He was born atSlough on 1 August 1933 and educated at Hove County Grammar School. From there he went to Cambridge, to study law at St. Catharine's College and then theology at Wesley House. He gained a first in both subjects.

His first appointment was as Youth Secretary with the Free Church Federal Council. This was followed by three circuit appointments, during which time he was prominent among a group of younger ministers who formed the Renewal Group, which challenged many of the accepted ideas within the Church. In 1976 he became Secretary for International Affairs of the British Council of Churches and its Assistant General Secretary. In 1981 he moved to the Methodist Division of Social Responsibility, first as International Secretary and then as General Secretary. He was involved with a variety of inter-church bodies, including Christian Aid, the British Council of Churches Human Rights Forum and the Commission of the Churches for the European Community. He insisted that Methodism should work ecumenically wherever possible and ensured that a Methodist voice was heard at ecumenical gatherings. Whenever he spoke, particularly in the Methodist Conference, people listened with care because they knew that he spoke with the authority of one who knew the facts and had reflected on them in the light of his faith. He died at Haywards Heath on 7 January 2003.

Entry written by: JDBr
Category: Person
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