LITTLE ROCK — The Rev. William Turner Carter wasn’t one to give advice, but often quoted the Bible, Luke 12:48: To whom much is given, much is required.
“That is kind of what he instilled in our whole family,” his daughter, Carla Carter, said. “For every thing you are blessed with, your gift is to do the service and pay it forward.”
Bill Carter devoted his life to that standard through his work as a top executive for a mission-giving program within the United Methodist Church in New York City.
Carter of Little Rock died Monday at Select Specialty Hospital - in St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center - from complications from heart disease. He was 68.
Born April 23, 1942, in Greenwood, Miss., to Willie W. and Genevieve Carter, he was the oldest of five children, said his wife, Etta Carter.
He grew up in Chicago and graduated high school in 1960. Following the advice of a minister at his church, he studied theology at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, his wife said.
It was there that he met and married Etta Wilborn on Dec. 2, 1963. The couple had two children.
After graduating from Philander Smith College in 1965, Carter received his master’s of divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill., and was ordained an elder. While earning his master’s degree, he was pastor at Vincent United Methodist Church in Chicago, his daughter said.
After serving as pastor at Maple Park United Methodist Church in Chicago, Carter became director of the Black Methodists for Church Renewal in 1978. His wife said the group went into cities to empower small churches.
One of the churches that benefited from the group was Theresa Hoover United Methodist Church in Little Rock, where Carter and his wife are members.
In 1979, Carter was offered a dual position in New York City to serve as assistant general secretary for the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and as director of the Advance for Christ and His Church program.
His wife said that as general secretary, he traveled to churches and conferences around the country to promote mission work.
In the advance program, he and a board of about 30 members would pick out 200 to 300 projects worldwide to focus on over a four-year period, Etta Carter said. Those selected are included in a book available to all United Methodist Churches interested in donating to a certain project.
All donations go to whatever cause the church or individual chooses, his wife said.
The program also provides relief for natural disasters worldwide.
Etta Carter said one project close to her husband’s heart was in the late 1980s in Zimbabwe. His wife said that during a civil war, young girls - around age 11 - had been sent into battle.
“He felt a special connection to the young women who had to fight in the wars,” Etta Carter said. “I remember him talking about the young girls not even knowing their culture. Everything was with a rifle in their hand.”
The focus of the program was to integrate the women back into society through counseling and helping them get jobs, his wife said.
Carter said her husband traveled to more than 30 countries for projects during his 27 years of service to the program, which received $30 million to $35 million annually.
Carter retired June 30, 2006, and the couple moved to Little Rock in 2009.
Though his job required Carter to be in the spotlight, he was content being behind the scenes, his wife said.
“The enjoyment was being able to carry out what he felt was his mission on earth - to empower those that were less fortunate,” Etta Carter said. “He enjoyed that more than anything.”
Arkansas, Pages 20 on 11/25/2010