Biography of Roy Allen Davison (2024)

Roy Allen Davison was born at Saint-Louis,Missouri on 15 September 1940. His parents were Charles HenryDavison and Bessie Inez Davison (nee Kincaid). While growing up,Roy lived at various times in Missouri, Florida, Maryland,Tennessee, New Mexico, California, North Dakota, Saskatchewan andTexas.

Roy was baptized into the body of Christ atAlexandria, Virginia on March the 4th, 1951. At an early age hededicated his life to proclaiming the good news about Christ. Hepreached his first full-length sermon when he wasfourteen.

Roy obtained his secondary schooling at RadvilleChristian College in Saskatchewan, a boarding school operated bymembers of churches of Christ. This is where he met Rita Lewis, whowould later become his wife. He graduated from grade twelve withmatriculation standing in 1958.

In 1961 Roy earned a BA degree with a major incommunication and minors in Bible and Greek from Abilene ChristianCollege in Texas. While in Abilene he became a good friend of Corvan Ewijk, a Dutchman. At his invitation, Roy made plans to go toHolland, and began taking Dutch lessons from Cor.

After graduation Roy was invited to preach forthe church of Christ in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada with theunderstanding that after a year he would be going to Europe. Whilein Sarnia, he continued his language study by taking privatelessons from a Dutch school teacher.

During the first half of 1963 Roy held two gospelmeetings and traveled extensively in Canada and the U.S. informingchurches about his proposed work in Europe. During the summer hespent one month in Houston studying Dutch at the Berlitz LanguageSchool. He also attended a special series of lessons on worldevangelism at the Harding Graduate School in Memphis,Tennessee.

Roy went to Holland in September of 1963 where hestudied at the university and worked with Dan Boyd in Utrecht fortwo years. After gaining a working knowledge of Dutch, he wasinvited to assist the church in Ostend, Belgium in the fall of1965. At that time he was the only full-time preacher for churchesof Christ among the five million Flemish (Dutch) speaking people ofBelgium and the church in Ostend was the only Flemishcongregation.

While in Ostend Roy studied the Scriptures with afamily in Roeselare. When they became Christians they startedworshipping in their home and invited Roy to help them. He movedfrom Ostend to Roeselare the summer of 1967.

From 1967 through 1970 Roy was assistant directorand instructor at the School of the Bible in Verviers, Belgium. Theschool closed in 1970 because of lack of personnel andfinances.

In the spring of 1968 Roy made an important tripto the United States. He was married on June the 8th to Rita LewisHamm. Rita and Roy had first met in secondary school at RadvilleChristian College in Canada. Rita had been a widow for seven yearsbefore she and Roy were married.

Roy and Rita lived in Roeselare until the fall of1972. During the five years that Roy preached there, the churchgrew to about 20 members. Several men in the congregation hadlearned to teach and preach.

In 1972 the Davisons moved to Beverenwaas, nearAntwerp, where a new congregation had begun meeting as a result ofthe baptism of contacts made through newspaper ads.

While working in the Antwerp area, Roy studiedwith a man in Boortmeerbeek (near Leuven) who was also firstcontacted through a newspaper ad. After becoming a Christian hedrove to Antwerp each Sunday. When another man in his area wasbaptized, the two of them formed a new congregation atBoortmeerbeek.

While living near Antwerp, Roy also beganstudying the Scriptures with a couple in Hasselt. The Davisonsmoved to the Limburg area in 1976 and established a congregation inHasselt.

Shortly after moving to Limburg Roy had studieswith a couple in Eindhoven, Holland who were baptized and formedthe core of a new congregation there.

Roy serves as an evangelist in Belgium. He alsoworks as a free-lance Dutch-English translator.

Roy publishes numerous web sitesincluding:

• The Old Paths Archive
  Articles and books written by members of churches ofChrist
  http://www.oldpaths.com
• Sermons by V. E. Howard
  This section of the Old Paths Archive is a depository of lectures and radio sermons by V. E. Howard
  http://www.vehoward.net
• What is the truth about God?
  Faith-building lectures
  http://www.whatisthetruthaboutgod.com
• Wat is de waarheid over God?
  Geloofsopbouwende lezingen
  http://www.watisdewaarheidovergod.eu
• The Old Paths Network
  Encouraging communication and fellowship amongChristians
  http://www.oldpaths.net
• Acts For Today
  The book of Acts in written and audio form with commentaries, articles, and multimediapresentations relating to Acts and God's plan of salvation
  http://www.actsfortoday.net
• Scripture of Truth
  World English Bible translation (Audio and study material for each book is being added)
  http://www.ScriptureOfTruth.net
  
• Directories of churches of Christ
  A list of various directories of congregations throughout theworld
  http://directoryofchurches.net
• Gemeenten van Christus
  Information about Dutch-speaking churches of Christ
  http://www.gemeente-van-christus.org
• Les Eglises du Christ
  Information about French-speaking churches of Christ
  http://www.eglise-du-christ.org
• Die Vorzeitpfade
  Radio sermons in German by Gottfried Reichel
  http://www.vorzeitpfade.org
• Estj na Nebesah Bog
  "There is a God in heaven" by Otis Gatewood in Russian,
  in both audio and written form
  http://www.EstjBog.ru