Frederick William NORWOOD

NORWOOD, FREDERICK WILLIAM (b. Sandhurst, Vic, 15 June 1875; d. Burlington, Canada, 14 Feb 1958). Preacher.

Born of Irish immigrants, his devout Christian mother was widowed when he was ten. She worked hard to maintain her eight children. At 11, Norwood left school in Fitzroy in order to work to help support the family. Six years later, an evangelist's challenge led him to test the reality of his faith by working among the poor in Collingwood with an ardent Christian. Largely self-educated, with a love for books, he was soon in demand as a preacher because of a natural eloquence. While a bicycle salesman, he married a Baptist, May Isobel Davis, in 1899. He preached occasionally at the struggling Baptist cause at Canterbury, which in 1901 engaged him as honorary pastor and urged him to undertake theological training. The Baptists sent him to Ormond College (1903-5), then ordained him. From Canterbury he went to Brunswick (1910-13) and served for a time as honorary secretary of the Vic Baptist College. He then accepted a call to North Adelaide, SA (1913-1917).

Towards the conclusion of World War One he went to Europe as a YMCA officer to the Australian troops (1917-19). While awaiting repatriation, the City Temple, London, provided Opportunities for preaching and subsequently called him (1919-36). He often travelled overseas, was a welcome guest-preacher in leading American pulpits and participated in the Chautaugua circuit. He was a strong advocate of peace. In the early 1930s Oberlin University USA, conferred on him an honorary doctorate. He left the City Temple to serve as evangelist-at-large in the United Kingdom for the National Free Church Council. Later he ministered at St Andrew's-Wesley Church, Vancouver, Canada (1939-43), then at St James United Church Montreal, from which he retired in the early 1950s. He died after a brief illness.

Warm and generous, Norwood was an outstanding preacher with a beautiful voice. 'No matter what he touched, his choice of memorable phrase and his gift of matching the richness of his thought with the wealth of eloquent tongue marked him out as a prince among men.'

F W Norwood, Indiscretions of a Preacher (London 1932)

BASIL S BROWN