The Christadelphian, July 1962

“Brother John Carter”

The death of the Editor of The Christadelphian was briefly recorded in the June issue. Brother John Carter had conducted the magazine and the associated publishing business, and had at the same time given leadership in the Brotherhood, for the past twenty-five years.

That quarter-of-a-century has been an epoch of prodigious history. It has witnessed the power and the collapse of the Third Reich in Germany, the deliberate attempt to exterminate Jewry with the resulting six million deaths, the horrors of aerial warfare in the second of the global conflicts of the twentieth century, the change in the balance of power which has ranged against one another the two world power blocks of the land and the seas, the birth of the State of Israel, and the advent of man into space. Within this world of apocalyptic events the Brotherhood has had to live its life and maintain its faith. In particular the brethren have had to uphold their conscientious objection to military service, and to face the problems raised by new demands in new and strange conditions. Never was there greater need for an able and dedicated man in the service of the Household of Faith, and the Lord did not fail to bring the man for the hour.

Within the Brotherhood the post-war years have brought vital developments. For many years there had been a growing sense of pain and shame at the divided state of the Brotherhood. Superficial efforts to cover cracks were doomed to failure, as had been shown by some pre-war attempts at amity. Bro. Carter knew that real union must be founded on frank facing of differences and the arriving at real agreement. To reunite with the Central Fellowship the Bereans on the one hand and the Suffolk Street Fellowship on the other might have seemed an impossible task. In the accomplishment of this, bro. John Carter made a most important contribution in all parts of the English-speaking world.

He died at 72 years of age. It was not old as men reckon now, but he had literally spent himself in the service of his Lord; the candle was burnt out. From boyhood onward he had looked for the day of the Lord’s coming; he died in the hope that had been constantly his since boyhood, and now in his next conscious moment he will see Jesus.

Early Life

John Carter was born on December 12, 1889, at Catherine Slack, a little village about two miles out of Halifax. Like many men who have done great things, he owed much to his mother, a woman of character of whom he often spoke with love and admiration. His early days on the Yorkshire moors may have helped to build up the tough constitution abounding with energy which so marked him in adult life. They certainly contributed to the love of nature which was an enrichment of his character. It was this and his feeling for the Word which gave outlet to a sense of beauty which might otherwise have found little scope. Apart from a period at a Secondary School, he was largely self-taught. Entering into the retail grocery trade, in due course he acquired his own business in Halifax.

John Carter was baptized into Christ in 1906. During the first world war he became dissatisfied with some conditions then existing among ecclesias with which he was associated, and in December, 1915, he joined the Central Fellowship. He was soon actively engaged in the work of the Halifax ecclesia meeting at Harrison Road. On September 26, 1920, he became recording brother and continued until he left Halifax in April, 1934. Thus, from an early age he bore responsibilities from which he learned much of the needs of ecclesial life and gained insight into human nature as it manifests itself within the Brotherhood as well as outside.

Bible Class Work

He held many offices in the ecclesia, but his greatest work, and that which did most to prepare him for future tasks, was in the Sunday School and Bible Classes. For many years he took a Eureka class from 10 till 11 o’clock on Sunday mornings, following on in the Sunday School period from 11 to 12 o’clock with a senior class for brethren and sisters. Many in the Household today have grateful memories of the thorough grounding they received in one or both of these classes. At the week-night Bible Class, all the time he was with the Harrison Road ecclesia, he was one of the “Presidents” whose duty it was to sum up the evening’s work in the final ten minutes. He was largely responsible for the evenings devoted to exposition. It was in all these classes and in his study and preparation for them that he developed his thorough knowledge of Scripture and his powers of exposition. When young in the Truth it was his earnest prayer that he might “wield the sword of the Spirit mightily”; it was in this ecclesial work that he prepared himself so that God might work in him. The results were seen not only in his later writings but in his whole work for the Brotherhood. He was able to bring to his later tasks wide reading and a remarkable memory. On almost any Biblical subject he could immediately name the books which might be consulted and give guidance as to their qualities and defects. Though making no claim to Greek scholarship, he had worked through one of the more thorough Greek grammars and had a working knowledge which equipped him for theological reading and which enabled him to make effectual use of lexicons and concordances.

