When he was eight years old, Fordyce went to Singapore with his father F. A. Detamore, and mother, who pioneered the work in the Celebes.

In 1942 Fordyce was asked by H. M. S. Richards to help the Voice of Prophecy program when it went coast to coast in the United States. It was his voice that spoke the words, “Hello, America!” on January 4, 1942, as the “Voice of Prophecy” went out over the air on 84 stations of the Mutual Network. He started many things at the Voice of Prophecy Office, such as the slogan, “Forward in Faith,”The Voice of Prophecy News,and the-book-of-the-month distribution. Later he helped set up telephone evangelism, and he assisted in the organization of the “Voice of Prophecy” evangelism association. He was the author of the “In His Steps” Bible Course. 

Being such a successful evangelist blessed by heaven in North America, the China Division requested his services for evangelistic campaigns. He had introduced the three-week series in the United States. During early1949 Detamore conducted a series of evangelistic meetings in Shanghai, Kiangsu, China, on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday evenings with two services. On the best nights he reported an attendance of between 1,200 to 1,500 persons, and on week nights 175 to 300 people. Cash offeringsfor the entire series brought in the equivalency of US $1,200.00. A Chinese lady gave Roger Claussen, pastor of the Shanghai English Seventh-day Adventist Church, a gift of US $ 7,300.00 for the new Shanghai English Church.

Detamore divided the metropolitan city of Shanghai into zones, half the workers helping him were Chinese and half were American. He stated, “The Holy Spirit works the same everywhere, and now I never give it a thought what nationality I’m talking to in my visiting.” Although heavy fighting was going on fifty miles from Shanghai, he conducted the public meetings. He used for the campaign advertising such as features as billboards, posters, handbills, radio announcements, and display ads. He used both English and Chinese-translated campaigns.

The music employed were gospel songs, and not choruses. The instruments were piano, organ, vibraharp, and violin. He prepared sermon outlines in Chinese, English, and Russian, mailing them out to those who were present and who left with him their mailing addresses.

In forecasting for the future campaigns which were successful, he announced that “our next city scheduled is Hong Kong, and we hope soon after, the New Jerusalem!” There were many Chinese baptized in the evangelistic campaigns in Shanghai and in Kowloon, Hong Kong, where in the latter he erected a permanent evangelistic hall and utilized also the Kowloon Seventh-day Adventist Church, which was prominently and conveniently located. The Detamore family constituted a speaking-musical team, although a singing evangelist assisted in congregational singing and special music.

Returning to the United States around 1950 after his services in the China Division, Fordyce Detamore became a “Voice of Prophecy” evangelist, and one of the few requests that he made was that he be permitted to hold a campaign in Indonesia on his 50thanniversary of preaching, and in the same place where his father started the work in Celebes years before.

He rejoiced and claimed as a sure promise Daniel 12:3, which kept him exhilarated with tremendous energy: “And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever” (RSV)