Pentecostal leader is FGBMFI lunch speaker
 2006: Paddy Venner, leader of a fast growing Pentecostal church in Norwich, spoke at the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International chapter lunch at the Maid’s Head Hotel in the city on Thursday May 18, from 1-2pm.
Paddy Venner was born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1965, and grew up in the country during the apartheid years, a time which formed and moulded his passion to see people coming into spiritual freedom.
He gave his life to Jesus at the age of 7, and was ordained into the ministry in 1997 in the Assemblies of God denomination and pastored two separate churches before moving with his wife and children to the UK in 2004.
The move was a fulfilment of prophecy over his life, but also as a result of a strong sense of calling that both he and his wife had, he says.
Paddy is now senior pastor of the fast-growing ECC (Earlham Christian Centre) in Norwich, and his wife, Jennike, works as an accounts officer in a local school. They have two sons, aged 8 and 5, and frequent visitors from South Africa.
Paddy is a preacher, teacher and prophet, and also writes songs from time to time which he performs on his guitar, but usually for his own ears only.
He presented a drive-time radio show on community radio for around five years in South Africa and was once the vocalist in a heavy metal rock band. He sometimes drums in the church worship band, but his passion is people and has a personal vision statement that says ‘make a difference’ - something that he tries to do with every person he meets.
Paddy runs school assemblies in three local schools, does private counselling for school pupils needing help, and helps with the running of one of the five youth clubs put on by ECC.
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