While in Halifax he served other ecclesias locally and further afield. For many years he was associated with the local branch of the Auxiliary Lecturing Society, for a large part of that time serving as President. When bro. Carter had to give up work in the Halifax ecclesia on coming to Birmingham there was a keen sense of loss, but also gratification that he had been called to a wider sphere of service.

Changes at “The Christadelphian” Office

With advancing years, bro. C. C. Walker felt the need to provide for the continuance of The Christadelphian and the associated book publishing in accordance with the aims of the founder, bro. Robert Roberts, and the principles which we hold. Bro. Carter had for many years been a contributor to the magazine, and it was in the light of his writings that bro. Walker selected him to come to the office to gain insight into both the editorial work and the management of the publishing business. The choice was announced in the issue of April, 1934, and it was in that month that bro. Carter moved to Birmingham with sis. Carter and their two daughters.

In an editorial in the June issue, 1934, bro. Walker referred to the “three frail human lives” that had up to then spanned a century of witnessing to revived Bible truth—those of Dr. John Thomas, bro. Robert Roberts, and bro. Walker himself. He said that bro. Carter was then working with him and bro. C. A. Ladson, and added: “His enthusiastic and faithful ministrations of the Word are already winning the confidence and appreciation of the best of the brotherhood, and it is confidently hoped that in the providence of God he may effectually continue the testimony to which the three lives in question have, with whatever limitations and imperfections, been wholeheartedly devoted.”

At the same time bro. Walker announced that as editor and proprietor, he proposed during his lifetime to hand over the enterprise to a number of brethren whom he had nominated. They were brethren W. H. Boulton, John Carter, Islip Collyer, S. Laxon, E. W. Newman, E. H. Tipping, F. W. Turner and Benjamin Walker. Now only brethren Newman and Turner remain of the original members, bro. Boulton, happily still with us, having retired some years ago owing to his advanced age. Others have taken the place of those who have died.

Charles Curwen Walker

born 1856; died 1940

Editor of

The Christadelphian

1898–1937

Policy of the Magazine

Bro. Walker added: “As to the future policy of the magazine in particular, the present Editor, having during a long life experienced many changes, and taken part in many controversies, is of the opinion that nothing better as a brief statement of Christadelphian doctrine has ever been propounded than Dr. Thomas’s Revealed Mystery. And it is his earnest wish that those who are to follow him will maintain and uphold these doctrines as the first principles of the Truth believed among us.”2 That bro. Carter fulfilled this wish can be said without a moment’s doubt. Drawing on a wider range of contributors than his predecessor, he is generally acknowledged to have maintained a high spiritual and literary standard for the magazine. His knowledge of and admiration for Dr. Thomas’s works were profound, but were not allowed to take priority over his loyalty to the Word. He had little sympathy for those who were blind to any error in the Doctor, and he recognized the possibility of becoming warped by an exclusive diet of one man’s writings. His real understanding, however, was shown when his attention was drawn to passages where Dr. Thomas offers a conclusion which seems immediately satisfying, but then raises doubts by going on to support it with evidence which seems insecure. In many instances bro. Carter could lead round by a different route to the same conclusion, and establish it on a broader basis.

