The Autobiography of Rev. Thea O. Carter

So many people have said to me, “Brother Carter, why don’t you publish a book or autobiography of your ministry?” 

The time of this writing is 1991.  It was in the summer of 1930, sixty years ago, that I began preaching.  I began preaching just as a simple boy of fourteen years old.  I had zeal and determination to continue my ministry, and for more than fifty years, I have kept an everyday record. 

I certainly am not writing this book for any glory for myself, and I am not wanting any prominence or honor for my ministry.  But as a servant of Jesus Christ and to His glory, I want to write this autobiography. 

Solomon the Wise Man said, “…of making books, there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.”  The Bible has been my book.  I’ve read it and re-read it many times, and studied subjects time and time again.  God’s Word is food for the soul.  Titus 1:15 says, “Unto the pure, all things are pure; but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure.”  Psalms 19:7-10, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.  The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.  The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.  The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.  More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than fine gold, sweeter also than money and the honeycomb.”  

So, God’s Word is like a storehouse of every spiritual thing we need.  It’s like an armory with all the weapons of war, with every part of the armor we need to put on to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  They are not carnal weapons, but spiritual weapons that will make us able to tear down the strongholds of Satan. 

We should study the Bible as a traveler who seeks to obtain a thorough knowledge of a new country.  Go over its’ vast fields of truth, descend into its’ valleys, climb its’ mountains of vision, following its’ wondrous portrait galleries.  We should study for the deep things of God, as a miner digs for gold, or as a diver plunges into the depths of the sea for pearls.  Many great truths do not lie on the surface.  They must be brought up into the light by patient toil. 

It is great for a little child when he learns to feed himself; so it becomes a new era in a believer’s life when he forms the habit of going daily to the original sources of spiritual truth for his own personal nourishment.  Remember that many doctrinal errors have grown out of the lack of spiritual perspective, or a narrow view of scriptural truth.  Jesus says, “Ye do err, not knowing the scripture, nor the power of God.”

The Old Home Place

I was born February 3, 1916, to Henry Carter and Elizabeth Howard Carter.  There were ten children in our family:  Otis died while just a baby.  Beeckham died in 1963.  Little Margaret Newman passed away in September 1989.  Virdie Mae Carter died while still young.  Crocket Carter passed away in the year of 1985.  Cecil Carter operates the Flea Market between Harrogate, Tennessee and Tazewell on River Hill.  Thea O. Carter; still pastoring.  Ruby Carter Lynch, Lawrence Carter and Virgil Carter – so five of us are still living. 

Our home where we were born was in Pulaski County, Walnut Grove, Kentucky.  We were reared on a beautiful farm.  I have many memories of this lovely place of my childhood. 

My grandparents, Russell Carter and Nicey Hensley Carter, lived with us.  I remember the big white house, the old fashioned fireplaces.  In the kitchen was the old-time cookstove.  Those big antique beds, post and rolls reaching up to the ceiling.  The big red barn with stables full of horses and mules.  The big hayloft where we children played hide-and-go-seek.  The tool shed, wagon, mower, rake, and plows. 

The corn drill, wheat drill, the big grainery house full of corn, wheat and buckwheat.  A real big garden, where my parents grew everything we needed to eat.  They had cane for molasses,  a field full of hogs, pasture fields, plenty of cattle, so well I remember the old milk gap.  I think of the orchard field—apples of all kinds.  No spray was needed to kill bugs from beans or fruit. 

Those were the good old days.  Dad had bee hives, so many that it looked like a city of them.  Close by was the old time well where we would crank up the bucket of water.  Sometimes we went to the old Gum Spring, a hollow log sawed off with a hole close to the top for water to pour out.  Near the house was a play lot.  A big white oak stood in it so big we could walk on the extending limbs.  Two log chains hung on limbs holding a wide plank for us children to swing on. 

