Twenty-three-year-old Brady Hampton died Feb. 1 after an eight-month battle with cancer.
Throughout his illness, the Cullman native remained a devoted Christ follower spending much of his time ministering to the lost and speaking at churches even while receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Featured in The Alabama Baptist in September 2002 for his ministry efforts, Hampton presented his testimony to about 20 churches in Jefferson, Shelby, Cullman and Winston counties.
In addition to speaking engagements, Hampton kept a written and verbal journal that displays his love for God and the ministry to which he had been called.
“There is no greater God than my God, and His ways are always holy and trustworthy,” he wrote. “We just need to learn to slow down and enjoy the life we’ve been blessed with and make a difference in someone’s life.”
After only 18 months of marriage, the Hamptons enrolled at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisiana, and nine months later received the cancer prognosis, which gave Brady Hampton between 18 and 24 months to live. A few months later, the couple moved to Helena to be closer to family while receiving treatments at the Kirklin Clinic on Acton Road in Birmingham.
Despite their fight with cancer, the Hamptons took a seminary extension class at Lakeside Baptist Church, Birmingham last fall.
“God still had a calling on our lives and we were preparing for our future,” said Jennifer Hampton. “We were still praying for a miracle.”
In October, the couple accepted an interim youth minister position at Etha Baptist Church, Cullman, leading midweek services for middle and high school students.
“We felt it was important to take the position because there are so many kids who need to be loved,” said Jennifer Hampton. “We have the love of Christ in us to give, and we wanted to share it instead of just sitting at home.”
According to her, Brady Hampton surrendered his entire life to fulfill God’s will even until his death.
“If I was not a Christian, I would never have the hope and promise that I have today in Jesus Christ,” he wrote, “and I would not change that for anything in this world, not even a healthy life.”
In the fall, Jennifer Hampton plans to return to seminary in New Orleans to pursue an undergraduate degree in Christian ministry.
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