Born on a farm in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland he had a godly mother of Methodist stock who left her mark on him from an early age. As a young man he set off for a life of adventure in London where he joined the police force. His good Irish humour soon made him good friends and drinking companions. While back visiting his home in Enniskillen he attended meetings held by his cousin George Reid who had been one of his best friends. He went to the meeting to have a bit of fun but was deeply affected by the earnestness and tears running down the face of his cousin as he preached. After the meeting his cousin pleaded with him to yield his life to the Lord. He resisted all persuasion but for three days and nights he was under heavy conviction and at last in the farm house alone he bowed the knee unreservedly to Christ. It was not long until a real fire and passion for souls burnt in his heart. There was little opportunity within the local churches to give vent to this fire but he along with friends would meet from home to home and in the open air. In 1898 along with two of these newly converted friends he set off for America. While on the boat he would witness to any and all when opportunity arose. After arriving in New York on a Friday he was found in the open-air preaching on the Sunday, this was to be the beginning of a long ministry in this great city. He had a burning desire to serve God as a preacher and so initially he worked during the day in the New York police department and at night studied for the ministry. Later he went on to work as a civil engineer while continuing his studies. After reading a book by Col. Brengle of the Salvation Army he sought three days and nights for this Baptism of holiness, and God did meet with him is such a real way in what he thought at the time was the baptism in the Holy Ghost. Eventually he was ordained in the Wesleyan Methodist Church. For a time he was an associate in a Methodist church, but not being able to handle the pastors mediocre life he came out and separated himself in pursuit of purity of heart.
In 1907 some initial insignificant signs of Pentecost came to New York, first to some in A.B. Simpsons training school and then in a Holiness Mission where three received the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues. After this believers met from home to home holding tarrying meetings. There was a great spirit of prayer among them as they continued to look for an outpouring of the Spirit. In May of that year as a result of these meetings two young ladies opened Glad Tidings Hall. In June 1908 Robert with two friends, one of which was overseeing a mission in the Bronx attended their first Pentecostal meetings. Robert believed he already had received the Holy Ghost and didnt like to hear anything different to his set opinions. He said Not all the demons in hell nor all the men and women on earth can convince me I havent already received the baptism. Initially he resisted but soon came to see his need of a Baptism in the Holy Ghost. For three months he sought God in prayer and fasting for the Baptism, this was a terrible time of conflict against discouragement and accusation but he prevailed in prayer and overcame. One night while glorifying Jesus in brokenness of spirit it seemed like a wind suddenly hit him, he received his Baptism and for the next two and a half hours God spoke through him in tongues. After this he could look back and say I was a stiff Episcopalian once. He was invited by one of those young ladies to preach the dedication at their new building and he was soon to buy them their first organ.
It was not long before Robert believed Marie Burgees, who was one of those young ladies who started the mission, was to be his lifes partner. When young five of her family had died of TB and when just nineteen she also was dieing but in answer to prayer God healed her. At the same time she had a vision of Jesus asking her Will you forsake all and follow Me? Marie cried out from her heart Yes, Lord, all. When she received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost in 1906, she spent six hours moved upon mightily by the Spirit interceding for various mission fields as she saw them vividly in vision. For two years she was trained at the Moody Bible Institute and longed to go as a missionary having no thought of responding to Roberts proposals, but God spoke to her and so in 1909 they were married. They were to become a great soul winning team who laboured faithfully in unity together.
In 1914 he made a visit to England and ministered at the Whitsuntide convention in Sunderland alongside other great pioneers. After that from July through August he visited his beloved homeland and ministered at the Full Gospel Tent convention held in Bangor by the young George Jeffreys, also ministering with them was Thomas Myerscough. During the meetings in Bangor he rescued some believers from drowning, such was a typical act by this athletic ex-policeman. How glad he must have been to see Pentecost coming to his homeland. While there the 1st World War broke out. Back in America his church became a great stop off point for travelling preachers and missionaries from Britain, Europe and elsewhere in the world. The churches back in Ireland and Britain were always glad to hear news from this great Pentecostal work in New York.