There was a big pond or lake of water, where four fields cornered in the center, in order for the cattle and hogs to get water.  This pond was also our swimming pool, and a fishing paradise.  Big catfish were plentiful.  I remember the big bullfrogs bellowing, and the dragonflies which we called “snake doctors.”  The big fields of crimson clover waved under the wind.  There were fields of buckwheat were bees made the honey.  Once every year the thrashing machine came to thresh the wheat. 

There were always big straw stacks, a place to play, and fresh straw for the beds, with a feather bed on top. 

I remember Dad’s first car.  The top would turn down.  Dad learned to drive in one of those big fields. 

Then I have fond memories of the spot where the big cave spring was – water gushing from under those big rocks, gurgling down through rocks where beautiful sweet Williams and white and blue violets bloomed.  A big sinkhole was in one of the fields, and four or five acres of what we called nigger-head rock was there.  We would burst them open and they would look like they were full of diamonds.  The Indian arrowheads were plentiful in this area. 

So many things of which I could keep reminiscing.  The old Ham Schoolhouse --  two rooms served as a schoolhouse, church house and a place for funerals. 

The first time I went to town, Broad Head, twelve miles away, Dad took me in the wagon.  I was seven or eight years old and I wore my little soldiers’ jacket. 

We would ride to the mill to get corn ground.  Also, wheat for flour, and buckwheat for pancakes. 

But, as you know all good things don’t last.  Some way or another, they come to an end.  Sad times started.  Dad got to making brandy using a government still.  Then he got to drinking too much.  Soon our home was bursted up.  I was small, but I remember it.  But the scripture in Proverbs 21:23 says, “For the drunkard and glutton shall come to poverty, and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.”  Dad got into trouble, caused by too much drinking.  Five of us children were put in military school.  Mother, God bless her, would be over one hundred years old today is she were still living.  She was born November 20, 1888. 

Mother couldn’t take care of the big farm so she moved back to Harlan County.  Mother was a Howard, and her people lived there.  Ruby, my sister, and Lawrence and Virgil stayed with Mother.  I’ve thought so many times how much I appreciate them for staying with Mother.  She was such a hard worker.  She went in a run to get things done. 

Actually, I believe Mother worked herself to death – heart run down, hard work, and worry.  But thank God for a good mother, who was saved and filled with the Holy Ghost.  She sang and prayed, and shouted the victory.  She’s now gone to be with Jesus, and was one of God’s Faithful. 

In Tennessee

My people moved to Cave Spring, Tennessee, near Tazewell.  Dad had sold the big farm and run through the money.  We were left without anything.  But, it may have been God’s way of working things as He wanted.  When people hit the bottom, then it’s time to look up. 

When I got out of school I went to the family at Cave Spring, Tennessee.  Here we rented and lived in a two-story hog house with a big fireplace and most of the family was home together, again.  Those were the happiest days of our lives.  We lived close to the Powell River.  We had a big fish trap.  This was in the late twenties and early thirties.  We caught all the fish we could use and more. 

We cleared the land which was steep hillside but rich black soil.  We raised corn, beans, pumpkins, cushaws – had a big garden.  We had cows, hogs, and plenty of game.  We built a log barn.  We made lathe and boards and added more to the house. 

We began to get acquainted with our neighbors: Uncle Harve Ferguson with his big family.  Barton Ferguson and his wife, Elsie; Harley,  Louise, and William Chesley.  We were all together a lot.  Then there was Johnny Ferguson and his wife, Axie, who lived nearly with their big family.  I want to use as many names of my friends as possible.  I love every one and have fond memories of them: Uncle Seaf Bradford and Minnie and their large family; Britt Eadds and wife and family; uncle Sam Patterson and family; Ebb Lemar; Alf Parks; Link Parks; Ben Lambert and family. 

This was during the Depression years.  If we could get to work from sun-up to sun-down, and get fifty cents a day, we were fortunate.  When someone got sick, all the neighbors came in and worked their crop out.  House raisings, barn raisings, clearing, log rollings; people had time to visit, stay all day and eat together.  It was a great time. 

