ABSTRACT

Elsie Chamberlain was a leading figure in British broadcasting and religious life. She was a pioneer in many areas: the first woman chaplain to the armed forces; the first nonconformist minister to marry an Anglican clergyman; the first woman producer in the religious broadcasting dept of the BBC and the first woman to present the daily service on the radio. Her broadcasting accustomed many listeners to the idea of a woman leading public worship. And she became the first woman to occupy the chair of the Congregational Union of England and Wales and almost certainly the first woman anywhere in the world to head a major denomination.

Elsie Chamberlain is the first full biography and a critical appreciation of this exceptional woman. Using original church and BBC archive sources, the book tells the story of a woman who did more than any other to change the way Christian women ministers are viewed.

chapter 1|19 pages

Introduction and Early Life

chapter 2|9 pages

The Call to the Ministry

chapter 3|11 pages

Elsie Begins Her Ministry, 1939

chapter 4|13 pages

The Return to London, 1941

chapter 6|11 pages

A Season of Clear Shining: Married Life

chapter 8|8 pages

Later Years at Vineyard

chapter 9|15 pages

International Meetings and the CUEW Chair

chapter 10|13 pages

Elsie at the BBC

chapter 11|18 pages

After the BBC: The City Temple

chapter 12|12 pages

The Sky Turns Black: Another Crisis

chapter 14|22 pages

Hutton Free Church, 1971

chapter 17|22 pages

Going West, 1980

chapter 18|18 pages

Ministry in Nottingham, 1984–1991

chapter 19|7 pages

Epilogue