Robert Whitaker McAll
| Robert Whitaker McAll | |
|---|---|
McAll in his later years
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| Born |
17 December 1821 St Ives, United Kingdom |
| Died | 11 May 1893 (aged 71) Paris, France |
| Alma mater | Lancashire Independent College, Whalley Range, Manchester) |
| Occupation | Clergyman |
| Organization | Mission MacAll, Mission aux ouvriers de Paris, Mission populaire évangélique |
| Movement | Christian revival |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Siddall Hayward |
| Parent(s) | Robert Stephens McAll Sarah Whitaker |
| Awards |
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Robert Whitaker McAll (1821–1893) was a congregationalist minister from English and Scottish origin who founded the " Popular Evangelical Mission of France " in Paris in 1872, a movement which gained a considerable following and influence in a few years and which is still in existence today.
Robert Whitaker McAll was son of the Methodist minister Robert Stephens McAll and of Sarah Whitaker. He was born on 17 December 1821 in St Ives (Cornwall). From his 7th years he was raised in Macclesfield in Cheshire, near Manchester. His father who was a very charismatic pastor in Manchester died in 1838 when Robert McAll was only 17. Passionate about religious architecture Robert McAll started to work in an architect's study in 1839 but after 5 years he turned to Protestant theology, which he studied from 1844 to 1848 in Lancashire Independent College , in Whalley Range College, in Manchester.
Before the end of his studies Robert McAll was called as pastor of the Bethel congregationalist chapel in Sunderland. There, in 1847, he marries Elizabeth Siddall Hayward, only daughter of one of his university professors. He worked ceaselessly for his parish, adding to the usual pastoral activities, youth meetings, open air public preaching and hymn writing – his own hymn book will soon be in use in his parish. His health is shaken by this intense work, and will remain a limitation for him. In 1855, he was counting with some satisfaction that the parish had gained 310 new members during his tenure, in other words one per Sunday… In 1855 he accepted the invitation of the Bond Street nonconformist chapel, in Leicester. His preaching and his action are successful there too. However he resigned after two years to open a new church in Leicester, on London Road. There he imposed his terms: the new parish should be open to people of the neighbourhood and inviting to newcomers, the old habits of pew-rent and fixed contributions should be replaced by voluntary gifts. His intention was to rid the church from widespread prejudices held by the working class. Additional endeavours included launching a mission in the nearby village of Reasby, establishing anti-alcoholic work. During his nine years as a pastor in London Road Chapel, the parish grew from 120 members to 450. In 1866 he moved to Grosvenor Street’s parish, in Picadilly, Manchester. In 1867 he intervened publicly to ask for mercy for 3 Fenians who had been condemned to death after their attack on a prisoners transfer vehicle which had left one policeman dead. Robert McAll organised a meeting with the participation of the victim's widow, where she expressed her forgiveness to the murderers of her husband. In spite of his efforts, he didn't succeed in obtaining the commutation of the death penalty of the Irish convicts. Between 1867 and 1871, he was pastor in Birmingham and in Hadleigh in Suffolk. The experience of Robert McAll in his various English parishes was a good preparation for his subsequent ministry in France: he was confronted with the material and moral misery of the working class, he tried various reach out methods including open air preaching, he refined his oratory talent and knew how to convince an audience with a fine mix of charm, humour and conviction.
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