Now at this time, a number of families had moved out of Harlan County into Tennessee.  There was Little John Payne and Alifair, and daughter Lucille.  Also, Austen and Kate Saylor and their boys, Park, Orville, and Carl B. Saylor.  They all were good friends.  At that time, Sye Blanton lived with Austen and Kate.  Then there was John and Clearsie Dash and their family, Elsie, Ada V. and Nell.  Many of these people were my relatives through the Hensleys. 

My dad, Henry Carter’s, mother was Nicey Hensley.  She was the daughter of Wash Hensley, who was the son of George Washington Hensley.  Dad was a first cousin to Sherman Hensley, Seaf Hensley, Henry and James Hensley.  He was also a cousin to Dempsy and Addline Bradford, and to Mary Giles, John Gile’s wife. 

My father’s people on the Carter side were from Virginia.  Johnny Carter moved to Pansy, Kentucky (Catron’s Creek) years ago.  Russell Carter, my grandfather, was his son.  My grandfather sold out to Bob and John Pope at Pansy or Gulston, Kentucky.  They moved to Pulaski County where I was born.  My father’s sister, Margarett Carter, married Lee Ball in Harlan County.  Sid Pope of Pansy, Kentucky married Lee Ball’s daughter.  Lawyer John Carter of Harlan, Kentucky, son of Crockett Carter, was a cousin to my father. 

I want to mention a few of my relatives before I go into my Book of Remembrance of sixty years of ministry. My mother’s people are the Howards of Harlan County.  Elizabeth Howard, my mother, was daughter of Will and Jane Howard.  Mother had two uncles at Wallins Creek, Kentucky.  They were Grant and Irvin Howard.  She had a brother John “Blue Buck” Howard.  Also, Jessie and Berry Howard.  Her sisters were Lillie Fox, Addie Dixon and Mary Combs.  I have several relatives around Hiram, Kentucky and around Cumberland, Kentucky and at Wallins Creek. 

At Pathfork in the Late Twenties

The Rev. Charlie Wilson, one of our greatest ministers and evangelists, lived close to Wallins Creek, Kentucky.  He went to Pathfork in 1928 and had a big tent revival.  That area was stirred.  Many were saved and filled with the Holy Ghost.  Among those who were saved were George and Sill Eads.  Both men were soon preaching.  God was really moving, just like He did at Antioch (Acts 13:1).  Prophets and tachers were set in.  One of the greatest I ever head in prophecy was Brother Lee Johnson, a prophet of God and a great singer. 

An example: One night during church service, Brother Johnson stood and spoke a message, “Behold, thus saith God: In this manner in the days of old, I give the Holy Ghost.”  Then he stretched out his hands, paced them on another who was praying.  The man whom he placed his hands upon, fell flat and began speaking with other tongues.  Thank God for our good brother who has now gone on to be with the Lord. 

From Pathford has proceeded many good Christian workers.  Rev. George Eads, Rev. Sill Eads, Rev. Joe Roy – Men who went ahead in the spiritual blessing of God’s anointing.  Also, there were Rev. Harve Eads and uncle Dave Eads. 

1930—My Experience in Tennessee

Pages 12 -  33 covers more than just time in Tennessee.

Areas mention include: Chestnut Grove, Ball Creek, Big Spring Union, Sneedville, Tennessee.  Rose Hill, Virginia. The Kentucky towns of Foresters Creek, Molus, Middlesboro, Bear Creek (Clay Co), Booneville, Pathfork, Pineville, Blackmont, Calloway, and Ages. Cincinnati, Ohio. Detroit, Michigan. 

Thelma’s People (page 23)

On August 18, 1938, I married Thelma Blanton.  Rev. Harve Eads performed the ceremony at East Pineville.  She was the daughter of William Blanton and Emma Greene Blanton.  We both had been saved since 1930.  Thelma was a good singer, and also a good guitar player. 

