Letter from Pastor John Hewitt

Dear John, 20^th July 2004

Greetings! It was good to get your reply. I was concerned you may have not received my response.

I was interested to read of your connection to the Silkstone Edwards family. I knew your grandfather, also Idris, Olive, Mauldwyn and Lydia. My wife Desma and I remember your father. Your parents like us got to the Mission field. We went to pioneer in remote parts of the highlands of New Guinea.

We are delighted to read of the continuing ministry to the Japanese people both on the Gold Coast and still reaching out overseas. Remember us to them.

A very brief outline re my father John Henry Hewitt will enable you to see the link with your grandfather and Silkstone. Also it might be a key to what relationship there may be with Pentecost.

My father, then a miner in the Rhondda Valley in South Wales travelled to Australia in the early 1920s. He worked for his mother’s cousin David Cochrane who owned the Ipswich Rhondda Collieries. As a single man at that time he became very close to the Edwards family as they embraced him almost as a son and brother. Hence the photo you have.

My father was filled with the Spirit and Pentecostal by persuasion before he left Wales. In the early 1920s there was very little active Pentecostal ministry in Australia. He attended Silkstone Baptist and saved the money to bring out to Australia his parents, sisters Em and Nell and his brother Isaac.

The minister of Silkstone left to take up another church and the search was on for a new minister. My father offered to fill the role until they could secure an ordained Baptist pastor. His offer was accepted. This continued for about 18 months during which time an outreach was commenced in Dinmore. When the new minister arrived at Silkstone my father took over the Dinmore church and there was quite a revival took place with some outstanding conversions.

On one occasion while my father was actually preaching the organist received the baptism speaking in tongues. This caused quite a stir and the Baptist Union requested that my father ‘preach against this error’. This he refused to do so the association came to an end.

At this time his bride-to-be was on a ship from Wales. By the time she arrived my father had accepted an invitation to travel to Sydney to pastor a good Pentecostal church. Phil Duncan, later to become a leader in the AOG, was the secretary of the church. They married in Silkstone and the next day were on a train to take up the new position.

He later travelled the world known as the ‘Welsh Revivalist’ and was mightily used in signs and wonders ministry. At one stage he came back from the UK in response to an invitation to be the pastor of the Canvas Cathedral, a Pentecostal church in Barry Parade, Fortitude Valley. He took over from the founder, William Booth-Clibborn. During that time he built the Covenant Christian Church, which many years later, after AOG had been established, became Glad Tidings Tabernacle.

My father had felt led of the Lord in 1933 to resign his position there and joined Wm Cathcart in pioneering the Apostolic Church Australia which had commenced in 1930. Barry Chant’s book ‘Heart of Fire’ will pick up the story there. I said brief and really this is. Hope it is helpful for you.