Bill & Ann Northmore

Bill, who is a member of the Doncaster Chapter, was our speaker at a Dinner Meeting in May 2003, and his wife Ann came with him.

When he was 19 years old, having climbed a rainwater pipe to make contact with his Christian girlfriend Ann after a tiff, the bedroom window was opened by her father. Instead of criticising him, his future father in law led him to Christ. So Bill spent his time at the engineering workshop where he worked telling people about Jesus.

When Bill and Ann had been married for a while, his enthusiasm for Jesus waned and he began to drink heavily. A managerial job in railway engineering in Nairobi was offered to him, so he took his wife and their two sons to Africa. They spent two periods in Africa, latterly in Malawi. The easy lifestyle did not help his alcohol problem.

Returning home, he began to sing in clubs with a group, part time at first but eventually gave up his day job, since the money was so good. The money was easy come, easy go, and his wife and family suffered. But God had other plans for him than singing in clubs. He went with Ann to a Dinner Meeting of Full Gospel, and found something he had lost. After attending a few meetings he came back to the Lord. Since then, he has been able to be reconciled with his family, and he says their marriage has never been stronger.

Having taken early retirement from a post as a Local Authority training officer, he is now the manager of the Doncaster Association for the Care and Ressettlement of Offenders. He has seen many people come to know Jesus, both in prison and afterwards. He suffered a heart attack, and was healed by God.

He and Ann intend to return to Malawi when Bill retires, as he says “to give something back to the people there” Ann has written a book about their experiences called My Heart’s Desire, which she hopes will soon be published.