Thelma had on brother, Oscar Blanton.  She had five sisters.  Lydia married George Collett.  Elsie married Leo Bartolo.  Ada married Lloyd Gambrel.  Lucy married Richard Asher.  Nancy married Sheldon Wagner.  And of course, I got the cream of the crop, Thelma.  This year, 1991, we will be married fifty-three years. 

A short time after we married, I went back to Four Mile to church.  Again, they asked me to take the pastor’s place.  I prayer about it and God let me know to accept it, and I did.  This was in 1938.  They had a new church house.  This was approximately fifty-three years ago.  I started pastoring in Bell County.  Since then, I have pastured in Bell, Harlan, and Clay counties, and also in Alabama.  Sometimes I pastured more than one church at a time.  

But going back to Four Mile, I took care of the church for a number of years.  Some of the old saints there at that time were Sam Napier and his son.  They gave land for the church building.  Nearby lived Lon and Othea.  They attended church regularly.  Howard Slusher and his wife; Joe Lewis and his family; Laura Costner; Joe Sproles and wife.  Many more came. 

At that time, there was a big mining camp up in Four Mile Hollow.  There was also a large commissary.  Many men worked there at that time.  There was a mining explosion that happened while I was pastor there.  Thirty-two men died in the explosion.  I remember taking care of the funeral of Nath Centers, who was killed in the explosion, and was one of the first men to be brought out of the mines. 

Sunday School

Brother Lee Hoskins was our Sunday School Superintendent.  God bless him.  He had a wonderful wife and a fine family.  Thank God for all of them. For our first Sunday School, we had one hundred to attend.  Sunday School later built up to two hundred.  We had two large busses, operated by Brother Orbin McGeorge.  Sometimes the busses would bring in as many as ninety people.  Brother McGeorge did a great work for the Lord.  

While I was pastoring at Calvary Chapel, the church and many of my good friends sponsored a tour for me through Europe, Asia, and Africa – The Holy Land Tour. 

Rev. Kash D. Amburgey was taking groups to the Holy Land.  Brother Kash and I were boys together in school and preached together during the 1940’s.  So, I joined him in one of his groups.  There were close to fifty people in the group.  We traveled from New York to England, then to Rome, on to Athens, Greece and to Cairo, Egypt. 

Our tour began at Cairo.  We visited the museum and saw many things including the golden casket and treasures of King Tut.  We went to the Pyramids and Sphinx.  We traveled on the Nile River one night with a full moon overhead.  It was so beautiful.  We went to the place where Mary and Joseph and the Baby Jesus had stayed in Egypt. 

We went out into the Land of Goshen, saw the obelisks of many years ago.  From Egypt, we traveled by plane to Beirut, Lebanon.  This was in 1963.  At that time, Lebanon surely was a beautiful country.  It was not war ravaged and torn up.  Tourists traveled there to see the beauty of Lebanon.   They had American schools, beautiful beaches and the Mediterranean Sea.  The high mountains reached up to 9,000 feet.  From these mountains came the cedars of Lebanon for Solomon’s Temple.  We traveled over into Ammon and saw one of the most beautiful springs and resorts in the world. 

We saw the Temple of Baalbek.  The pillars were six feet in diameter and up to eighty feet high.  Great cut stones were in this old building of ruins estimated to weigh sixty tons. 

We traveled through the Jordanian country by bus on to the oldest city in the world, Damascus, in Syria – a city that Abraham went to.  We visited a mosque that covered a whole block.  Inside was the tomb of the head of John the Baptist.  Also, we went to the House of Judas, now a small church house.  This is where Paul was converted and scales fell from his eyes, and where he received his sight and preached Jesus Christ. This was on the Street called Strait. 

The next day on our way to Jerusalem, we saw the very spot where Paul was knocked on the ground and Jesus spoke to him. 