Appointment as Editor

Bro. Carter was appointed Editor in 1937, the appointment being confirmed at the first meeting of the Publishing Association on July 20 of that year, an Association having been legally incorporated in June defining its objects and constitution under which the appointed brethren and their successors have been required to conduct its affairs. At this meeting bro. C. C. Walker presided, and in recording it in the magazine of September, 1937, he wrote: “The presiding brother further explained that he thought it well to say plainly that there was no commercialism in the transaction. Bro. John Carter had not (as was wrongly reported) bought the position from him. And, on the other hand, the presiding brother doubted whether bro. John Carter could not have done better for himself financially by sticking to his business at Halifax. The presiding brother on his part was handing over the magazine and stock of books, and a sum of money, as a gift into the hands of trustees1 to do the best they could as ‘witnesses’ for the Truth. All copyrights and other property are being vested in the Association which is assuming full responsibility for the conduct of the affairs of this office. It is confidently hoped that the blessing of God, through ‘the Son of man who walketh in the midst of the’ ecclesias, may rest upon the enterprise.”

Thus bro. Carter entered upon the conduct of the magazine under a new regime made necessary by the passage of time. It is an unhappy fact that no one can enter on a position of outstanding responsibility without being subject to the malice of too ready tongues; but if ever evil speakers were wide of their target, it was in imputing material motives to bro. Carter. He was scrupulous to a fault in eschewing profit to himself from the work. On a few occasions bro. C. C. Walker had sold books by other publishers which he considered useful to the Brotherhood. At the end of the last war there was a development in the supply of Bibles, Sunday School aids, books suitable as rewards, and works of reference or other books of help in Biblical study. This proved a service to the Brotherhood.

National Emergency

At the time bro. Carter came to Birmingham the uprise of Adolf Hitler, with the possibility of compulsory military service in Britain looming ahead as a consequence, was already causing anxiety in the Brotherhood. At a meeting of area delegates held in Birmingham on September 28, 1935, the traditional attitude of Christadelphians to all forms of military service was reaffirmed, with the inclusion of Police service as in the amendment to the Birmingham Constitution of October, 1917. A Military Service Committee was appointed with bro. Carter as one of the members, and within a year or so he became its secretary. While in presenting the case for the Brotherhood the committee could build on the work of the London Standing Committee in the First World War, constant vigilance had to be maintained and there were new problems such as Civil Defence in which advice had to be given and interests watched. A complete register of membership in the Central Fellowship was compiled. In the summer of 1938 a letter was sent to the Prime Minister (Mr. Neville Chamberlain), reminding him of the position Christadelphians had taken up as a religious body, and expressing the hope that in any legislation which might be drafted for presentation to Parliament, their position would be recognized. Contacts with authority and with a sympathetic Member of Parliament were maintained, and when the Military Training Bill was introduced in the early part of 1939 it was found to contain provisions for exemption for conscientious objection. In moving the second reading, the Prime Minister defined three categories of conscientious objectors: (1) those who sought total exemption; (2) those who were willing to do work of national importance, not connected directly or indirectly with military service; (3) those who were willing to do non-combatant service with the Forces. His description of the second category exactly fitted the case of Christadelphians, and great thankfulness was felt, with appreciation of the work of the Committee in making our beliefs known.

Unremitting Work

The first registration under the Act (as it soon became) was on June 3, 1939. This began many years of unremitting work for members of the Committee, and for bro. Carter in particular. It was intensified when war broke out in September, 1939. New developments had to be watched, and representations made in the proper quarters, both regarding individual cases and wider principles. For example, in the summer of 1940 the Government obtained far-reaching powers by which persons might be required “to place themselves, their services and their property at the disposal of His Majesty”. Advice had to be given to the brethren as to the course to be taken if they were directed to work which they conscientiously felt they should avoid. There were vexed questions of munition-making (which might be given such a wide definition that hardly anyone could avoid it), fire-watching and fire-fighting, etc. On all these the Committee had to give advice, and where necessary, mediate with authority. As may well be imagined, the Committee met frequently.

Robert Roberts

born 1839; died 1898

Founder of

The Christadelphian

Editor 1864–1898

The register had to be kept up to date, the requisite papers sent out for individual cases, information collected and forwarded in cases of appeal, arrangements made for representation where an appeal failed and the brother was arrested and court-martialled. The whole of the secretarial work was channelled through the office of The Christadelphian. In the amount of clerical work involved bro. Carter had the constant aid of the late sis. Doris Martindale and much voluntary help from a number of Birmingham sisters.

