Trevor Barrington Neil

Trevor Barrington Neil was born June 9, 1948, to Elmer Samuel and Mavis Neil in Kingston, Jamaica. His parents were young when they found the Apostolic faith and moved their family to England. Several years later, the Neils moved again, this time to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Trevor graduated from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology with an degree in metallurgical engineering 1972. That same year he gave his life to the Lord at First United Pentecostal Church in Edmonton, under the ministry of Pastor Daniel Mena.

Trevor Neil was a self-motivated learner who committed himself wholeheartedly to doing whatever he could for God’s kingdom. For instance, he recognized that his local church needed help with music, so he taught himself to play the accordion, piano, and guitar. He would prove to be a lifelong learner.

Neil returned to England and married Phyllis Gray on August 9, 1975. The young couple chose to make their home in Alberta. In 1980, the couple headed north to Fort McMurray, where Brother Neil assumed the pastorate of the First United Pentecostal Church in Waterways. Fort McMurray was a growing oil town, and he also secured a job working with The Great Canadian Oil Sands project (now Suncor) as an engineer.

The church consisted of three saints—two women and a little girl—worshipping in a small, dilapidated building with no running water and a furnace that only worked intermittently, a serious problem given northern Alberta’s harsh winters. When the mercury plunged (sometimes as low as forty below zero Fahrenheit), the wind whistled through the windows and worshippers’ breath formed clouds as they sang praises to God. To keep this from happening, Brother Neil would arrive early, put on his coveralls, crawl through the dirt past the broken beam that held up the floor of the frozen building, and relight the furnace. He would then reemerge, change clothes, and preach faith in a sanctuary that measured a mere six steps from wall to wall.

Brother Neil also took to the streets of Fort McMurray to spread the gospel message. Unbelievers referred to this as “Neil Religion,” but God honored his dedication. Soon the church was adding on to the small building to accommodate their growth.

In 1986, the church began construction of a new building. Brother Neil’s father, Elmer, played a key role in building the new facility. With skillful stewardship, the church was able to pay off the mortgage on this new property very quickly, even though Pastor Neil and many of the saints were out of work for six months due to a contentious labor strike at Suncor.

The new building was also a new beginning for both the pastor and the congregation. The church was renamed Tabernacle of Praise, and Trevor Neil launched a radio ministry that reached around the world. When his father passed in 1992, the younger Neil also assumed responsibility for two branch churches in Athabasca and St. Albert that the elder Neil had led.

The church was growing but purchasing another building to accommodate this increase seemed to be a financial impossibility. In 1996, the economy went into downward spiral. Regardless, God worked a miracle and the church was able to purchase a multi-million dollar building located just across the street for $135,000.

Trevor Neil was a visionary leader with a desire to minister to families in northern Alberta. In 1996 he established Genesis Christian School for kindergarten through twelfth grades. He continued to pursue education himself, obtaining a doctorate in 1997. In 2000, Dr. Neil opened Wits End Counselling, Mediation, & Family Therapy. He taught marriage and family seminars and wrote extensively, authoring several published and unpublished books.

Encouraging young men to pursue ministry was another of Dr. Neil’s passions. He routinely created opportunities for aspiring ministers in his church to gain experience preaching. To help further equip them to fulfill their calling, he founded Genesis Institute of Theology and Evangelism in 1997, which later became an endorsed ministry of the United Pentecostal Church International. (The school has since been renamed the Genesis Institute of Theology, Evangelism & Leadership, and relocated to Edmonton, the province’s capital.)

Dr. Neil also was instrumental in the development of the Canadian Plains District, which encompasses the neighboring provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. He first served as district secretary, and later as district superintendent. He played a leading role in planting new daughter works and North American Missions churches in the district.

One of his greatest contributions as a leader was bringing awareness to the need for cultural and ethnic diversity within the UPCI. He was the first Black person to serve on the UPCI’s Executive Board. He also developed diversity training resources and inspired church leaders to intentionally seek and celebrate diversity at every level of ministry. He helped Black Evangelism transition to Building the Bridge, aligning the ministry with the vision of a new generation of Apostolic leaders.

Dr. Trevor B. Neil passed from this life on August 17, 2016. His legacy continues through the leaders he trained, the school he founded, the district he helped build, and the organization that is stronger because of his influence.