To Jerusalem

On our long bus ride from Damascus to Jerusalem, we saw many wonderful scenes.  One of those was a place called Jabbok.  That was the place where Jacob had wrestled with the Lord until his name was changed to Israel (Prince of God).  Jacob called the place Penuel, meaning, I have seen God face to face. 

It was getting late in the evening when we got close to Jerusalem.  The entire bus was ringing with songs from the group as we looked at the scene.  Jerusalem, shining under the rays of the evening sunset.  God let me cry a little as I went back in remembrance of the time when I was twenty-one years old.  I had fasted for six days (at Ages, Kentucky).  Daisy Crider and I were praying together.  God gave me a vision and also revealed to Daisy that I was going to Jerusalem; that I would see it first-hand.  He gave me the scriptures in Isaiah 33:14-21.  So now I was forty-seven years old when I was finally making this tour.  Even though twenty-six years had elapsed, God does not make mistakes. 

We visited many points of interest in Jerusalem, including the museum that houses the Dead Sea Scrolls, taken from the Cave of Quaran.  We saw David’s Tomb; the Upper Room, where we had a wonderful meeting; the Mosque of Omar, built over Abraham’s Rock, where Solomon’s Temple once stood; and the old wailing wall. 

We walked on the old pavement where Christ stood before Pilate when on trial.  We traveled with the procession on Friday to the Thirteen Stations of the Cross, mostly on the street of the Via Delarose.  We went to the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.  The Catholics believe He was buried there, however, the Protestants believe He was buried in the Garden of the Empty Tomb. 

So our group went to the Garden.  We had meeting there, took the Communion Service—bread and wine.  It was a glorious meeting, seeing the place where Jesus was buried and arose from dead.  We also had a great meeting in the Upper Room, the traditional site where the one hundred and twenty received the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost. 

We also went to the Mount of Olives where Christ ascended to Heaven in a cloud.  It is also the place where He is to set His feet upon when He comes back to earth. We had several meetings at and around Jerusalem: The Mosque of Omar, at the Pool of Bethesda, at David’s Tomb on Mt. Zion, and at Lazarus’ Tomb at Bethpage. 

I went to a barber and got a haircut in Jerusalem.  We went out to Samuel’s Tomb at Rammah.  On our way to Samaria, we stopped at Shiloh where Eli and his two sons served as High Priests.  That was where the Tabernacle of the Lord was pitched.  It was also where Samuel served Eli, the High Priest.  It was also where Samuel was dedicated to God and where the Lord talked to him.  At Shiloh I picked some of those big red grapes and ate them.  They were so sweet and sticky, but good. 

We went out to Jacob’s Well. It was 104 feet deep, nine feet in diameter, cut out of solid rock.  We cranked up a bucket of water and got a drink from Jacob’s Well.  We had another wonderful meeting there.  The well was at Sycar.  From there, we went to Samaria.  This is the city of the woman was from who went to the well of Jacob to draw water and met Jesus.  I believe she got a drink from the Fountain of Life, for Jesus opened to her the plan of salvation. 

In Samaria, we saw in their synagogue the oldest Bible in the world.  The scroll was rolled out by the priest there for us to look at. 

We saw a lot of housing projects going up in the suburbs of Jerusalem.  In fact, all over the land of Israel we saw housing projects being built. Trees were being planted.  Their natural stones were being cut and used in buildings.  It looked like they had a mind to work. 

We spent the night in Jerusalem at the Hotel Kings.  The next day we visited the birth- place of John the Baptist at Eincarn—very elaborate homes, apartments and schools.  At Jerusalem, nearby there, the large University and the Y.M.C.A. building was said to be the most beautiful Christian Association in the world. 

That night, our group of ministers went across the street from Hotel Kings to church service in the Assemblies of God.  We also went one night to a meeting in Bethlehem.  Kash Amburgy preached that night.  Someone stole his big cowboy hat from the window of the church.  He wore it as a symbol so that all would know that he was our guide.  He replaced it in Rome. 