Besides all this, bro. Carter undertook the representation of all Christadelphian cases coming before the Birmingham Tribunal for conscientious objectors, which covered a wide area of the Midlands. He became the recognized advocate, respected by the County Court judges who in succession presided over it. In earlier years he also went to London for cases which had to come before the Appellate Tribunal. Later he was relieved of the London work, first by the late bro. B. R. Walker and then by bro. F. E. Mitchell. In later years, with a change of Chairman, the Birmingham Tribunal insisted that an applicant should only call a friend who could speak from personal knowledge, but bro. Carter or others still attended to watch the proceedings and give help in the event of a case having to go to appeal. The work continued well into the post-war years, diminishing gradually, but it was only recently, long after the ending of the call-up, that it ceased altogether.

Work in Reconciliation

To walk with—one could not say beside—John Carter in his prime was an experience in itself. He managed somehow always to be half-a-yard ahead. He looked straight on, and spoke into the air before him, expecting one to carry on a conversation in reply to the half-heard fragments of sentences that drifted back. It was revealing of one side of the man—forceful, definite, demanding, impatient of check and by nature resentful of opposition. There were other and lovable sides to a full personality, but many would have thought him an unlikely instrument for a great work of reconciliation. That in this work he won warm tributes for gentleness and patience was a triumph of character over temperament.

The developments in the direction of re-union began with the Berean Fellowship which had separated from the Central Fellowship in the early 1920’s. While in Britain the allegations made against the Central Fellowship had mainly related to questions of military and police service, across the Atlantic the chief subject of controversy had been doctrinal. Articles by bro. Carter on the nature and sacrifice of Christ assisted in laying a basis for agreement. In The Christadelphian of December, 1940, he wrote an editorial entitled “A Time to Heal”, referring to movements for restoring harmony which were already afoot both in Australia and the United States, helped by agreement to his presentation of the Truth. Certain ecclesias rejoined the Central Fellowship.

Overseas Tours

In 1952 bro. Carter began a series of strenuous overseas tours which involved very much more than a programme of lecturing and ecclesial visits. He went to the United States to take part in the Wilbraham Bible School at Massachusetts. This gave the opportunity to become acquainted and have discussions with brethren in North America. Going on to California at the invitation of a group of ecclesias, he met their Re-union Committee. As a result it was decided to invite ecclesias to a conference. On September 20, 1952, representatives of 15 Central and 14 Berean ecclesias met at Jersey City, near New York, for a conference which lasted for the whole day, over which bro. Carter presided. The luncheon interval was almost wholly occupied in preparing a statement which could be accepted as the basis of re-union. This was eventually accepted by 34 ecclesias in the Central Fellowship and 27 in the Berean Fellowship, who thus became united. The statement was circulated to Berean ecclesias in Great Britain, and several came into the Central Fellowship.

On a further visit to the U.S.A. and Canada in 1955 bro. Carter’s ministrations to the reunited ecclesias and also to the first Californian Bible School at Idyllwild Pines as well as at Wilbraham, were much appreciated.

