THTHTHETH EEE EVANGELISATION SOCIETY Of AUSTRALASIA. THE SECOND PERIOD: 1919 TO 1945. by Robert Evans. 1 This book is a project of Research in Evangelical Revivals. Cover picture: Jean-Francois Millett. “The Sower.” Photographs are reproduced from sources as indicated. Walter J. Beasley’s chart comparing geology to Genesis One was supplied by the Australian Institute of Archaeology. The views expressed in it are not necessarily those of the Institute. The chart also appears on the endpapers of Beasley’s book Creation’s Amazing Architect . This book is published privately by the Author. Copies may be obtained from E.S.A. Country Ministries, Also through co-operating bookstores, Or from the Author: Rev. Robert Evans OAM. MA. P.O. Box 131 Hazelbrook NSW 2779 Australia. Copyright by the Author. December, 2011. ISBN 978-0-9756733-7-9. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface by Stephen Kilpatrick: E.S.A. Country Ministries. 5 Introduction. 9 1. E.S.A. Basic Timeline, changes, events, people. 15 2. Rev. John Complin. 48 3. Rev. Philip E. Shepherd. 58 4. Stoker Reg. Stephens. 69 5. Rev. Charles Chenery. 83 6. Rev. D. H. Moore. 99 7. Victorian Open Air Mission. 110 8. Norman Lumsden. 122 9. Herbert H. Janetzki. 159 10. Eric Clarkson. 173 11. Andrew W. Smith. 194 12. F. W. George Hall. 216 13. Jack Neilsen. 227 14. Walter Beasley. 239 15. Australian Christian Colportage Association. 249 16. The Mildmay Movement in Australia. 275 17. Rev. George R. Brown. 288 Bibliography. 309 Index. 316 3 4 PREFACE Less than twelve months since the publication and launch (in January 2011) of ‘The Evangelisation Society of Australia: The first 35 years – 1883-1918’ by Robert Evans and Darrell Paproth, the second book (1919-1945) has arrived. That this has occurred so quickly is a testament to the passion and commitment of Bob Evans. These two works will prove to be an enormous blessing to workers, volunteers and supporters of ESA Country Ministries (ESA) both present and past. The first volume was an inspiring one, recording the incredible adventures of men and women who took the gospel of Jesus Christ into isolated and rugged parts of country Victoria and the other states of Australia. The name may have changed at times: Evangelisation Society of Victoria to Evangelisation Society of Australasia and even incorporating the Australian Christian Colportage Association. Essentially however, what is now known as ESA Country Ministries has been a vehicle by which God has taken the truths of the gospel into rural Victoria and beyond for close to 130 years. In our comfortable armchair Christianity of 2011 it is humbling and inspiring to read of how a visit to Emerald, Victoria by a lone evangelist 100 years ago should have been accomplished with so many barriers. A beautiful Melbourne town now, at one time Emerald could only be reached through muddy isolated tracks over the mountains. Such was their isolation that the townsfolk were excited that at last they had a visitor. More than that, dozen responded to the gospel when it was presented. This is the story repeated over and over in the first volume and one that continues through the second and into the present day - 5 although technology and transport advances enable ESA workers to reach even the most isolated communities within hours. Nevertheless, the power of the gospel still penetrates many hearts annually as God’s Holy Spirit uses His Word spoken at camps, church meetings, and adventure activities conducted by the staff of ESA. Although several evangelistic groups have shared a similar type of ministry to that of ESA over the years, ESA now presents as quite unique in its vision to reach rural Victoria as it Equips, Serves and Assists Country churches. Today the community centered around Donald in the Wimmera - Mallee, the families around Colac in South-Western Victoria and generations of Children around Ballarat are the recipients of the faithful service rendered by ESA’s field workers in those areas. They continue to share faithfully the saving message of the grace found in Jesus Christ in schools, homes and the wider community. They have a heritage of over a hundred years to base their ministry upon. Over many years Gippsland - in Victoria’s east - has been the focus of outreach to the lost too. Through the presentation of the gospel at children’s and youth camps, in family groups and churches and even in prisons, ESA’s men and women reach the hearts of the isolated and spiritually needy working out of Traralgon and Maffra. For 30 years ESA’s administrative hub and Conference Centre was at Marysville, north-east of Melbourne. The Black Saturday fires of 2009, effectively curtailed the work there and yet even now Alexandra (in the same region) is the centre of ESA’s Adventure camping ministry - a tool which has seen many people young and old impacted for God through canoeing, fishing, rock-climbing, bushwalking and through the agency of school chaplaincy and church-planting. 