I stood close to the Damascus gate at Jerusalem looking at the crowds walking by.  Many ladies were carrying heavy loads on their heads.  There were tourists from everywhere.  We looked at the base of Calvary and took pictures of what is called “The Place of the Skull.”  A young boy, who spoke English, offered to take me to Calvary.  I went where Christ was crucified and got a box of dirt to bring home.  A cemetery is there now and people are not allowed to go upon Calvary. 

We left Jerusalem after about three days of seeing the wonders of the old city where our Lord had preached in the Temple and prayed so much in the Garden of Gethsemane, there among the old olive trees estimated to be 2,500 years old, still bearing olives.  The Church of All Nations is there, a beautiful building.  The Rock of Agony, in the Church with its’ circle of thorns on it, is the place Jesus prayed ‘til His sweat was a great drops of blood. 

We went through a beautiful country called Caanan Land.  The Land of Sharon, a rich country with big piles of melons everywhere and every kind of fruit and grain.  The land was irrigated.  We saw the big nine-foot pipeline that runs into the Nevega Desert.  The rose of Sharon was everywhere in this country.  We saw the prison where Ichman was kept and the place where he was cremated. 

The beautiful Mountain of Tabor; some believe Jesus was transfigured here.  On into Cana of Gallilee, Madela, Capernaum and around a lot of the sea of Gallilee.  Citrus fruit and bananas grew in abundance.  There we saw the big pumping station where the nine-foot pipeline took the water over the 6,000 feet mountains and out into the land of Israel for irrigation of the thousands of acres. 

At Capernaum we saw the very old Synagogue (or ruins of it) that Jesus preached in.  This was the place where He healed the woman with the spirit of infirmity. She had been bowed over for eighteen years.  This is where the man with the withered arm was healed.  This is also where He cast out the unclean spirit from a man in this synagogue. 

We went upon the mountain where Christ preached the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapter 5. A beautiful building called “The Pater Nostra” was built there.  The Lord’s Prayer on marble plaques in many different languages was there. 

We crossed the Sea of Gallilee in a big double-decker ship and stopped and had service in the middle of the sea. 

Next, we spent a night in Nazareth, a big city.  This is the place where Christ grew up.  WE visited Mary’s well and a house called Joseph and Mary’s Home.  We also saw the old carpenter shop and saw the little synagogue that Jesus went to when He was a boy.  Many other points of interest – I can’t mention them all. 

We stopped at Mt. Carmel where Elijah prayed the fire down and eight hundred false prophets were killed.  Then he prayed the rain down when it hadn’t rained in three years and six months.  

From Mt. Carmel, we followed the seacoast to Caeserea.  Here we had another service in one of the old buildings that could have been the one that Cornelius got the Holy Ghost in as Peter preached Jesus Christ to him and his household. 

We went on to Tel Aviv, Israel, a modern “New York,” big city with all the modern conveniences.  We also saw the big seacoast city of Haliffa in Northern Israel.  It is a big shipping city with its’ modern buildings and many boats and ships. 

After spending the night at Tel Aviv, the next day we took a plane to Athens, Greece, a beautiful city.  We went up on Mars Hill to the Parthenon which is a great marble building that was built long before Christ.  I got to preach on mars Hill where Paul preached his great message, Acts chapter 17, to the Atheneans.  I still have this message on tape which Kash D. Amburgey recorded.

From Athens, we flew to Rome, Italy.  This city at one time was the capital of the world.

Paul did a lot of preaching in Rome, winning a lot of the household of Caesar.  Rome was a very interesting city.  We visited many places of great interest.  We spent most of a day at St. Peter’s Basilica, but only got to see a small part of it.  This was in 1963.  The Ecumenical Council was going on as we toured the big Cathedral.  Gene Huff and I sat in to listen a while.  

Out in front was the Statue of St. Peter standing on a big base, but very low, his foot sticking out over the front of the pedestal. Multiplied millions had kissed his big toe until they had worn it off. 

