Henry George HARWARD

HARWARD, HENRY GEORGE (b. Bendigo, Vic, l May 1868; d. Kogarah, NSW, 17 April 1944). Churches of Christ evangelist, college principal, home mission organiser.

Harry Harward was a twin. His sister, Chrissie, lived only seven months. His father, a sharebroker on the Bendigo Stock Exchange, made and lost a small fortune. The young Harward attended a Bible Christian Church and Sunday school, where he won acclaim for his knowledge of the catechism and for his recitations. His aim was to be a temperance lecturer.

Harry Harward left school at 12 to work as a delivery boy for the Bendigo Advertiser and then the Bendigo Independent. At fifteen he began working as a smithy for a coach builder. He was later appointed the first telephone operator of the Bendigo exchange. When the government took over the exchanges, he went to Melbourne, where he trained as an instrument fitter. Coming into contact with the Churches of Christ in Melbourne, he was baptised and joined the Collingwood church. He became active in Christian Endeavour and in Open air preaching.

He was transferred to Warrnamhool, where he was in charge of the exchange and preached at the local Church of Christ. In October, 1893, Harward, feeling a call to ministry, sailed for America to seek training. After a successful mission at Newtown, Kansas, he was invited to remain on as minister. In two and a half years 257 people were added to the Church. In 1896 Harward resigned and left for Eureka College, Illinois. His most spectacular achievement was winning of the Illinois Oratorical Championship. On 16 August 1897, he was married to Eliza Thompson, whom he had met at Collingwood.

Harward declined an invitation from a church of 1200 in Peoria, Illinois, and returned to Australia, where he introduced tent missioning, which he had witnessed in America, to Australian Churches of Christ. His first mission, conducted in his home town of Bendigo, resulted in 97 baptisms. After advocating the development of tent missions at the 1902 Victorian Conference, he was appointed state evangelist, a position he held for four years.

When a college was established at Carlton, Melbourne, for the training of men to minister with the Australian Churches of Christ, he was appointed one of two teachers. Several months into the year, Harward was appointed principal. In the second year, Harward was joined by A R Main (q.v.). After four years Harward resigned to return to missioning.

Harward was successively evangelist of the Church at Oamaru in New Zealand, NSW state evangelist, minister at the City Temple in Sydney and then at Enmore and roving evangelist among Churches of Christ in London. He had ministries at Taree and North Sydney before concluding fifty years of ministry as NSW Home Missions Organiser.

Within Churches of Christ Harward served as president of the Victorian Conference and was twice president of the New South Wales Conference. He was at different times, secretary and president of the Federal Conference. He also served a term as president of the Victorian Christian Endeavour Society and president of the New South Wales Christian Endeavour Society.

G L Chapman, 'H. G. Harward - A Brief Biography', Digest of the Australian Churches of Christ Historical Society 76, March, t982

GRAEME CHAPMAN