Re-union in Britain

While these efforts were going on in America the Editor of The Fraternal Visitor approached the Editor of The Christadelphian to ask if they could talk over what differences existed between the Central and Suffolk Street Fellowships. As a result of private conversations other brethren were brought into the discussion, and a statement appeared in the issues of the two magazines for November, 1953, announcing that a meeting of an informal and exploratory character had been held between brethren of the two fellowships. The basis of discussion was widened by the formation of a joint committee, and a statement of beliefs was drawn up which in April, 1954, was circulated to the ecclesias. As the outcome of meetings of delegates from all parts of the country some clarification was asked for. After much patient discussion, revision of the Statement and its submission to the ecclesias, a “Final Statement” was agreed to by the committee in February, 1956, and submitted for ballot by members of the ecclesias. It was accepted by an overwhelming majority. In areas where there were felt to be local difficulties meetings were held with the object of helping towards solution. After years of work aimed first of all at establishing a sound basis, and secondly at bringing about the widest measure of unity resting upon it, re-union was effected in Great Britain in the early part of 1957. It was a day of deep joy when the Birmingham Central and Suffolk Street ecclesias were able to hold a united Breaking of Bread in the Birmingham Town Hall on March 17, ending a separation of seventy years. The only regret was that a minority scattered over the country found themselves unable to accept the basis. The work of the Re-union Committee had not ended; its services were made available for mediation in local difficulties. In all this work bro. Carter was actively engaged.

John Thomas, M.D.

born 1805; died 1871

Author of

Elpis Israel (1849)

Edited

Apostolic Advocate (1834)

Herald of the Future Age (1845)

Herald of the Kingdom (1851)

In 1957 bro. Carter toured South Africa, strengthening the ecclesias there.

Australian Visit

In Australia, where by far the larger number of brethren and sisters had been associated with the Suffolk Street Fellowship, the position remained confused. In April, 1956, in response to an invitation from Australia, brethren Carter and Cooper sent a message to the conference held at Adelaide. In it they offered comments on the divided state of the ecclesias and made suggestions to help towards unity. This received a hearty response. Controversy, however, continued, though most of the ecclesias in Victoria had agreed on a basis of co-operation. In June, 1957, a letter was sent to Australian ecclesias from the Re-union Committee in Great Britain appealing for further efforts to clear up the position so that there should be harmony with the now re-united ecclesias in this country. Bro. Carter visited Australia and New Zealand in April and May of 1958. The work he then undertook would have taxed a man of iron, and it left a lasting mark upon him. He flew out by the westward route. He records: “In twelve days spent in New Zealand before going on to Australia, we met four groups of arranging brethren, exhorted twice, lectured seven times, and addressed two fraternal gatherings, in addition to private talks undertaken at the request of brethren. In Australia we met the Unity Committee in Sydney three times, the Melbourne Committee once. We met the arranging brethren of Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth ecclesias, and had several talks with the arranging brethren of Melbourne ecclesias. These conversations, usually occupying a whole evening, and sometimes a late sitting, were cordial and helpful. We also had meetings with the brethren in Sydney (Concord) and Brisbane who had dissociated themselves from the Central Fellowship at the time of re-union in England, and also with the Northcote arranging brethren who have separated from the Horticultural Hall, Melbourne . . . Meetings in Brisbane and Adelaide were addressed on unity matters in England and Australia. In addition, some 17 lectures were given (one on the Atonement in each town); exhortations were given every Sunday but one; three fraternal gatherings were addressed and two farewell meetings.” His programme involved visits to Melbourne, Launceston (Tasmania), Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, and a return to Sydney. Travelling was mostly by air across a continent the size of Europe. The pleasantest meetings must draw on nervous energy, but there were some that were highly contentious and must have involved great strain. However, bro. Carter had the reward of seeing 37 ecclesias, embracing the great majority of Christadelphians in Australia, accepting a common basis. Some others, after exhaustive investigation, have since heartily thrown in their lot with the Central Fellowship. Bro. Carter was deeply moved by the love shown for him when he left.

Before he left England, the Committee of the Publishing Association had strongly pressed upon him the desirability of relaxation after what was certain to be a strenuous time. They suggested that he should return from Australia by sea, or if that was impossible that a smaller part of the journey, perhaps from South Africa, should be thus accomplished, but against all entreaties, bro. Carter returned by air by way of India without any break for rest. The office staff at home having been reduced by illness and other circumstances, his anxiety to return home quickly was perhaps understandable. With this added to the almost superhuman effort of his work in Australia, he came home an exhausted man, and never regained his old vitality.

