Timothy Dudley-Smith

Timothy Dudley-Smith OBE (born 26 December 1926) is a retired bishop of the Church of England and a noted English hymnwriter. He has written around four hundred hymns, including "Tell Out, my Soul".

The Right Reverend Timothy Dudley-Smith OBE
Bishop of Thetford
Diocese	Norwich
In office	1981–1992
Predecessor	Hugh Blackburne
Successor	Hugo de Waal
Other posts	Honorary assistant bishop in Salisbury (1992–present) Archdeacon of Norwich (1973–1981)
Orders
Ordination	1950 (deacon); 1951 (priest)
Consecration	1981
Personal details
Born	26 December 1926 Manchester, UK
Nationality	British
Denomination	Anglican
Parents	Arthur & Phyllis
Spouse	Arlette MacDonald ​ ​ (m. 1959; died 2007)​
Children	1 son; 2 daughters
Profession	Bishop, hymnist
Alma mater	Pembroke College, Cambridge

Early Life, Education & Ministry

Dudley-Smith was born on Boxing Day in Manchester, England, to Phyllis and Arthur Dudley-Smith, a school-teacher.[1] He was educated at Tonbridge School, before studying maths and then theology at Pembroke College, Cambridge.[2] After graduating in 1947, Dudley-Smith began his ordination training at Ridley Hall.[3] He was ordained deacon in 1950 and priest in 1951 by Christopher Chavasse, the Bishop of Rochester.[4]

After ordination, Dudley-Smith served as an Honorary Chaplain to Chavasse, as well as Head of the Cambridge University Mission in Bermondsey, South London.[5] In 1955, he was appointed Editorial Secretary of the Evangelical Alliance and editor of the new Crusade magazine, created after Billy Graham's 1954 London mission.[3][6] Dudley-Smith also began serving with the Church Pastoral Aid Society, serving as Assistant Secretary from 1959, then as Secretary until 1973.[7] He served as Archdeacon of Norwich from 1973 to 1981 and as Bishop of Thetford from 1981 to 1991.[8] He also served as President of the Evangelical Alliance from 1987 until 1992.[9]

He married Arlette Macdonald in 1959, to whom he remained married for 48 years until her death in 2007; they had one son and two daughters together.[10]

Honours

Dudley-Smith is a member and honorary vice-president of the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland; he has also been awarded fellowships from the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada and the Royal School of Church Music.[11] In 2003, he was appointed an Order of the British Empire "for services to hymnody".[11] In July 2009 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree by Durham University.[12]

Selected Works

• Dudley-Smith, Timothy (1987). A Flame of Love: a personal choice of Charles Wesley's verse. London: SPCK.
• —————— (1989). Praying with the English Hymn Writers. London: SPCK.
• ——————; Dakers, Lionel (2001). Beneath a Travelling Star. Canterbury: Canterbury Press.
• —————— (2003). A House of Praise: Collected Hymns 1961-2001. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• —————— (2006). A Door for the Word: 36 new hymns 2002-2005. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• ——————; Llewellyn, William (2006). A Calendar of Praise. Canterbury: Canterbury Press.
• ——————; Llewellyn, William (2007). High Days and Holy Days. Canterbury: Canterbury Press.
• ——————; Llewellyn, William (2008). The Voice of Faith. Canterbury: Canterbury Press.
• ——————; Llewellyn, William (2009). Above Every Name. Canterbury: Canterbury Press.
• —————— (2009). Snakes and Ladders: a Hymn Writer's Reflections. London: The Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
• —————— (2009). Praise to the Name: 36 new hymns 2005-2008. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• ——————; Llewellyn, William (2010). Draw Near to God. Canterbury: Canterbury Press.
• —————— (2011). Seasons and Reasons: New Hymns for various times and occasions. Bromsgrove: Christian Music Ministries.
• —————— (2012). Beyond Our Dreaming: 36 new hymns 2008-2011. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• —————— (2015). A House of Praise 2: Collected Hymns 2002-2013. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• —————— (2017). A Functional Art: Reflections of a Hymn Writer. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• —————— (2019). A House of Praise 3: Collected Hymns 2013-2018. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

References

1. Saward, Michael (2006). "Timothy Dudley-Smith: An Acknowledged Master Craftsman" (PDF). Anvil. 23 (4): 290. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
2. Saward, Michael (2006). "Timothy Dudley-Smith: An Acknowledged Master Craftsman" (PDF). Anvil. 23 (4): 290. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
3. "A Song Was Heard at Christmas". Carols.net. 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
4. Saward, Michael (2006). "Timothy Dudley-Smith: An Acknowledged Master Craftsman" (PDF). Anvil. 23 (4): 290. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
5. Saward, Michael (2006). "Timothy Dudley-Smith: An Acknowledged Master Craftsman" (PDF). Anvil. 23 (4): 290. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
6. Saward, Michael (2006). "Timothy Dudley-Smith: An Acknowledged Master Craftsman" (PDF). Anvil. 23 (4): 290. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
7. Saward, Michael (2006). "Timothy Dudley-Smith: An Acknowledged Master Craftsman" (PDF). Anvil. 23 (4): 290. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
8. Saward, Michael (2006). "Timothy Dudley-Smith: An Acknowledged Master Craftsman" (PDF). Anvil. 23 (4): 290. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
9. Dudley-Smith, Timothy (1997). "Lord, for the Years..." Evangelicals Now. Interviewed by Shirt, Esme. Archived from the original on 27 June 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2008.
10. Saward, Michael (2006). "Timothy Dudley-Smith: An Acknowledged Master Craftsman" (PDF). Anvil. 23 (4): 290. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
11. "Dudley-Smith, Timothy". Hope Publishing. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2008.
12. Watson, J. R. (2009). "Timothy Dudley Smith: Doctor of Divinity" (PDF). Durham, England: Durham University. Retrieved 15 August 2010.

External links

• Official website
• The Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
• The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada