Pastor Melvin Carter

On September 12, 1944, in the small country town of Courtland, Alabama, proud parents Melvin Carter and Clara Seals gave birth to their first and oldest son, Melvin Carter. He was a small, sickly baby who remained in the hospital for several months under close medical observation. He was resilient and t was obvious he would be a fighter with will to overcome life’s many obstacles. As a child he grew strong and healthy. His family soon relocated to Shelby, Mississippi where he honed his strong work ethic working in the fields. He was educated in Shelby’s school district however the responsibilities of caring for his mom and siblings prevented him from completing high school. He was often seen driving a tractor, kicking up dust as kids from his town walked the dirt roads to get to school. He had his eyes on one particular fair skinned girl who he spotted while kicking up dust on that old tractor. On occasions, he made his way to high school and at his first opportunity he approached her, expressing his interest by asking her to “watch my books”. She would rebuff his first attempts, but she was soon to learn of the resilience that kept him alive as an infant. Only now he was a young man set on making her his wife. That fair skinned girl continued to garner his affection and after a strict (and well supervised) courtship, she would soon become his wife. Melvin was known and admired for being a hard worker. He was also known to be very protective of his mom and siblings. He was a curious child and learned he was good with his hands. His love of cars was accompanied by a natural inclination for auto mechanics. He was determined to make something of his life beyond the dusty fields of Mississippi. With all of these good qualities, how could Bettye resist his proposal? On April 18, 1965 they were joined in holy matrimony and began building a family of 6 children (1 girl and 5 boys) almost immediately with their first son being born 9 months later. Their loving union lasted just over 60 years. Melvin accepted Christ after the birth of the twins two years later. When retelling his story, he says “The Lord spoke to me in the voice of Big Mama (his grandmother) telling me to turn back around and go back to that church you dropped your wife off at.” He obeyed the voice of God, and did a u-turn, returning to Granderson Temple COGIC. He served the Lord from then on until the Lord called him home on April 30, 2025. Melvin accepted Christ after the birth of the twins two years later. When retelling his story, he says “The Lord spoke to me in the voice of Big Mama (his grandmother) telling me to turn back around and go back 2025. “Don’t Worry About It.” Carter. to that church you dropped your wife off at.” He obeyed the voice of God, and did a u-turn, returning to Granderson Temple COGIC. He served the Lord from then on until the Lord called him home on April 30, Pastor Melvin Carter was a dedicated husband and father who took godly pride in leaving a heritage of following Christ and providing for his family. He worked for over 35 years for various corporations while moonlighting as an alley mechanic, landscape contractor, landlord and a Primerica financial service agent. He officially retired from ANR Freight Systems in 1998 after over 25 years due to an on-the-job injury, but he never stopped providing for his family. Soon after retiring, Pastor Melvin joined his dear wife pursuing a degree in Divinity and in 1999 Pastor Melvin heeded the call of God, huddling his family together as the lead pastor of New Hope Outreach C.O.G.I.C. Pastor Melvin continued pastoring for ten years, ultimately relinquishing his lead role to his son, Pastor Melvin D. Carter in 2009 for health reasons. However, he continued serving as Pastor Emeritus of New Hope C.O.G.I.C. and later joined his son Pastor Melvin D. Carter, serving in a support role here at Living Well Christian Center up until he drew his last breath. Some of Pastor Melvin’s favorite sayings to the people who knew him best were “Love Each Other,” and He was never afraid of strangers. He was a “friend” to everyone he met and always had a story or joke to ease tensions in moments of stress. Even during his illness, he ministered salvation to staff members at every facility he spent time in. He was referred to as “Paw-Paw.” Early morning Wednesday, April 30, the Lord called Pastor Carter home. He was preceded in death by both his parents, Melvin Carter and Clara Seals; brother, Charlie (Ray) James Carter; daughter-in-law, Tarshwa He leaves to cherish his memory: his loving wife, Bettye; eldest son, Samuel (Vicky); one daughter, Karen Carter-Hopkins; sons, Kevin, Zepatrich, Timothy, and Melvin D. (Kenisha) Carter; great-niece, Angel Anderson; grandchildren, Witney Crawford, Zepatrick Carter, Kenyana Edmonds (Corinthian), LaKendra Carter, Kristen Carter, De’Andrea Carter, Timothy Carter, Victoria Carter, Rianna Carter, Kevin T. Carter, Anthony Carter, Joelle Carter, Josiah Carter, Cody Carter; and siblings, Suzy McLaurin, Ollie Mae Phillips, Lillie-Clara (Doll) Thompson, Albert (Sonny) Price, Lillie-Pearl Thompson, and Robert Price; and a host of Precious Memories nieces, nephews, and friends.

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