Who was Robert Todd?
Robert R. Todd's Mission
1897–1903

The Faith Mission reported in 1900, "Since we started in Ireland some seven or eight years ago, several agencies have followed suit on somewhat similar lines. A Mr. Duff has a mission in the north with a number of workers, and in the south, there is the mission conducted by Mr. and Mrs. Todd, formerly workers with us" (Bright Words, March 1900, 56–57, TTT). See website TellingTheTruth.info in History Articles, Walter Duff.

Profile of Robert Todd. On July 12, 1888, Robert R. Todd, a single man, became a Faith Mission Pilgrim (Bright Words, June 1950, 117, TTT). Born in Newmilns, Ayrshire, Scotland, on February 24, 1866, Todd died March 27, 1950, aged 84. The woman who would become his wife, Jane "Jeanie" Moodie Mitchell, became a FM Pilgrim in June 1888. Born in Kincardine, Perthshire, Scotland, on May 12, 1868, she died in June 1932, aged 64. They were married in Edinburgh, Scotland, on August 28, 1895, and were buried in Leominster, Herefordshire, England (Bright Words, 1932, TTT).

According to their daughter, Margaret B. (Todd) Davis, "He … was enrolled as a Queen's Scholar at Glasgow Training College, entering the teaching profession. In 1888, however, he joined Faith Mission and was one of the first band of Pilgrims, whose pioneer work must be an inspiration to those who carry on the work today" (Bright Words, June 1950, 117, TTT).

1897, November: Todd was District Superintendent of the Irish Work, with headquarters at Antrim, Ireland. For two years after they married, Mr. and Mrs. Todd preached together with the FM. Then, in the fall of 1897, Govan announced, "After nine years' service in the Mission, during which time they have been much used of God in many different parts … [they] have retired from among us. They intend going out on independent work in Ireland, unconnected with any mission" (Bright Words, Nov. 1897, 266, TTT). The arrival of their first child, Matthew Thomas in 1897, the first of six children, may have contributed to their resignation.

William Irvine's time in FM overlapped the last two years of Todds' service. After their departure from FM, the two men remained on good terms and kept in contact. Todd was a speaker at Irvine's Conventions held in Rathmolyon in July 1900, and in Dublin in 1901 also attended by Long (Long, July 1900; June 1901, TTT).

Irvine had quite a number of young people willing and anxious to go preach. Fortunately, Robert Todd "took on the direction and oversight of such, and in a short time had a pretty nice number in the field, including Tom Turner, John Hardie, Emma Gill, Annie Holland, Sarah Sullivan and probably Alex Givan, etc." (G. Pattison 1935, Workers, TTT).It was commonly called Todd's Mission.

Todd's Mission was also known as the Evangelistic and Missionary Alliance. In the August 17, 1901, Freeman's Journal newspaper, Andrew Robb stated he was an evangelist and a member of the Evangelistic and Missionary Alliance (Todd's Mission). Robb, William Jackson and George Buttimer, all missionaries in Todd's Mission, were subjected to malicious property damage. According to the June 29, 1901, Kildare Observer:

A wooden gospel hall was erected at Camolin, Co. Wexford, by Mr. A. H. Robb, of the Evangelistic and Missionary Alliance … a crowd of about 400 persons gathered and attacked the hall with stones. Two police constables … were utterly powerless. One man in the crowd gave the order, 'Line up,' and a rush was made, the hall was knocked down and the woodwork smashed up. Four cycles, cooking utensils that belonged to the evangelists were also smashed, the men themselves having to take refuge in the police barracks. One of them was knocked down by the mob when on his way.

1903: Todd's Mission Disbands. After about six years (1897–1903), Robert Todd, by that time father to three sons, accepted employment elsewhere. Eight or nine of Todd's Workers joined Irvine's movement: Emma Gill, John Hardie, Thomas Turner, Andrew Robb, George Buttimer, Alex Givan, John Stanley, William Jackson and possibly his brother, Jack Jackson. Todd's Mission became a thing of the past.