George Jeffreys

eorge Jeffreys was born Feb ideas for his own ruary 28, churches. His churches 1889, the were then known as the sixth of eight Elim Foursquare Gospel Gsons of Thomas and Alliance well into the Kezia Jeffreys. The fam- 1930s. ily belonged to the There was a growing Welsh independent dissension between church. George, and his George and Stephen. brother Stephen, were Their personalities were converted during the radically different. Revival at Shiloh Inde- Stephen was possibly pendent Chapel in the more gifted of the Nantyfyllon, Wales on two, but George had November 20, 1904. strong administrative This was a time when gifts. Stephen would of- the Welsh revival was at ten agree to meetings at it's peak. The family had more than one place for suffered many losses. a given date. He would Four brothers, their fa- let meetings run on ther Thomas, and one without taking offerings sister had died. George or letting others do their himself was in poor parts. Stephen would health, suffered from a say what came to his speech impediment, and mind, no matter what showed the beginnings the consequences. He of facial paralysis. Convention by A. A. freshed after wandering also came to believe that When news of the Boddy. He was asked to in the desert.) By 1916 George was jealous of Pentecostal experience stay on and do some George was traveling all him. In 1926 Stephen came to Wales George special meetings at the over England, although left the Elim movement was initially opposed. church, after the con- he was only planting and joined the Assembly His nephew Edward, vention was over. He churches in Ireland. He of God of Britain and however had a Pente- was invited to Ireland to Ireland. Things costal experience and reamined strained be- began speaking in He invited Aimee Semple tween the brothers for tongues. This caused McPherson to speak at Surrey the next several years. George to begin seeking The years between to know the truth about Tabernacle in March of 1926. 1925 and 1934 were ex- the experience. By 1911 The response was so positive tremely significant for he was convinced that George. He began an this was a valid experi- that he rented Royal Albert Hall evangelistic campaign ence and was baptized a month later and invited her to that swept through En- in the Llynfi River. He gland. He invited Aimee was baptized in the join him again. Semple McPherson to Spirit and he was also speak, but the meetings established his first En- speak at Surrey Taber- healed. He immediately was canceled when the glish work in 1921 and nacle in March of 1926. joined a group of Pen- building owner found moved to London in The response was so tecostals and started out that George was a 1922. In 1924 George positive that he rented preaching. His brother, Pentecostal. Another and Stephen traveled to Royal Albert Hall a Stephen Jeffreys, was group tried again in the US and Canada for month later and invited also baptized in the 1918 and he registered five months. They vis- her to join him again. Spirit and began his his group, with the gov- ited Angelus Temple Healings and miracles own work. George ernment, as the Elim where they saw Aimee began to occur in his helped him out for a few Pentecostal Church. Semple McPherson. meetings in significant months in the beginning (The name Elim was They were significantly numbers. When Aimee of the year. taken from Exodus impacted by what they "disappeared" her In May of 1913 15:27 where the Israel- saw there. When George mother actually wrote George was asked to ites came to an oasis returned he adopted Jeffreys and asked him preach at Sunderland where they were re- many of the Foursquare to consider taking over as pastor of Angelus some time, but really due to administrative is- to resign, but was asked to Temple. E.C.W Boulton began to become sues. He also had continu- stay. He eventually re- prominet for Jeffreys ally shifting ideas about signed as the head of the wrote a book about church organization. He those early years from 1933 on. During Elim movement in 1940. came to believe that He founded a new group "George Jeffreys - The the years 1936 to 1939 churches needed to be a Ministry of the Miracu- this was a major topic of locally led, rather than a called the Bible-Pattern letters between Jeffreys centrally controlled, struc- Church Fellowship. He lous". In one crusade in asked his brother Stephen Birmingham there were to join him, but although 10,000 converts. He In one crusade in he did join, Stephen's also visited Switzerland, health was poor and he Sweden, Holland, In Birmingham there were could not help. George Switzerland he saw continued to preach but 14,000 converted to 10,000 converts. He became increasingly iso- Christ. lated. He never again had George supported a also visited Switzerland, the impact of the 1925-34 doctrine known as Brit- years. He did have a resur- ish-Israelism. The prin- Sweden, and Holland. gence of influence in cipal belief was that the France and Switzerland in British (and other anglo- and his Executive ture. Relations became in- the 1946-1950 time pe- saxons) were the spiri- Council. George was creasingly difficult and riod, coinciding with the tual and literal descen- also wanting to step rumors surfaced that rise of the healing move- aside as leader of the Jeffreys was leaving the dants of the ancient Is- Elim Movement to start a ment out of the US. He raelites. Not many of the movement to relieve new work. Friendships died on January 26, 1962. churches in the Elim himself of the financial that had lasted for years He is known as one of the Movement agreed with and bureaucratic obliga- were cracking under the greatest evangelists that this belief. This doctrine tions. His gift was strain. Jeffreys had a England has produced, af- had been around for evangelism and he was breakdown in 1937. ter George Whitfield and tired of the constant drain In 1939 Jeffreys tried John Wesley..

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