Beetham, Thomas Allen
1906-92; e.m. 1927

WM missionary to West Africa, he was born on 13 March 1906 at Ilford. As an undergraduate he heard W.J. Platt speak about the Harris movement in West Africa and immediately offered his services to the WMMS. With first class degrees in Maths and Theology, in 1928 he was sent to Wesley College, Kumasi in the Gold Coast (now Ghana) to train teachers, catechists and ministers, soon became its Principal and later oversaw its rapid post-war expansion. He was Africa Secretary of the MMS 1950-1960 and of theConference of British Missionary Societies 1960-1967, playing a notable part in the transition to African self-government in church and state. He devised the system which enabled the transfer of authority to autonomous Methodist Conferences and was one of the pioneers of the Islam in Africa Project (now the Programme for Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa). He died in London on 10 December 1992.

Sources
  • T.A. Beetham, 'My Pilgrimage in Mission', in International Bulletin of Missionary Research, Oct. 1990 pp.167-71
  • Methodist Recorder, 14 Jan 1993

Occupations

Entry written by: JRP
Category: Person
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