Paul R. Brown

Brown Reverend Paul R. Brown, 84, died on February 12, 2015 at 4:45 a.m. at Joint Township District Memorial Hospital, St. Marys, Ohio. He was born March 9, 1930 in Lancaster, Ohio to Eddie "EE" Brown and Helen Goddard Brown. He was one of 6 boys including a twin brother, Jim Brown. Paul married Barbara England Brown on October 25, 1953 and had two children, Cheryl Lynn Lamb (Fritz) of Brentwood, California and James Richard "Rick" Brown (LyAnne) of Galena, Ohio. Paul had nine grandchildren, David Michael (deceased), Chris, Nathaniel, Ashleigh, Joshua, Eric, Jason Christian and Arielle. Paul graduated from Lancaster High School in 1948. While a student there, he was stage manager for high school drama productions and an honor student. He attended Kentucky Mountain Bible Institute (KMBI) and graduated from Circleville Bible College (Ohio Christian University). While at Circleville, he worked full time at Battelle in Columbus and pastored a church. He earned a master's degree from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennessee and a seminary degree from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. Paul accepted Christ as his savior at the age of 9 while attending the Church of Christ in Christian Union pastored by Reverend Willard Cozad. He has been preaching the gospel since the age of 12 and held his first revival with his twin brother Jim at age 16 near Circleville, Ohio. While attending college in Circleville he pastored Waterloo Church of Christ in Christian Union. After graduation from college he served at Winchester Church of Christ in Christian Union. He pastored Nazarene churches in Independence, Missouri, Nashville, Tennessee and Windsor, Ontario Canada. Paul served a 4 church charge for the Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) Church in Logan, Ohio. In 1965, he was invited to pastor a new church in Upper Arlington, Ohio called The Northwest United Methodist Church. He served Northwest church from the time it met in Windermere Elementary school and then moved to its current location on Riverside Drive in Upper Arlington. He served Northwest, a wonderful and unique congregation of believers until 1984. During his time at Northwest UMC, the congregation grew from 35 members in 1965 to well over 1,000 in attendance by the time he left in 1984. He then served St. Paul UMC in Celina, Ohio and then Faith Community UMC in Xenia, Ohio until his retirement in 1994. While at Faith Community in Xenia, Paul realized his life-long dream of pastoring with his identical twin brother, Jim who died in 1994. Upon retirement, he and Barbara moved back to Celina, Ohio and was asked by the church district superintendent to take a temporary two month assignment to help out a small country church, Landfair UMC, which was in between pastors. Twenty years later, in 2013, Paul retired a second time from his ministry at Landfair UMC. During his ministry he hosted 4 trips to the holy land and a 1984 trip to Oberamergau, Germany for the 500 year anniversary of the Passion Play in that historic city. Paul was a beloved pastor, husband, father and grandfather. He touched thousands in his 65 years in the ministry. A memorial service will held at a later date to be announced by the family. Arrangements by the TIDD FAMILY FUNERAL HOME and CREMATORY, Hilliard, OH.