Mary THOMPSON

THOMPSON, MARY (b. Shepparton, Vic, 26 July 1860, d. Melbourne, Vic, 27 March 1936). Churches of Christ missionary to India.

Brought up in the Congregational church, Mary was baptised in 1884 by a Churches of Christ minister, M Wood Green. At the first Intercolonial Conference of Churches of Christ, in 1889, G L Wharton, a pioneer missionary with the American Disciples, who was working in India, appealed for a male worker to work under the American board at Harda. While the Conference expressed its 'full sympathy with foreign missions' and noted 'with pleasure the liberal response of the colonies', no male volunteered his services. Following an appeal in the 1 May issue of the Pioneer, and a personal approach from Milner Black, secretary of the Victorian Foreign Mission Committee, which had recently been established, thirty year old Mary Thompson, who was now worshipping with the Collingwood church, indicated that she was prepared to accept the challenge. The women of the churches helped raise her support, and she left for India in 1891, where she remained until 1934, dearly loved by the Indians among whom she worked. During her time at Harda she was involved in medical work, teaching and village evangelism. An important part of her work was with orphans and lepers. Evangelistic tours usually took several weeks, when Mary would travel by bullock cart and sleep in an eight foot tent. Mary Thompson has the honour of being the first missionary to be commissioned by Churches of Christ in Australia.

F Morris, 'Mary Thompson', Digest of the Australian Churches of Christ Historical Society, 96, Oct 1987; 97, April 1988

GRAEME CHAPMAN