Howard Carter (English Preacher)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Alfred Howard Carter (3 January 1891 – 22 January 1971), better known as Howard Carter, was a pioneer in the
Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
faith.


The Crown Mission

Carter was born in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
. He took over England's first Pentecostal Bible School. In 1913 an organization called the Crown Mission began in the city, and shortly afterwards Carter became the leader of this group. By 1916 he became involved in a second Pentecostal work, and had to quit his regular work to maintain leadership of the two churches.


In prison

In
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Carter was imprisoned in
Wormwood Scrubs Wormwood Scrubs, known locally as The Scrubs (or simply Scrubs), is an open space in Old Oak Common located in the north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London. It is the largest open space in the borough ...
as a
conscientious objector A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...
, and then spent time in Princetown Work Centre in the former
Dartmoor Prison HM Prison Dartmoor is a Prison security categories in the United Kingdom, Category C men's prison, located in Princetown, England, Princetown, high on Dartmoor in the English county of Devon. Its high granite walls dominate this area of the mo ...
. While in prison he received the revelation of the nine
gifts of the Holy Spirit In Christianity, a spiritual gift or charism (plural: charisms or charismata; in Greek singular: χάρισμα ''charisma'', plural: χαρίσματα ''charismata'') is an extraordinary power given by the Holy Spirit."Spiritual gifts". ''A D ...
. These teachings, based on the text of 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, are still used today as the primary teaching on the gifts of the Spirit within all major Pentecostal Christian belief systems. From 4 September 1918 to 11 June 1919 he was a 'brother' on the staff of Wallingford Farm Training Colony, an institution run by the National Union for Christian Social Service for 'difficult' boys mainly referred by Boards of Guardians.


Hampstead Bible School

In 1921, Carter was handed over leadership of
Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...
Bible School, originally to be on a temporary basis until a more suitable person was available to fill the opening. That never happened, as he held this position for some 27 years. Under Carter's leadership the school grew so much that they had to purchase a nearby house, and two more Bible schools were opened up. He took his work so seriously at the school that he did not receive any of the money donated to the school for his own use unless it was marked specifically for him, and he paid his own room and board to the school out of his salary.


Assemblies of God

Howard Carter later became a founding member of Assemblies of God in Great Britain and Ireland.John Nelson Parr, ''Incredible'' (published by the author, Fleetwood, Lancs., England, 1972), Chapters 6 and 7, and Appendix A

/ref> He served on the General Council of these groups as vice-chairman 1929-1934, and as chairman 1934-1945.


Later life

Howard Carter left the Hampstead Bible School in 1948 and moved to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
where he eventually married Ruth (Fisher) Steelberg. She was the daughter of Elmer Kirk Fisher, who was the founder of the Upper Room Mission in Los Angeles, California. She had previously been married to Wesley Rowland Steelberg, who was general superintendent of the Assemblies of God U.S.A. Steelberg had died while on a trip to Wales in 1952. Carter spent the rest of his life in the U.S., and began to travel extensively as a preacher until his death in
Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...
, in 1971.


Lester Sumrall

Howard Carter and Lester Sumrall first met in
Eureka Springs, Arkansas Eureka Springs is a city in Carroll County, Arkansas, United States, and one of two county seats for the county. It is located in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas, near the border with Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the city popula ...
when Carter was in his forties and Sumrall was in his early twenties. They formed an immediate relationship and traveled the world together as missionaries preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sumrall wrote about Carter in his books ''Adventuring with Christ'' and ''Pioneers of Faith''. Sumrall also expounded on Carter's teachings of the nine gifts of the Spirit in his book ''The Gifts and Ministries of the Holy Spirit''.


Publications


Questions and Answers on Spiritual Gifts
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit (possibly published by Springfield MO: Gospel Publishing House G USA c1920s) New York Tokyo Moscow - c 1934 Spiritual gifts and their operation (Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 1968)


References


External links


Alfred Howard Carter biography

Alfred Howard Carter recordings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Howard 1891 births 1971 deaths British conscientious objectors English evangelists American Pentecostals Assemblies of God people Pentecostal writers