A Monument

Bro. Carter’s greatest work was done. He has a monument in the achievement of re-union among Christadelphians throughout the English-speaking world, in which he played so prominent a part, supported by a strong Committee at home. He brought to it a keen mind, unshakeable conviction, yet a capacity for understanding another point of view, together with a sincere desire to get down to essentials, cutting away the jargon in which beliefs had become involved. With it was an earnest longing for true brotherhood on the foundation of Christ Jesus and his apostles. The Christadelphian community and human nature within it being what they are, it was perhaps inevitable that some would be unable to agree. There were some who became separated for whom he retained a sincere regard. Perhaps an even fuller unity may yet be attained. In any case, the merciful Lord will judge all hearts.

Private Help

One phase of his work which bro. Carter took deeply to heart was little known to the community at large. Privately he often described the office of The Christadelphian as a “clearing house” for ecclesial and personal problems. Without any official position in the community, it has fallen to the Editor of the magazine for nearly a hundred years to exercise a profound influence. This was done not only through published articles but by private correspondence. Appeal was made to the Editor for answers to questions, for help in removing doubts, for advice in ecclesial and private difficulties, for aid in resolving differences. How much bro. Carter did in this way only he knew, but there are many throughout the world who owe him a debt for wise and brotherly counsel, always given with a deep sense of responsibility.

Other Activities

For many years bro. Carter had been President of the Christadelphian Auxiliary Lecturing Society, and worked actively in its affairs. Recent years have brought a great extension of work overseas, both in the Caribbean and on the Continent of Europe, and linked with the A.L.S. there is now the Christadelphian Bible Mission.

When some years ago the suggestion was made that the Central ecclesia should establish a nursing home to provide for those in failing health, bro. Carter supported the idea. From the setting up of the Christadelphian Nursing Home at Sherbourne Road, Acocks Green, he had been a member of the Committee. He was also on the Committee of the Central Benevolent Fund.

In the life of the Birmingham Central ecclesia bro. Carter took a full part. He was an exhorting, lecturing and presiding brother, and almost from the time of his coming to Birmingham a member of the arranging brethren. Formerly Vice-Chairman, he was for the last few years the Chairman, and was re-elected to that office only at the end of last year. He gave to its work the zeal and energy he devoted to everything in the service of the Lord.

Family Life

In home life bro. Carter had had the faithful ministrations of sis. Carter and the joy of seeing two daughters grow up to put on the name of Christ at an early age. He had the satisfaction of seeing them both married to partners earnest in the work of the Lord. There was in bro. Carter an innate simplicity and freedom from pose which always found pleasure in the company of children, and his grandchildren brought him real happiness in later years that were otherwise clouded with anxieties and sorrows. One remembers him several years ago coming back to the office after Christmas talking with boyish eagerness of an ingenious mechanical toy his small grandson had received. “I gather grandpa had a good time”, one of the staff remarked, and a slightly sheepish chuckle acknowledged that the gentle shaft had gone home. On a graver note, he had the joy a few months ago of seeing his eldest grandson baptized.

Sorrows of the Closing Years

The last years seemed to bring blow upon blow. While he was in Australia sis. Doris Martindale was taken ill. His right hand in secretarial work for 20 years, she had already undergone a serious operation. Her enfeebled health and recurring illness until her death on March 7, 1960, necessarily added to the burden on bro. Carter as well as bringing personal sorrow.

It was not widely known that he suffered a slight seizure in the latter part of 1959. A more severe seizure early in 1961 left his speech affected for some time, and though up to a point he made a good recovery, he was obviously a failing man. His strong intellect remained clear even at the height of his illness, but only those close to him knew how far he was permanently impaired in some faculties where he had been active and gifted.

During these years sis. Carter’s health had also failed. She had to undergo a grave internal operation, which has been followed by two further operations. When they both sought a period of rest at Garswood, Southport, two family bereavements in succession marred the benefit they might have received. In addition, bro. Carter had grieved over an extraordinary combination of troubles within the Central ecclesia, and had striven with all his heart with others to bring some good out of ill.

