D'Arcy Wood (minister)


Harold D'Arcy Wood is a semi-retired minister of the Uniting Church in Australia and was President of the UCA Assembly from 1991 to 1994. He has been active in ecumenism in Australia and globally.

Childhood and family

H. D'Arcy Wood is the son of the Reverend Dr A. Harold Wood OBE, a Methodist then Uniting Church minister and missionary in Tonga, and medical doctor Olive K. Wood. He is a brother to historian Elizabeth Wood-Ellem and actor Monica Maughan. His cousin Winston O'Reilly was the second President of the UCA Assembly.

Education

Ordained into the Methodist Church of Australasia, Wood completed his theological education and doctorate at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Career

From 1974 to 1988, Rev. Dr Wood lectured in systematic theology and liturgy at the then Parkin-Wesley Theological College in Adelaide, South Australia. He was moderator of the Synod of South Australia from 1981 to 1983. Wood was a staff member of the Australian Council of Churches from 1969 to 1973 and president of that body from 1984 to 1988. He was also involved in the National Council of Churches in Australia since its formation.
His involvements include:
In 2015, Wood travelled to his country of birth to crown Tupou VI the King of Tonga, in a coronation ceremony at Centenary Church, Nuku'alofa.

Awards

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