Selwyn Hughes (27 April 1928 – 9 January 2006) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

minister best known for writing the daily devotional ''

Every Day with Jesus ''Every Day with Jesus'' is a Christian daily devotional publication. It has a global circulation of approximately a million readers. Christian minister Selwyn Hughes started writing the publication in the 1960s, first as a devotional aid for h ...

''. He founded the Christian ministry Crusade for World Revival (CWR) and wrote over fifty Christian books.

George Carey George Leonard Carey, Baron Carey of Clifton (born 13 November 1935) is a retired Anglican bishop who was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002, having previously been the Bishop of Bath and Wells. During his time as archbishop the Ch ...

, the former archbishop of Canterbury, described Hughes as a "giant in the faith".

Life

Hughes was born in

Fochriw Fochriw () is a village located in Caerphilly County Borough, Wales, United Kingdom. It was well known for its neighbouring collieries, which employed nearly the entire local population in the early 20th century. It lies within the historic cou ...

near Caerphilly in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

on 27 April 1928. He worked for some time as a miner in the Welsh

coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

industry, but left his job to study

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

when he became convinced that he was being called by God to work as a

Christian minister In Christianity, a minister is a person authorised by a church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidanc ...

. After his

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform v ...

he worked for eighteen years as a minister in pentecostalist churches in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

and

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. In his biography, Hughes recalls the time he was sent home from Bonsall Camp for bad behaviour. His writing started in the 1960s with brief daily Bible-reading notes written on

postcard A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...

s for his congregation to use, but as demand grew he started publishing them regularly, a commitment which he continued for over forty years. In 1965 he founded an organisation called Crusade for World Revival (CWR) which he built into a successful Christian training and publishing ministry based at the

Waverley Abbey Waverley Abbey was the first Cistercian abbey in England, founded in 1128 by William Giffard, the Bishop of Winchester. Located about southeast of Farnham, Surrey, it is situated on a flood-plain; surrounded by current and previous channe ...

House in Farnham in Surrey. Hughes remained strong in his faith in spite of the death of his wife in 1986 from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

and the subsequent death of their two sons. He published his

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English p ...

''My Story'' in 2004, and in 2005

Brunel University Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June 1 ...

awarded him an

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

Doctorate of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

for his service to Christian education.

Books

*''Your Personal Encourager'' (1994) *''If Jesus Were Your Counsellor'' (August 2000) *''How to Help a Friend'' (December 2000) *''Christ Empowered Living: Celebrating Your Significance in God'' (June 2001) *''Every Day with Jesus Devotionals: The Spirit-Filled Life'' (September 2003) *''Christ Empowered Living Workbook'' (January 2004) *''Selwyn Hughes: My Story'' (February 2004) *''The Pocket Guide for People Helpers'' (June 2004) *''Stay Spiritually Fresh (Every Day with Jesus Devotional Collection)'' (July 2004) *''Every Day with Jesus: The Armor of God'' (July 2004) *''Why Revival Waits'' (2005) *''Your Personal Encourager: biblical help for dealing with difficult times'' (January 2005) *''Marriage as God Intended'' (September 2005)

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Selwyn Welsh Pentecostals Welsh writers 1928 births 2006 deaths