A few years ago, Marcello Brown found himself in a hospital bed, with all his vitals dropping, and a great sense of fear overcoming him. The fear was not dying, he says, but dying knowing that he was not in a right standing with God. He cried out for forgiveness, declaring belief in Jesus and asking for a place in His kingdom. Emerging from a coma two days later, he found God had answered his prayer and, more than that, spared him his life to serve the Lord faithfully, together with his wife Kylie.
The Browns are now in their first year of theological studies at GWC, and shared some of their story of what it looks like to do ministry in a context of drugs, poverty, gangsterism and brokenness in their home suburb of Lavender Hill…
Can you describe your ministry journey so far?
Kylie: “I grew up in St. Paul’s church in Lavender Hill, and even though I was interested in knowing more about faith throughout my youth, I think it was only when our son was about five years old, and we were at our lowest point in our life and marriage, that I really surrendered myself to the Lord and understood what it meant to be a Christian. It was then that I started serving, in kids ministry and with an after-school programme run by St. Paul’s at local schools. We also created a discipleship group with teen girls from surrounding areas, to create a safe space for them.”
Marcello: ‘I joined Kylie in kids ministry at St Paul’s, having been discipled by Pastor Rev. Andrew Barnes, and we have been heading up the after-school programme there. We are also working towards getting a youth group started, which is greatly needed. Informally, we’ve invested in building relationships with gangsters in our block of flats who have witnessed the changes in my life.”
Why did you feel it was important to study at GWC?
Kylie: “People in our community are exposed to wrong Bible teaching: health, wealth and prosperity, and passages taken out of context. For the past few years, we’ve been exposed to the truth at St. Paul’s, and the growth that is happening there is a direct result of this. Now that I understand what people need, I want to equip myself with the truth, and the tools to show people how to correctly read and apply Scripture.”
Marcello: “Due to a lack of training and not being properly equipped for ministry, church leaders end up misleading people. I never realised how damaging and dangerous this is until I reflected on my own life, and the views that I’d developed that are contrary to the gospel of Christ. People in our community are extremely vulnerable due to poverty and a lack of education, and this means that they are easily misled: gangsterism in itself is a form of religion, you get indoctrinated into a set of worldviews from a young age.”
Is there a biblical truth that’s stood out for you through your studies that will better equip you for your ministry?
Kylie: “I think what’s struck me is how we are building a community of Christians who we’ll share eternity with. I think there is still a belief in our circles that church is something you attend, but actually, we need to show them that Christianity is all of life, we are family and need to always have time for each other.”
What is the most challenging part about reaching people in Lavender Hill with the gospel?
Marcello: “People want the chaos in their lives to disappear, and it’s difficult to help them see that God doesn’t necessarily make suffering just go away, but he helps you deal with it as you’re strengthened in Christ. It’s also hard to be patient when people keep turning away and going back to destructive lifestyles – I need to keep remembering it is only God who saves, and we are merely sharing the truth. Even when I know I am being manipulated, I need to still love that person, just as God and others loved me when I was in that position.”
Marcello and Kylie Brown together with their
children Zachary, Meekhai, Ezekiel, and Vashtee