Deaconess Elaine Doust on her Vespa scooter
When Elaine French Doust first walked through the door of Deaconess House in Newtown to begin her studies there, she was drawn to the Bible study centred on St Paul’s famous letter to the Romans. Was it the words: “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Gospel of God” that inspired her? Could her Bible study leader, Rev. Geoffrey Bingham who was the Acting Rector at the Garrison Church in Millers Point, Sydney, have had a hand in it?
Perhaps it was both. Certainly, that year, 1956, was a turning point for Elaine as she embarked on a life-time decision to serve the community that would take her around the globe in Christ-centred service.
A few years later in 1959, the Billy Graham Crusade came to Sydney and Elaine was eager to be involved. By then a parish sister at St Mark’s, Darling Point, Sydney, she organised a bus to take parishioners to hear the evangelist Billy Graham and followed up on referrals after the historic gathering. The result was fruitful and Elaine began leading several Bible study groups. It was to become a life-time occupation, along with youth ministry and hospitality.
In January 1962, Elaine married Moore College graduate Jim Doust – surrendering her maiden name of French – and went with him to St Stephen’s, Coorparoo, Brisbane.
At the Airforce Chapel in Butterworth Malaysia where Elaine was ordained by Bishop Savarimuthu of West Malaysia on letters Dimissory from the then Archbishop of Sydney, Sir Marcus Loane. Left to right: OC of RAAF base, Bishop Savirimuthu , Deaconess Elaine Doust and her husband Rev Jim Doust.
Jim was ordained a priest in 1962 and in 1964 joined the Australian Army as a chaplain. He was posted first to South Australia, then Malaysia. It was a challenging time for the young wife, especially with the birth of their four children: Stephen and David born in Brisbane; Katherine in Malaysia; and Andrew in Sydney, after Jim retired from the army to take up parish work again.
A decade later another challenge came as Jim became a chaplain with the RAAF. The Doust family moved to Victoria, and onto RAAF Butterworth in Malaysia. Here, Jim encouraged Elaine to become a deaconess. She wrestled with the call but in 1977 Bishop Savaari Muthu on Letters of Dimisory from the Archbishop of Sydney, Marcus Loane, ordained Deaconess Elaine.
“By then, I was involved in a greater range of activities amongst the service wives and children,” she said. “I took Bible studies, helped run children’s clubs and taught religious instruction. I also exercised a ministry of hospitality. Becoming a deaconess did not change my approach. I had always taken on appropriate ministry opportunities, in addition to giving Jim my full support.”
They returned to Australia in 1979, to postings around the country, and Elaine continued her work of “ministry to people”. Next it was Adelaide in 1989, when Jim became General Secretary of CMS for South Australia/ Northern Territory.
Elaine Doust and her husband Jim served as missionaries with CMS.
In 1992, Jim and Elaine moved to Cairo, following Jim’s appointment to All Saints’ Cathedral, for CMS. There, Elaine led Bible studies with women from five different countries. Though all spoke English, several of the women used a Bible in their own language. This sometimes brought different & helpful perspectives on the understanding of the Scriptures. Jim and Elaine returned briefly to Australia, then took CMS postings to Kota Kinabalu, and Sabah in Malaysia. After a period of parish ministry in Sydney, they took short CMS postings in Algeria; Amman, Jordan; and Damascus and Aleppo in Syria.
Jim and Elaine returned to Australia to retire in 2009, and her lifelong partner in Gospel ministry died in 2012 as a result of melanomas.
“Over my lifetime, the Lord presented me with many different challenges and opportunities to serve him,” Elaine said. “I believe he gave me ideas for outreach in whatever circumstance I was placed, and in ministry with Jim, God then enabled me to put them into practice.”
By Helen Wheeler, with research from Deaconess Meryl Broadley.
A desire to learn, to know God and be known by God and bring others under the sound of the gospel of grace motivated Deaconess Dorothy Black through her 70 years of service.