I just walked back in the door from a funeral for Rev. Carlton Carruth. He lived a legendary life and left a great legacy. He ran the race well and finished strong. As I listen to my Dad give the eulogy it made me think that we are all writing our eulogy right now by the way we live our life. The choices we make the things we do all determine the legacy we leave.
I hope when my life is done it can be said “He made it hard to stand in comfortable places and he stood with us in difficult places.” At least that is what I would want said today, tomorrow I will probably want something else. What do you want said about you when it is all said and done? Are you living it out now?
Dear Sir,
I knew Rev. Carruth when he pastored the First Methodist Church of Tifton. He was the pastor who baptized me when I turned 13 and had attended his Confirmation Class. I lost track of him after he left the Tifton post, I know he was the head of Epworth for a while, but that’s the last I heard.
His time in Tifton was one of controversy, and he left with many in the congregation in a snit over his stance on helping the poor, building and supporting a small church branch in the poorer side of town, and welcoming the union with an African-American branch of Methodism. As the years went by many were won over to his view by seeing the results of his work in our community, while the others simply left the denomination.
Since you know so much more about his life than I; and he was such an important part of my own spiritual growth, and set the course for my soul for a lifetime….
I was hoping I might persuade you to send me a small bio of him. It would be very much appreciated…….
Lee Bailey
Comment by lee bailey — May 18, 2008 @ 11:54 am |
I can do better than that. Here is Carlton’s wife, Augusta Carruth’s address: 700 Island View Dr. Brunswick Ga. 31525 Carlton wrote a summary of his life and ministry which I am sure she could get to you. She does not have email, but I am going to mail her your email, but you will need to contact her with your address so she can contact you. I will also forward your email to my Dad who preached Carlton’s funeral and he might have some information for you.
Comment by jay hanson — May 19, 2008 @ 9:07 am |
Thanks, Jay. I’ll send her my address. I appreciate that you took the time to check back on this page and noticed my note after all this time since you posted your own note. AND the bother of contacting others who could fill in what you couldn’t.
I have often felt that the weakest faith in a congregation can be found in the pulpit…Carlton Carruth was the exception to that generalization. The First Church of Tifton was a large church, and has become even larger over the years; but I know the faith in the much smaller church Dr. Carruth lead in his later life was much more spirit filled and active as a faith community. His boundless spirit would have allowed nothing less. I’m glad to hear his wife has found a nice retirement in Brunswick…it’s such a beautiful place. I was married near there, on St. Simon’s Island.
Thanks again for responding!!…..Lee Bailey
Comment by lee bailey — June 7, 2008 @ 12:45 am |
Hey…I think I may have deleted an email from your Dad. I didn’t recognized the sender, and I have a mac and couldn’t open the attachment. If he did send me something in May…I can’t retrieve those from my ’round file’ due to my server’s system. I can, however, ‘wash’ a PC attachment through another computer I have access to, if he would be so kind as to re-send. I didn’t do that with the one I recall in May because..well we get so many of those faked ‘you asked me for this’ stuff junk mail that I just dumped it since I didn’t recognized the names of the sender. Sorry…please apologize for me if this happened!!
I’ll be looking for anyone with Hanson as a last name…oops….
Thanks again…Lee
Comment by lee bailey — June 7, 2008 @ 2:02 am |
Dear Jay….
Perhaps you might communicate to your father, and Mrs. Carlton, who I am:
I am Sandra Lee Nichols Bailey, daughter of Mr. MJ(Nick) Nichols and Winifred Nichols….
Granddaughter of Clarence Hallam, from Ithaca, New York.
My younger brother is Brian Craig Nichols.
Our mother is currently a last stage victim of Alzheimer’s….and to cut the fog, I wear my iPOD when I visit her to distract my mind during silences…..I don’t imagine she will last past this fall, as she usually has a pneumonia then, and her condition is so weak. Our Father, Nick Nichols(MJ) passed in Oct. of 1989….and the funeral social was held at the First Presbyterian Church of Tifton…where my mother was then Church Secretary. She had been working for the Agronomy Dept. of the Costal Plains Experiment Station for many years before, and during the Carruth’s stay at Tifton, was working for a company called Tift County Mortgage Corporation. I believe that was the name…It was a mortgage company for the agricultural machinery farmers use…and sold by the local Georgia State Legislature Representative out on the Albany Hwy.
Some people in the Tifton Church, and in the faculty at ABAC, tried to recruit me into some kind of group/club/society when I was almost 18….Dad, Nick Nichols, said they also tried to get him to join earlier while the Carruths were still at the church….These people were the thorn in Dr. Carruth’s side during his stay at Tifton, but I know there were others who were the opposite of these folks and supported him in his efforts. Our Grandfather was glad we said ‘No’; and said there would be an information package for us to pick up after our Mom died…..that because I trusted Dr. Carruth so intensely….it would be through him…or his wife and best friend, that I would be able to contact the people holding this package in Tifton. That by going through these two people I would know that the person was legit, and the real person our Grandfather had trusted with his gift…..
Carlton Carruth was a very important part of my early life:…It is the faith he engendered in me, and the theology instructions he gave, that helped me, as a very young person, stand firm in the face of intense pressure to join this nefarious crowd. Both during his stay in Tifton, and his stint as the head of Epworth. I hope the 2 people you mentioned will be willing to pass on his life’s story…and of course I hope they understand what I am mentioning concerning our Grandfather, Clarence Hallam’s gift.
I know that if they wish to send us the bio of Dr. Carruth it would be put to a great, good, use in emotionally supporting our two military men in the field and the others they come into contact with during their tours of duty overseas…..
Many Thanks, Jay……..S. Lee Bailey
Comment by lee bailey — June 9, 2008 @ 12:11 pm |
Thanks, Jay!! Your father just sent the copy of the obituary and it was so wonderful.
I know he has more detailed information about the missions Dr. Carruth started and participated in over the years. A long memory of moments of Dr. Carruth’s Work with The Holy Spirit to help Heal the World. Times when he had to face down the people who stood in his way and resented his efforts to help heal. How he handled those moments and people with God’s guidance. And a clear understanding of his theology and way of Walking in the Spirit. I also know Carlton was hit hard by his brother’s death, and it had a great effect upon his focus in life and his work.
Those memories, the examples of how to Walk the Walk…and the positive way he faced his life-changing moments…. would serve our troops well as they face life threatening moments themselves, and are forced by circumstance to look inward for help and guidance…both during their time in the field and after…when they face ‘normal’ life once more.
I hope the memories he holds of Carlton…ones that he feels will be of use to young people…and their older leaders in the field who are responsible for their safety…with families at home waiting for their safe return…are ones he feels he can share with us so that we can share those valuable lessons with them in turn…
I have sent my address and phone number to Mrs. Carruth, if he wishes to send more information on to us we would cherish it….
Thanks again…Lee
Comment by lee bailey — June 12, 2008 @ 5:02 pm |