Here at The Briefing, we honour our esteemed friend, the late Dudley Foord.
One of his sons, Martin, a lecturer at Trinity Theological College in Perth, has just announced:
Yesterday afternoon my beloved Father went to be with the Lord. We give thanks he is no longer suffering and is now with Jesus, his life-long hope and ambition. We grieve with great hope.
We offer our condolences to his wife, Elizabeth, and his children and grandkids.
Here are two of Dudley’s articles from the 90s which were published in The Briefing. Thos who know him will not be surprised to see his topics: evangelism via church planting (before it was so trendy in our circles), and a call for spiritual renewal via increased prayer.
Well worth re-reading today.
Dudley Foord was an elder statesman in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. Along with John Chapman, Dudley helped champion the model of systematic expository preaching shown by John Stott here in Sydney.
As well as serving in a number of parishes around Sydney (most notably Kingsgrove, St Ives and South Liverpool), he also served as a Bishop in CESA, the evangelical Church of England in South Africa.
And on a personal note, here are two of the things I learned (and saw modelled) from Dudley, as a young Assistant Minister, for which I’m really grateful.
- The power of a hand-written thank you note, with specifics! (More than once I received this gift from him and Elizabeth.)
- That you should see discipling another as a decade long project not something knocked over in a year or two, let alone a few months. (The longer I go, the more I realise the truth of that.)
1 Thessalonians 4:14
We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
The Lord used Dudley to encourage so many others in the work of the ministry of the gospel. And on a personal note, I remember his thoughtful, kind words to me when he learned that our disabled son Scott was very ill. Elizabeth was with him; they were a godly model of a husband and wife working together to encourage others. We thank God for the life of Dudley, rejoicing in the hope of the resurrection.
We remember with great affection Dudley and Elizabeth from the time he was a Curate in Manly to a Rector at St Ives and beyond. We remember his ready smile and hearty laugh! A great encourager. Our sympathies to his family. Praise God for his life! Trevor & Kay Cutmore (Terrey Hills)
So many encouragements from Dudley and Elizabeth. They used to come to SMBC as ‘missionaries in residence’ for the first week of each year. I remember their warmth and the answer to one question we asked. “How do you stay so passionate for Jesus?” They answered, “Keep on gospelling. Never stop telling others about Jesus and this will renew your own excitement.” How true this has proved in my life.
I was incredibly surprised and touched when Elizabeth asked my mother if she and Dudley could receive my prayer letters and support me while I was overseas. The reason I was surprised was that they barely knew me and I was neither Anglican or CMS. What prayer supporters and encouragers they have been.
I aspire to be like them.