Medically, another seizure seemed only too likely, and it came on the evening of Wednesday, May 9, after a full day’s work at the office. He had seen “copy” for his last magazine completed and in the printers’ hands, save only for a brief announcement of his own death. Had bro. Carter survived, medical advice was that he would have been completely paralyzed on the right side with loss of speech. No one who knew him could wish to see this, and it was in mercy that the Lord granted rest on May 16, without his regaining consciousness. Both he and sis. Carter were given devoted care by the Matron and staff of the Nursing Home.

In these last years bro. Carter had perceptibly mellowed. The northern ruggedness had softened, and sad as the days were, one could well believe that whom the Lord loved He chastened, giving the final mould to a character fitted for His eternal glory.

At the Breaking of Bread

Hearts were full of the thought of the loss at the meeting of Birmingham (Central) ecclesia on Sunday morning, May 20. Bro. Derek Ayrton presided, and chose as hymns Nos. 7, “Eternal God, Thou only just”, 51, “Though by sorrows overtaken”, and 105, “The first-begotten from the dead”. Brethren and sisters were moved by the words of the appointed speaker for the day, bro. J. A. Balchin, of London (Morden), whose exhortation will be found as the “Sunday Morning” in this issue. The organist (bro. Harold Dorricott) played “Solemn Melody” (Walford Davies), “O rest in the Lord” and “Cast thy burden on the Lord” (from Mendelssohn’s Elijah), and at the close “I know that my Redeemer liveth” (from Handel’s Messiah).

The Funeral

So many could be expected to attend the funeral service that it was not easy to find a room suitable with parking facilities. Modern traffic conditions made it impossible to follow the precedent of the funeral of bro. C. C. Walker 22 years before and hold a service in the Central ecclesia’s regular meeting place, the Birmingham and Midland Institute, and it was therefore held in the hall of the Botanical Gardens, Edgbaston. This was completely filled by an attendance of about 700. They had come from as far afield as Glasgow in the north, Porthleven (Cornwall) in the south, Yorkshire, and Bridgend and Swansea in South Wales. There were about 200 cars in the car park.

By the wish of bro. Carter the service was conducted by bro. G. T. Fryer. He opened with hymn 48, “God is love”. In his prayer bro. Fryer remembered before God the widow, daughters, brother and others of the family, and those who were left to carry on the responsibility. He read the first Psalm with its portrayal of the godly man, the Apostle Paul’s farewell in 2 Timothy 4 : 6–8, and the vision of the city of God in Revelation 21 : 22–27.

In a short address bro. Fryer said:

Fifty-six years ago as a young man of sixteen bro. John Carter was baptized into Christ. The first half of this long career in the Truth was a preparation for that which was to come. By reading and study, as Bible Class leader and recording brother of his ecclesia, by speaking and writing he equipped himself for the high office he was destined to fulfil. His knowledge increased, his experience grew and God was with him.

Twenty-eight years ago he was called to leave his native Yorkshire and came with his wife and daughters to Birmingham to assist bro. C. C. Walker. A few years later he succeeded him as editor of The Christadelphian. How grateful is the Birmingham Central ecclesia for bro. Carter’s good influence during his years of membership; how grateful is the whole Brotherhood for all the work he has done so well. His labours extended far beyond his own ecclesia to ecclesias everywhere, both at home and abroad. He had travelled round the world and visited all five Continents in the service of the Lord.

Such journeys left their mark upon him, but they were missions of peace undertaken for the glory of God and the benefit of His children. Divided ecclesias were brought together and reunion was achieved. “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

So he went about strengthening the churches, and in places where he did not go or where there is no ecclesia he preached the gospel, for he was president of the Auxiliary Lecturing Society and did much for the Society in writing and publishing.