The first night in Rome we were in meeting close to the Basilica in a big Pentecostal church.  Kash Amburgey done the preaching.  The rest of our tour group testified. 

We visited the Coliseum that had seated 87,000 people.  Here the saints of God had been put to death.  They had to wrestle and fight the wild beast; they were burned on crosses; tied to posts; and burned.  They were made sport of for the lust-ridden Romans in many ungodly manners.  They were turned into the hungry lions and tigers.  They were pitched with tar and tallow and made human candles on crosses as they burned. 

We also visited the catacombs of Rome.  This is where Christians had to go underground and hide to worship.  There were miles and miles of these terreses similar to a coal mine. History relates the story that from the catacombs of Rome, Christianity preceded that superceded the Caesars.  They couldn’t kill them as fast as they believed and were saved.   

We traveled the old Appii Forum and the three Taverns Road.  We saw the Church of Quo Vadus.  This is where Paul was met by Christians when he was brought to Rome.  The beautiful Fountain of Trevia looked so pretty, especially at night. 

We went to the old Maritime Prison where Paul was kept captive a long time.  We aw the marble slab that Paul penned out his letter to Timothy on telling Timothy, “I am now ready to be offered up,” how he had fought a good fight, finished his course and kept the faith, and that God had a crown of righteousness for him. 

We saw many of the old antique buildings and ruins there of Rome.  They were preserved for the tourist to see.  We went to the Capital Building and to Victoria Emmual.  And, to the Pantheon built by King Agrippa. We saw many old sites that were standing in the days of the Apostle Paul in the Biblical days. 

Leaving Rome, we flew over the Alps of Switzerland and to Paris, France.  We went to the Eiffel Tower, to the Arch of Triumph and the Church of Notre Dame.  We spent the night in Hotel Claridge in Paris. 

The next day we went to London and stayed in Mount Royal Hotel.  We visited a lot pf places such as gift shops, etc. 

We left London on October 26, 1963, for New York.  There was a phone call waiting from Pineville.  Our little sister, Mae Hoskins, had passed away with a heart attack.  This was so hurtful.  From New York, to Louisville, to London, Kentucky.  Thelma, my wife, met me there.  On October 28, we had Mae Hoskins’ funeral at Calvary Chapel.  This was Lee and Lucy Hoskins’ daughter.  The family was about killed – so hurt. 

In November 1963, my brother Beeckham Carter passed away.  He died young in his fifties.  He lay corpse the same time President Kennedy lay corpse.  Also in December 1963, Lee Johnson passed away.  He was certainly a man of God.  

Ministers I Have Known or With Whom I Have Preached

Rev. Alfred Carrier, after searching for many months throughout the Eastern counties of Kentucky, published a book entitled, “The Flight of the Dove.” A very fine book telling of the old time ministers who carried the full gospel to the people of many different counties.  Many of these ministers I knew and several of them I have preached with in the years that have passed.  In 1931, I attended a revival on the hill at Cumberland that Rev. Ralph Mooneyhan was preaching. Elder Gill Disney and I were having a revival together there at Cumberland in 1941 when Pearl Harbor was attacked. 

Looking at the names in Brother Carrier’s book of these old time ministers, many of them I have known.  I began preaching very young and have kept an everyday record for up in fifty some years, so a lot of these ministers I have preached with or preached in their church.  I’m going to jot down a number of names of ministers I have known or preached with in the years that have passed:   

The following was included on the back cover of the book, “Sixty-Six Years of Ministry.”  No author is specifically noted.  Probably by the author, Rev. Thea O. Carter. 

A Beautiful Tribute to The Bible

The Bible contains –“The mind of God, the state of man, way of salvation, doom of sinners, and happiness of believers.  Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its historians are true, and its decisions are immutable.  Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy.  It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.  It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. Christ its grand subject, our good it’s design, and the glory of God its end.   It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.  Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully.  It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure.  It is given you in life, will be open at Judgment, and be remembered forever.  It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor and condemns all who trifle with its holy contents.” 

Back