Mission History & Family Heritage
Frontiers of the Kingdom
in Rhodesia
Restored and republished by Malcolm Gray
An account of Wesleyan missionary work in Northern and Southern Rhodesia, the regions now known as Zambia and Zimbabwe.
My grandfather’s book records the development of missions, churches and schools, and the people and communities connected with them.
Available in paperback and Kindle editions.
The Historical Account
About the Book
Frontiers of the Kingdom in Rhodesia documents Wesleyan missionary work in southern Africa, including the growth of African churches, education and the work of ministers, evangelists and teachers.
Its account includes mission communities and schools such as Chipembi, preserving a record of the places and people involved.
The text reflects the language and perspectives of its time. This edition preserves the character of the original work while making it available to a new generation of readers.
A Family Project
Preserving My Grandfather’s Book
I prepared this new edition from my grandfather’s original book, correcting scanning errors, restoring historical images and preparing the text and cover for paperback and Kindle publication.
The aim was to improve clarity and readability while remaining close to the original book’s wording, appearance and historical character.
This project sits alongside From Bundu to Boarding School, my father Harry Gray’s memoir of growing up in southern Africa. Together, the two books preserve different perspectives from successive generations of our family.
The Author
About S. Douglas Gray
Sidney Douglas Gray was born in Birmingham, England, in 1883 and ordained as a Methodist missionary in 1910. Inspired by the example of David Livingstone, he devoted much of his life to missionary work in what was then Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia.
Beginning at Chipembi in 1913, he helped establish a mission at the request of the local chief and later travelled on foot to the Livingstone Memorial at Old Chitambo. During the First World War, he served with the Northern Rhodesia Rifles Mobile Column as a medical orderly and unofficial chaplain along the German East Africa border.
Returning to Chipembi after the war with his wife Louie, a trained nurse, the couple worked among local communities through epidemics, illness, and the challenges of remote mission life. In 1927, Douglas Gray founded the Chipembi Girls Secondary School, the first African girls’ boarding school in Northern Rhodesia and one of the lasting achievements of his years in Africa.
Publication Details
- Title
- Frontiers of the Kingdom in Rhodesia
- Author
- Rev. S. Douglas Gray
- Edition prepared by
- Malcolm Gray
- Formats
- Paperback · Kindle
Available in paperback and Kindle editions.