WM minister, born on 19 December 1868 in Taunton and educated at Queen's College. After training at Didsbury College, he served in the Edinburgh Mission under George Jackson 1893-1899 and at Oxford Road, Manchester 1899-1904. During his ministry in Brighton (1904-1910) he initiated the Dome Mission; then, (1910-1926) established the Tooting Mission at the instigation of Joseph Rank. He was a pioneer in the use of cinema films in evangelism. In 1928 he became secretary of the Methodist Union Committee and travelled the country advocating union and supporting it in Conference. When this was achieved in 1932, he became secretary of the Commemoration Fund established by the Uniting Conference. A committed evangelist, he never saw union as a substitute for evangelism and much of his ministry was in mission appointments and in the Home Mission Department (1936-1938). He edited Evangelism: a Re-interpretation (1921). He died at Thornton Heath in August 1962.

His son, Cyril A. French (1899-1985; e.m. 1922) was also a WM minister, born at Manchester on 10 December 1899; he died at Aylesbury on 20 July 1985.

Entry written by: WDH
Category: Person
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