Michael Cassidy (born 24 September 1936) is a South African Christian leader, evangelist, writer and founder of Africa Enterprise, known for his initiatives at ecumenism, and reconciliation on personal, church and political levels.

Early life

He was born on 24 September 1936 in

Johannesburg, South Africa Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

, the son of Charles Stewart Cassidy and Mary Reading.. Michael Cassidy converted to Christianity in 1954 at the

Harringay Arena Harringay Arena was a sporting and events venue on Green Lanes (London), Green Lanes in Harringay, North London, England. Built in 1936, it lasted as a venue until 1958. Construction Harringay Arena was built and owned by Brigadier-General Al ...

in the United Kingdom during a

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...

crusade. Michael Cassidy cites

as one of two dominant influences in his life. The other influence in his life was

John Stott John Robert Walmsley Stott (27 April 1921 – 27 July 2011) was a British Anglican pastor and theologian who was noted as a leader of the worldwide evangelical movement. He was one of the principal authors of the Lausanne Covenant in 1974. I ...

who is noted as the leader of the worldwide evangelical movement.

Education

Cassidy went to school at

Michaelhouse Michaelhouse is a full boarding senior school for boys founded in 1896. It is located in the Balgowan, KwaZulu-Natal, Balgowan valley in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The Spear’s Schools Index 2025 reco ...

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

, he attended

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

where he studied Modern and Medieval Languages and was an awarded a bachelor's degree and a Master of Arts degree in 1958. He attended

Fuller Theological Seminary Fuller Theological Seminary is an Evangelical seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature. Fuller has a student body of approximately 2,300 students from 90 countries and ...

in 1963 completing a Bachelor of Divinity and the

Azusa Pacific University Azusa Pacific University (APU) is a private evangelical research university in Azusa, California, United States. The university was founded in 1899 in Whittier, California, with classes first held on March 3, 1900, and degrees offered in 193 ...

in California in 1993.

Career

Cassidy founded and led African Enterprise in

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; ) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa after Durban. It was named in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. The town was named in Zulu after King ...

, Kwazulu-Natal since 1961. Charles E. Fuller who was the founder of

helped Michael Cassidy get started on African Enterprise by identifying the first three board members for him (Bruce Bare, James Gorton and his secretary, Rose Baessler). He made his secretarial staff available to Michael plus a small loan of seed money and he provided five tickets for the first African Enterprise Team to travel to Pietermaritzburg, South Africa for the Pietermaritzburg Mission in 1961. In 1992,

asked Michael Cassidy to visit

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

after Graham had received a letter from Mandela. Cassidy presented Mandela with a signed copy of Billy Graham's book ''Peace with God''. At

's request Michael Cassidy networked with other religious leaders to press for reconciliation before South Africa's election in 1994 and after. In 1974, Michael Cassidy was part of the

First International Congress on World Evangelization The First International Congress on World Evangelization (ICOWE), also sometimes called the Lausanne Congress or Lausanne '74, was a Christian conference held from 16 to 25 July 1974 in Switzerland. The conference is noted for producing the Laus ...

and was part of the initial planning meeting for the Congress. He was instrumental in bringing the Conference to

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, South Africa in 2010. In 2012, he was made the Honorary Chairman of the Lausanne Movement for World Evangelisation. He was also recognised as

's Distinguished Alumnus of 2012.

Honours

*Member of

Order of Simon of Cyrene The Order of Simon of Cyrene is the highest award given by the Anglican Church of Southern Africa to laity for distinguished service. It was established in 1960, during the tenure of Archbishop Joost de Blank, following a proposal by Bishop R ...

Works

* * *

References

External links

Michael Cassidy and Friends FoundationExcerpts from The Church Jesus Prayed For: A personal journey into John 17 by Michael CassidySermons preached by Michael Cassidy
at the Church of the Ascension in

Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal Hilton is a small town that lies between Howick and Pietemaritzburg in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In 1872 the Reverend William Orde Newnham opened Hilton College on a large estate 7.8km north of thtown which is now one of Sout ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cassidy, Michael 1936 births Living people South African Christian religious leaders Alumni of Michaelhouse People from Johannesburg Alumni of the University of Cambridge