Stephen Jeffreys

Stephen Jeffreys was born in 1876, in Maesteg, Glamorgan, in Wales, the elder brother of George Jeffreys. He was born into a family of coal miners and grew up in the mining valleys of South Wales. His father was a miner, and his mother was a devout woman. Stephen left school at an early age and went to work in the pit. He was a strong and hardy man. He had little religious interest in his youth and was a rough man who was given to drink and gambling. He was a member of a local rugby team and a popular man in his community.

He was converted in 1904, during the great Welsh Revival. He was moved by the preaching of the revivalists and came to faith in Christ. He gave up his old habits. He began to speak in the meetings and soon showed a gift for preaching. He was a rugged speaker with a powerful voice and a plain message. He became a lay preacher in the Congregational church. In the following years, he worked as a miner by day and as a preacher by night. He felt a growing call to full-time ministry.

He became involved in the Pentecostal movement, when his younger brother George was drawn into it. In 1912, Stephen was baptized in the Holy Spirit. He took part in his brother's evangelistic campaigns. In 1915, they began the work in Ireland that gave rise to the Elim Pentecostal Church. Stephen was a major part of the early campaigns. He was an evangelist who preached with great vigor, and many were converted. He was also a man who prayed for the sick. In the 1920s, he began to hold his own campaigns. He drew great crowds in the cities of England and Wales. In 1920 and 1921, he held a campaign in Swansea and other cities that attracted thousands.

He was a leader of the healing revival in Britain. At his meetings, people were reported to have been healed of all sorts of illnesses. He was a man who preached the full gospel of salvation, healing and the baptism in the Spirit. He was a plain speaker, who relied on the Spirit. He was also a man of simple habits. He worked for a time with the Assemblies of God, and later he parted from his brother George over some matters of doctrine and organization. He kept his own independence.

He was a popular figure in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1930, he led a campaign in London, at the Royal Albert Hall, which drew large crowds. He was also known for the stories of his healing ministry. He had a particular gift for the working man. He was a plain and robust personality, who was sometimes thought to be too rough. He was also known to have a hot temper. He had his share of difficulties, among them a number of illnesses. He was criticized by some for the strong claims that were made about the healing meetings.

He died in 1943, at the age of about sixty-seven. The record of his life is limited, and the dates and details here should be checked against fuller sources. His life shows the effect of a Welsh miner who was converted in a revival and who took the gospel to the nation. He was one of the great evangelists of the early British Pentecostal movement.