The Murphy family need your help!
I have been persecuted time and time again for bravely speaking God's truth and making a stand for righteousness, putting my head above the battlements, exposing corruption within the church and calling false teachers to repent. Sadly, the most attacks I have suffered have come from within the church. This time is no exception.
On Friday 9th August I was dismissed with immediate effect from the Free Church of England, and my license was revoked following a disciplinary meeting in which many false accusations were made against me. While I cannot tell you the details at the moment as I want to respect confidentiality during the appeal process, I can tell you that we are being supported by Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre and my solicitor disproved every claim and countered the accusations with over 100 pages of evidence including 115 beautiful commendation letters that many of you supplied. I cannot thank you enough for these!
The accusations were what my solicitor calls a scattershot, with petty make-weight complaints and the whole disciplinary has been a kangaroo court, with 1 person issuing the allegations, investigating and holding the hearing on his own, analysing the evidence and issuing the dismissal. None of this follows secular ACAS guidelines let alone the canons of our church which state that the matter should be heard by a panel of my peers including my fellow clergy and laity.
It does seem to indicate a pre-determined outcome. It should be very concerning for other clergy in the FCE who receive a stipend because it seems that they can ignore our canons when you have an employment contract. As Christians, we should be following our own church rules before pursuing secular routes. Because I haven’t been employed for 2 years, I’m unable to file an appeal or unfair dismissal with ACAS. I have been offered an in-house appeal which I am currently in the process of, and I hope and pray that justice will be done.
Ultimately what all this means is that my ministry is under threat. My church family has been ripped apart, and the stress it has put on my own family is immeasurable. This has been particularly difficult for my children Arthur (10) and Micah (8) who have been in tears, devastated at the thought of being uprooted again. They have had to bear the brunt of the persecution we have suffered, moving from Australia, then around England and losing friends and security each time. It has also been particularly difficult for my wife Katerina who is 6 months pregnant with our miracle baby girl. Kat had a very difficult pregnancy before the issues arose, she nearly suffered a miscarriage, had to go on bed rest, suffers from hyperemesis gravidarum and has lost 26lb during her pregnancy. Since this ordeal started she’s now been experiencing signs of premature labour from the stress.
Everything we have worked so hard to achieve in the last year has been taken from not just myself and my family, but also from my church family who have dedicated their own lives to help rebuild the church and establish a community of believers. The bishop has stopped our Wednesday service and our community store meaning that the homeless and underprivileged of Morecambe who rely on us have been greatly affected too.
As a presbyter, a house has always been provided to enable my ministry. My experience has been that presbyters earn minimum wage or below which has meant that we have never been in a position to be able to afford our own home. As a clergy family, we dedicate our lives to God and the church, trusting that they will act in a godly way but as we've discovered, a church without godly leaders, means that trust can be betrayed and ultimately it means we will now be homeless and without a regular income.
We Need YOUR Help!
1. We need security for our family.
The past few years have shown me that the hierarchy of the church does not have the best interests of their presbyters at heart. Even if we win the appeal, there is no guarantee this won't happen again. Our family, especially our children need the safety and security of owning our own home so that we can continue to minister without the constant threat of homelessness. This is our most urgent need.
Please would you consider donating towards a home for my family and I?
2. I need a reliable monthly income.
In the space of 1 year, Emmanuel grew from 2-50 people, that's a 2400% increase! However, the plate giving is not yet enough to support a full-time minister. Now that I have been dismissed, the donations we raised from my online ministry efforts are under the bishop’s control and cannot be accessed.
If you are in a position to give monthly donations, this would mean that I can rely on a steady income to put food on my family’s table and pay the bills so that I can focus on what I’m called to do- share the gospel of Jesus Christ and minister to the people of Emmanuel and beyond. The best way to do this is via my Patreon account below.
https://patreon.com/revbrettmurphy
3. Our church family needs somewhere to worship.
My congregation is supporting me and has pledged to follow me wherever I may go. In the short term, we will worship in my home for as long as we can. We have been contacted regarding a church we may be able to share temporarily when it is not being used, and we could also hire a local hall, but long term we need our own place of worship. We also need somewhere to continue our community store and free community café so we can continue to reach Morecambe for Christ. Ideally, we would love to buy a disused local church and make it our own.
If you are in a position to purchase a church for us. Please get in touch.
I want to reassure everyone that this is not the end. There have been many stressed comments and I've received concerned emails from folks who rely on our weekly online services and my YouTube videos. I have no intention of stopping ministry, my local church family is relying on me, and the online community is as much a part of my flock as those who attend in person. This opinion is shared by the wardens, church council members and congregation at Emmanuel. We will not abandon you. We love and value your contribution to our online community and consider you all a part of Emmanuel no matter where in the world you come from. The online services will continue to be live-streamed asap and I will be continuing my YouTube videos. I hope and pray that you will all continue to join us.
Finally, please pray for us.
Pray for my family, my children Arthur and Micah who have been so very distraught at the thought of being uprooted again and for their fledgling faiths.
Pray for my wife and our unborn baby girl, for a safe pregnancy and birth.
Pray for my church family who are being so supportive and courageous in the face of persecution.
For the provision of a home, income and church.
Pray for the FCE. There are so many godly men and women striving to make the FCE a safe harbour for those looking for a Christian home.
And finally please pray for the leaders in the FCE. That they would have the courage to stand up for what is right and godly and that their eyes would be opened to the truth.
Thank you and God bless
NB. If we do not reach our goal, we would intend to use the donations for a deposit on a house. Failing that, money towards a rental property, or to supplement my stipend. No matter what I can assure you that it will be used for my ministry or to support my family.
If my appeal works and I am reinstated as minister at Emmanuel, I intend that the money raised will still be used to purchase us a house. We would continue to live in the house provided by the FCE as it it much more fit for purpose than anything we would be able to purchase, and the new property could be used to house a curate or assistant priest or rented to provide additional income for ministry and outreach. It would mean that we always have something to fall back on in these uncertain times.
