Francis KEMP

KEMP, FRANCIS (b. Manchester, England, 1 June 1857; d. Sydney, NSW, 2 Feb 1940). Founding editor Brethren missionary magazine.

Francis Kemp came to Australia and New Zealand as a tourist in 1881. In New Zealand he met and married Agnes Milne. However, they finally settled in Sydney. He was an enthusiastic preacher and ran a large Bible study for young men in his home. This disbanded after he accepted believer's baptism and was forbidden by church authorities to speak on this subject to the Bible class. In Burwood, Sydney, the Kemps associated with other Christian families, including that of Dr John Feild Deck, and they formed, as they designated it, a Baptist Mission.

Following a trip to England in 1900 he commenced his own business and, at the same time, began to take an interest in assisting missionary workers. By this time the Kemps were meeting with a Brethren congregation and, together with H H Halls, saw the need to provide assistance to the 26 Brethren missionaries who then had no denominational structure to facilitate their ministry. Thus in 1909 Kemp and Halls decided to commence a missionary paper to spread information regarding missionary activities of the Brethren and to form a convenient medium for conveying gifts to such missionaries. The first copy of Australian Missionary Tidings was published in Jan 1910. In the same year Kemp arranged for a gospel hall to be built at Waitara, Sydney. He remained editor of the magazine he commenced until Feb 1940, just one month before his death.

Two of his daughters, Winnifred and Heather, went as missionaries to China. The former died in China after 7 years of work. Heather, who married her sister's widower, was in China from 1920 and, following internment in 1941, was repatriated to Australia.

Australian Missionary Tidings, Mar 1940, 1950-52

KEN J NEWTON