 1990

Ternopil, Ukraine, 1997

Ulan Ude, Siberia, 1994

David was born in London, the younger twin son of Rev and Mrs. WG Hathaway and dedicated to the Lord as a baby by George Jeffreys, the founder of the Elim Pentecostal Churches in Britain. At the time, David’s father, a great Bible teacher, was working with Jeffreys to establish these churches. 

As a boy of 15, David was on holiday with some friends in Brighton, when one Saturday night, walking alone along the beach, he felt God begin to speak to him. He knew that God was calling him. You may ask, was he called as an evangelist, called as a pastor? No! God simply put His hand on David’s life and said, “I want your life, everything, not just an hour, not just a day. I want everything.”

At age 18, whilst still in Bible College (acceptance letter in gallery), David pastored his first church in Dorking, Surrey. 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 post-war overland expedition to Jerusalem – through the Iron Curtain countries. Out of this experience, David began smuggling Bibles into Russia and Eastern Europe until, in 1972, he was arrested, tortured and imprisoned in Czechoslovakia. – Visit the Czech-Mate image gallery to see pictures.

The miracle of David’s release and his experience with God in the prison meant that during the following two years he ministered around the world, leading more than ¼ million people to Christ, before returning to work in Eastern Europe. Bible smuggling changed into active, then open evangelism with multitudes repenting, with signs and wonders following, even under communist rule!

During the 1980s David travelled all over Europe – Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, even back into Czechoslovakia – often with John Osteen from Lakewood Church, USA, and regularly with the anointed music ministry of Vinesong. In 1985 David held a series of powerful meetings in Hungary – he got permission to minister in Catholic Churches, which were not only packed, but hundreds were standing outside! – News spread by word of mouth until in Budapest, the Catholic Cathedral was totally packed, five thousand attended!

In 1986 David felt challenged to hold a great East-West conference in Karlsruhe, West Germany. This, he did in 1988. Four thousand attended, but the miracle was the six hundred who crossed through the Iron Curtain from every communist country. In total four East-West conferences were held: 1988/89 and again in 91/92.

Following the collapse of the Iron Curtain, the programme of crusades and conferences intensified. Everywhere we saw the Power of God fall, just as God had promised, in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Ukraine. Amongst the most memorable in the early years was the EuroVision Conference we held in Debrecen, Hungary, in May 1990. For the first time in the history of Hungary ALL the churches joined in unity to support the evangelism. We shall never forget the dramatic and exciting crusade we held later that same year in Bulgaria before communism finally collapsed in 1991. The sports hall was packed not only for the evening meetings with 7000 crowded in, but even the morning and afternoon sessions were full with people hungry for the Word of God.

These meetings were followed by evangelism in Ukraine – also before the collapse of communism there – and which culminated in the first ever Christian meetings in the Dynamo Stadium in Kiev. In 1994, God gave David a vision to hold a series of great crusades in Siberia – for the full story read his book ‘Why Siberia?’ – Available in the online shop.

This programme of evangelism expanded again in 2002 with the introduction of the Live-TV Evangelism - preaching in a sports hall/stadium and buying time on TV, broadcasting the whole evangelistic meeting live, reaching the entire region via the ordinary, secular TV!

The vision continues to grow. David says, 'I will not stop until we reach the whole of Russia and Europe with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It takes revoluntionary faith that will overcome every challenge. But with God and your support we can do it!'