Walter Henry Farquharson (born 30 May 1936) is a Canadian clergyman who was

Moderator of the United Church of Canada The Moderator of the United Church of Canada is the most senior elected official within the United Church of Canada. He or she may be a lay person or a member of the Order of Ministry and is elected to a three-year term by commissioners attend ...

from 1990–1992. Born near

Rosetown Rosetown may refer to: Places * Rosetown, South Australia, locality in South Australia *Rosetown, Saskatchewan, town in Saskatchewan, Canada **Rosetown Airport Electoral districts in Saskatchewan * Rosetown (electoral district), former federal e ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

, he was educated at the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

(BA, 1957) and St Andrew's College in the University of Saskatchewan (BD, 1961). After his ordination in 1960 he did a year of post-graduate study in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, where he was also assistant minister at Morningside

Parish Church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

. Returning to Canada he became the minister of the

United Church A united church, also called a uniting church, is a church formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestant Christian denominations. Historically, unions of Protestant churches were enforced by the state ...

Saltcoats, Saskatchewan Saltcoats is a town in east-central Saskatchewan near the Manitoba border in Canada. The town's population was 474 in 2011. The town was built in the late 19th century, and its economy was driven by the railway. There is no longer passenger servic ...

, where he remained until his retirement, and also, believing that ministry involves the whole of life, an English teacher in the local high school. He is a noted hymn-writer; three of his hymns were published in ''The Hymn Book'' (Anglican and United Churches of Canada, 1971); one of his best-known, "Men go to God when they are sorely placed", a translation of

Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonhoeffer (; 4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the secular world have ...

's ''Menschen gehen zu Gott in ihrer Not'', also appeared in ''The Australian Hymn Book'' (

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

and

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

). ''Voices United'', the United Church's successor hymnal to ''The Hymn Book'' (1971) contains thirteen Farquharson hymns. The Farquharson/Klusmeier collaboration "Walls That Divide" is sung at worship in churches throughout the world.

References

Wesley Milgate. ''Songs of the People of God: A Companion to'' The Australian Hymn Book. London: Collins, 1982. *www.musiklus.com/authors/ Profile of Walter Henry Farquharson on Ron Klusmeier website {{DEFAULTSORT:Farquharson, Walter H. 1936 births Living people University of Saskatchewan alumni Members of the United Church of Canada People from Rosetown Farquharson People from Saltcoats, Saskatchewan Ministers of the United Church of Canada Canadian hymnwriters