He believed and constantly taught that the Spirit of God was the essential thing in ministry and contended against all unworthy substitutes for the power from on High. For 15 years he worked as an engineer as well as faithfully and effectually pastoring. Under such fiery and evangelistic leadership the church grew rapidly. Pastor Brown was a man of about six feet tall, red hair, thin but with a powerful composure. Lester Sumrall said of his ministry that he was a fierce man in the pulpit, as he preached against ungodliness, wickedness in high places and sin of all kinds. In his Christian work there was no playing around. He was a warrior, but also a peacemaker. It was said of them as a couple that Brother Brown used the hammer when he preached and Sister Brown poured in the oil. And he believed I must live as I shout. Since the days of being in the small original Hall four moves had to be made to accommodate the people joining them. In 1921 they took a great step of faith and purchased a very large old Baptist church which they called Glad Tidings Tabernacle. They promised God that if He helped them pay it off they would make it a soul saving missionary church. It took just four years to pay off the large mortgage and to be free financially. After that their finances were poured into foreign missions. The church was always equally mixed between black and white he made no difference between people. His altar calls were always direct and powerful, he never missed an opportunity to call sinners to repentance and his altar calls always marked the minds of visiting preachers. He was quite happy for others to minister to those seeking healing or the baptism, his consuming priority was souls. He said A revival begins with the quickening of the believers, and it awakens the church to its divinely appointed mission of leading sinners to Christ. After most meetings in the church the prayer room downstairs always had believers in it seeking the Baptism or praying for God to move in power. This prayer room was always open. From the very beginning one day a week was set aside to prayer and fasting. Over the years a number of other works sprang up elsewhere in the city out of the church including to other nationalities. One Russian Baptist Pastor who received the Baptism at the meetings was turned out of his own church so he went and planted a Russian Pentecostal church amongst his own folk and later went back to his homeland as a missionary. The Church supported large evangelistic rallies in the city and further-a-field and had their own weekly radio broadcast on Sunday afternoons. In 1930 Robert and Marie were invited to come to the great Kingsway Whitsuntide Convention in London. Donald Gee noted his deep evangelistic passion and his earnest appeals to saints to be faithful and sinners to repent. Their annual conventions in New York ran on a continual basis from about 1908 straight through to the end of their days. Preachers such as Donald Gee, Smith Wigglesworth and many others would minister at these.
From a very early stage the church was associated with the newly formed Assemblies of God in America. From 1915 he held a prominent place at their General Council and above any others was often on his feet giving input to the movement. In those early days it was said of him
he always stood for the highest standards of righteousness and holiness. He preached at every one of those early Council meetings, and the underlying principle of every message he gave was Holiness unto the Lord. Some of these powerful messages were printed in The Pentecostal Evangel magazine. He stood solidly for Pentecostal truth, in 1918 when the issue of tongues as the initial sign of the baptism in the Holy Ghost was being debated in the council he stood on the scriptures and upheld this truth. He also kept the Great Commission before them, when preaching at their Council meeting in 1923 he said The great concern of all our Council work is to get this great gospel out to the ends of the earth, that every creature shall hear this glad good news that has revolutionized our lives. That is His commission to us
I pray God that He will burn this commission into every heart. He served them as a presbyter and district leader. God abundantly answered their hearts desire in making their church, Glad Tidings a missionary church both in giving financially and giving labourers to go to other nations. The two years preceding his death it was recorded that more finance poured into this one church for world missions than any other of the 5 thousand Assemblies of God churches in America, it was also the biggest of all these churches. Annually they would give about 14 000 to support missionaries. They set an example to the whole movement. Because of his emphasis on tithing someone once said to him The dying thief never paid his tithes and yet he was saved anyway Robert replied Yes, he was a dying thief but youre a living thief. Also over these years the church supported over 50 missionaries on different fields giving it the nickname Banner Missionary Church.
After more than 40 years as Pastor he died suddenly in his own home in February of 1948. It was an old friend Brother McDowell who had known him since 1907 who preached the funeral in New York. The last words Robert had spoken to him and later wrote to him was concerning the then present scene in the church
we have got to look out for Sauls Armour. In his last days Robert could see the coming in of committee meetings and entertainment instead of the old calls to fasting and prayer in sackcloth and ashes. Marie reluctantly but ably carried on the work maintaining the numbers at over 500 till she died in 1971 at the age of 90. On the first Sunday evening after her death a service was held in the church with testimonies from various ministries. Just one was from Don Wilkerson who shared how 4000 was given by Glad Tidings to David Wilkerson to start Teen Challenge.
Robert A. Brown was a true Pastor who constantly done the work of an evangelist.
