Fr Tom & Wendy Hall

Fr Tom was born in India and moved to England as a young child and attended boarding school at The Sanctuary School  Walsingham. He, with his family, migrated to Australia in 1952. Fr Tom completed his schooling at TSS at Southport before attending UQ & Gatton Agricultural College. Fr Tom planned to use his great love of plants and his desire to serve God by becoming an Agricultural missionary. However after completing his Queensland Diploma in Horticulture he felt called to full-time ministry and studied at St Francis College, Brisbane. 

He married Wendy, a nurse at St Helen's hospital in Brisbane and a devoted Christian in 1967. Fr Tom served curacies at the Cathedrals in Townsville and Rockhampton and then he and Wendy ministered at Saint Luke's Church Emerald for six and a half years. From there they journeyed to England where they took on the tough slum clearance parish of Whitehawk in Brighton Sussex. Queensland called them back again and they spent eighteen months in Inglewood.

After a year in Brisbane, Fr Tom was given the Parish of Strathpine and ministered there for 24 years. Fr Tom believes strongly in the power of the Holy Spirit to change lives. He passionately believes in the Bible being the inspired Word of God. Fr Tom's ministry has been enriched by Wendy's great love of music and passion for serving the Lord. Wendy’s father was a Methodist priest and from a young age she supported her father with music and youth work. Both Fr Tom and Wendy are blessed with 10 children who all love the Lord. They have established Achor Ministries to continue their work for the Lord following Fr Tom's retirement from Full-Time Parish Work.

Achor Ministries

“I will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
There she will sing as in the days of her youth.”  (Hosea 2:15)

“In the seventh chapter of the Book of Joshua we see how the Israelites were defeated at the Battle of Ai because of the sin and disobedience of Achan. The place of this defeat was called the Valley of Achor. “Achor” means “trouble”. Many years later God spoke through His Prophet, Hosea and said, “I will make the valley of Achor (Trouble Valley) a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth”.

In the seventies Wendy and I ministered in a valley in the East End of Brighton, England in a Council slum clearance Housing Estate. It was indeed a trouble valley.  While we were there God worked powerfully in our midst. The prophecy given to Hosea was given to us and fully fulfilled! This is how God worked:  Children came into the Vicarage garden through holes they had made in the fence. We invited them into the house and Wendy taught them to sing scripture songs. They loved the songs and started coming to church. Soon after that their parents joined them. They discovered Jesus and He opened the door of hope for them. Many troubled lives were transformed.

Achor Ministries is summed up in this song that the Lord gave to Wendy in those days:

In through the door of hope I came,
Never more to roam
Jesus loving arms stretched out,
To the valley I’ll not return

The Lord said, “Achor, Achor
I’ll make you a door of hope
And you’ll have victory, victory
I’ll make you a door of hope”

Now I’ve safely come this far
I know it all is true,
Jesus died upon the cross
He died for me and you…Chorus

Over forty years of our ministry this pattern has continued. Through their beautiful singing Wendy and her music teams have drawn many people close to Jesus. Together we have shown them how Jesus can open the door of hope and lead them into victory!”  Fr Tom Hall