Arthur John Dain OBE (called Jack; 13 October 1912 – 3 March 2003)[1] was a prominent British-Australian Evangelical Anglican bishop who served as an assistant bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney.

Jack Dain
Born
Arthur John Dain

(1912-10-13)13 October 1912
Died3 March 2003(2003-03-03) (aged 90)
NationalityBritish-Australian
OccupationAnglican bishop
Known forassistant bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney
Notable workEvangelism movement:
Mission Fields To-day, Missionary Candidates
Spouses
Edith Jane Stewart
(m. 1938; died 1985)
Hester Quirk
(m. 1986)
Children4 daughters
Parents
  • Herbert John Dain (father)
  • Elizabeth Dain (mother)

Early life and education

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Dain was born in Wolverhampton,[2] son of Herbert John and Elizabeth, and educated at Wolverhampton Grammar School,[1] after which he was in the British Merchant Navy.

Missionary and military

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He trained at the Missionary Training College,[specify] London and became a missionary in Bihar Province,[2] India (1935–1940)[1] until World War II. During the war, he was a Gurkha until he was seconded to the Royal Indian Navy[2] (1941–1947).[1] He was the General Secretary of the Bible and Medical Missionary Fellowship[3] until 1959, when he was ordained after studies at Ridley Hall, Cambridge.[3]

Ordained ministry

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Dain was made a deacon at Michaelmas 20 September 1959, by Falkner Allison, Bishop of Chelmsford, at Chelmsford Cathedral "for the colonies"[4] (i.e. not intended to serve a usual curacy/title in Essex), and ordained priest the same year.[3] Shortly after ordination, he emigrated to Australia to serve as federal secretary of the Church Mission Society there; he was also made an honorary canon of St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney in 1963.[1] He was consecrated a bishop on 20 April 1965, and served as Bishop-Coadjutor of Sydney[5] (or an assistant bishop). From 1980 until his retirement in 1982, he was senior assistant bishop and chief executive officer of the Diocese of Sydney.[1]

Evangelism movement

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Dain was a prominent leader of the Evangelism movement, and closely associated with Billy Graham throughout his ministry.[2] For instance, he served as Overseas Secretary of the British Evangelical Alliance (1950–1959)[1] and chaired several international Evangelism conferences. He was chair of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of Australia.[2][6]

Personal life and retirement

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Dain married twice: in 1938 to Edith Jane Stewart (who died 1985),[6] with whom he had four daughters; and in 1986 to Hester Quirk. He was a published author – of Mission Fields To-day in 1956 and of Missionary Candidates in 1959 – and he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1979. He retired to Lindfield, West Sussex[1] (United Kingdom) and served the Diocese of Chichester as an honorary assistant bishop from 1987 until his death.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Dain, Arthur John". Who's Who. A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ^ a b c d e "Meet the assistant bishops" in Southern Cross, September 1981. pp. 28–29
  3. ^ a b c d "Arthur John Dain". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  4. ^ "Michaelmas ordaintions". Church Times. No. 5041. 25 September 1959. p. 19. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 15 October 2019 – via UK Press Online archives.
  5. ^ "New Federal Secretary for Australian CMS". Church Times. No. 5332. 23 April 1965. p. 13. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 15 October 2019 – via UK Press Online archives.
  6. ^ a b Billy Graham Center (Archived)