6 How thrilling to think that the work of evangelism has been carried out unabated since 1883 (with the possible exception being during periods of economic downturn and war) by dozens of ESA workers and volunteers and that we in 2012 can be a part of carrying on with that work. The ESA Board of which I am a member is grateful that Robert Evans has chronicled the remarkable history of this organisation. The Board is honoured to be a small part of the continuing heritage of preaching Christ to country Victoria. As one who has been involved in ESA Country Ministries for some 35 years, I feel a part of that heritage of ESA work commenced and continued by its pioneers - Rev. A.J. Clark, Hon. James Balfour, James Griffiths, through to George Fuhrmeister (who it seems led my father to Christ whilst chatting over a pigsty fence in Western Victoria), Bob Pocklington and ‘Aunty’ Myrtle Payne. With the completion of this second volume - ‘Evangelisation Society of Australasia: 1919 to 1945’ - countless supporters and volunteers will enjoy reading of the organisation and of the Godly men and women who served between the two world wars. And of course ESA will continue, but this generation of believers will need to supply the next generation of field staff - evangelists. Maybe they will come from the current fledgling ‘intern’ program flourishing in Gippsland, or maybe it will be you - the one reading this volume who will be the next E.S.A. field-worker or volunteer - sharing Jesus Christ with country Victoria. Stephen Kilpatrick. ESA Country Ministries. 7 8 INTRODUCTION In the year 1983, the Evangelisation Society of Australia marked its Centenary. This was a considerable landmark in its history, because at several points in its story the Society had ceased to function, and indeed, ceased to exist as more than a technicality. Yet, here it was, definitely and strongly involved in the soul-saving ministry of the Church, just as it had been through most of its history since it began in 1883. The task of writing its Centenary History was handed to one of the Society’s workers, Mr. Donald Prout, who must have wondered what he had done to deserve being given this task. He said that, with the request to do this job, he was presented with a large handful of papers to use as his resources. Donald did the best that he could, and, eventually the Centenary book for the Evangelisation Society of Australia was published. 1 From browsing through this book we can see what “the large handful of papers” contained, and also we can perhaps guess at what was not there. Firstly, his book presented a copy of the advertisement which appeared in several papers in 1883 to announce the formation of the Society. There were a few reports about early missions conducted by the first evangelist employed by the Society, the Rev. A. J. Clarke. There was information about a visit to Melbourne by Mr. George Muller of Bristol, with a photo, who was invited to Victoria by one of the Open Brethren leaders linked to the Society. After that, Donald had some news, and a photo, about a visiting English evangelist brought out by the Society to lead evangelistic meetings in various parts 1 Donald Prout. Going Where the Need is Greater . The E.S.A. Story. 1983. 9 of Victoria. This was Mr. George Clarke, who was a world- famous athlete who openly declared his faith in Jesus Christ. After these details ending in 1888, Donald’s file seems to have contained almost no more information about the Society’s activities until 1926, for which year he had the Minutes of one of the Society’s business meetings. His next information was the annual meeting report for 1932. After that, the information improved slowly, until, by the end of the Second World War, he was able to present a fairly good coverage of events and people. Overall, his difficulty really was that the Society had never taken care to keep the Minutes books of their business meetings, or their correspondence. There were no Society archives. With these he could have written a much better history of the Society. On top of that, he did not know, and there was nobody else who knew where to look for the information which would have allowed him to fill in the gaps, which covered most of the first fifty years of the Society’s story. Since I retired from parish responsibilities about thirteen years ago, I have written and published privately about six books on the history of evangelism in Australia covering the period before the First World War.