Born in Cross Hands, Eifion trained as a pharmacist before entering theological training for the Presbyterian Church ministry. He ministered in Cardiff, Aberystwyth, Belfast and Abergavenny before returning to pharmacy in West Wales while continuing his preaching ministry and the encouraging of smaller fellowships.
A pastoral appreciation
Like many Christians, I first met Eifion Evans through his books. ‘When he is come — 1859 revival in Wales’ was the first book I read as a new Christian. It had a lasting impact on me. Eifion’s gift of writing Church History with clarity, warmth and challenge, was a rare one, and his books leave a helpful legacy for churches.
It was a delight when Eifion and Meira settled with us at Llanelli Free Evangelical Church fifteen years ago. Eifion’s fellowship in the gospel was appreciated so much. For many of us, it was his faithfulness, prayerfulness and wisdom that encouraged us. Eifion had a wealth of Christian experience and knowledge and used it to benefit our church. Crucially he never threw his considerable theological weight around, but humbly shared and encouraged. He was a great help.
Eifion was a great encourager of preachers on the Lord’s Day. He never pushed his opinions on me but was more than happy to discuss them, if asked. There was a lovely constructive gentleness about him. We appreciated his contributions to our ‘Reading the Bible Together’ meetings. We always learnt something from him, and it was a joy to see his enthusiasm for Christ overcome him.
But it was his public praying that was probably his greatest contribution to our church. He prayed consistently, boldly and with rare conviction. Christ, his glory and the work of the church were his burdens; to hear him praying was a wonderful encouragement.
Revival was never far from conversations with Eifion; it was in his DNA. Last March he spoke on the life of William Williams, Pantycelyn, marking the three hundredth anniversary of his birth. It was a tour de force of passion, history, encouragement and challenge. Many felt we learnt more that night of Christ than of William Williams or Eifion Evans. (You can find a video of this talk on YouTube.)