Bro. Carter has been a member of the Nursing Home Committee and helped considerably in its establishment. It was there that he fell asleep last Wednesday and there sis. Carter lies seriously ill now. We cannot tell if we may be stricken with sudden illness and require the services of such a beneficent institution.

How many brethren and their families have reason to thank bro. Carter for his work as secretary of the Military Service Committee. This involved much toil, especially during the war years, but bro. Carter obtained exemption for many a brother and at the same time earned the respect of the Tribunals. He gave love to the Brotherhood, reverence to God, and honour to the Sovereign.

Though our brother has been taken from us, we still have the benefit of his mind in the writings he has left. How valuable is his statement of the full Christian gospel and how helpful his exposition of the Psalms and prophets, of the Gospels and the epistles. Looking back over the volumes of The Christadelphian for the last 25 years, how high was the standard reached and especially how wisely the Brotherhood was led to re-union.

Not only what he did but what he was we remember. Precious husband and father, dear brother in the Lord, his friendship was wonderful. Though he bore the care of all the churches, yet he was accessible to all and none sought his help in vain. To those who brought problems to him he listened with patience. Inasmuch as he did it unto one of the least of his brethren, ye did it unto Christ.

No doubt bro. Carter would have liked to continue to see the launching of the new Hymn Book on which he had worked; to see the establishment of the new Christadelphian Office, to have reached the centenary of The Christadelphian in two years time. But it was not to be . . .

Who would begrudge a loved one rest after toil, or wish him back to incapacity, suffering, and helplessness! In the mercy of God he has been spared all that, and he will not sleep for ever. His hope was the resurrection of the dead, “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Let our closing word be bro. Carter’s own exhortation on that beautiful prayer. He says: “Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, has been raised from the dead. God is going to gather in one His flock, and He prepared Christ for the work that he did. So God will carry on His work in us, helping us to perform His will that we, too, may be well pleasing to Him, that we may meet the risen Lord in the day of his coming.”

“He being dead, yet speaketh.”

Hymn 121, “Joy cometh, O that it were come”, was followed by prayer by bro. E. W. Newman. Bro. Harold Dorricott, who had played the “Dead March” in Saul as the coffin was borne into the hall, after the prayer played a verse of hymn 251, “Now may he who from the dead.”

On the route to the cemetery a procession of about 80 cars followed the coaches for the immediate mourners. Some 250 people witnessed the final rite.

The body was laid to rest in Robin Hood Cemetery, Solihull, not far from the grave of bro. C. C. Walker. At the grave side bro. Fryer read the words of Simeon in Luke 2 : 29–32 and I Thessalonians 4 : 13–18. Bro. L. G. Sargent offered prayer.

The coffin was carried by bearers representing various aspects of bro. Carter’s activities: Brethren A. Clifton (rec. bro., Central ecclesia), D. S. Hyde (rec. bro., Suffolk Street ecclesia), Noel Hughes (Auxiliary Lecturing Society), W. A. McLennan (Secretary, Nursing Home), John Croome (staff of The Christadelphian) and J. G. Parker. Besides members of the family and of the Office staff, the members of the Committee of the Christadelphian Magazine and Publishing Association attended in a body, as did the arranging and presiding brethren of the Central ecclesia, representatives of the Nursing Home and the Auxiliary Lecturing Society. Messrs. Frank Juckes Ltd., printers of The Christadelphian since 1898, were represented and sent a donation to the Nursing Home in lieu of flowers.

Among the flowers sent in tribute were some from the Melbourne ecclesia, Australia, and from Durban, South Africa. By request, flowers were mostly in such a form that they could be sent to the Nursing Home or other homes, and many people took the alternative of giving donations for the Nursing Home work.

Bro. Carter made a yearly pilgrimage to the Lickey Hills to see the bluebells in the woods. Robin Hood cemetery is one of the most beautifully situated in the Birmingham area, and a part near the main entrance has been left as a copse. Under the trees the bluebells were in bloom. Remembering bro. Carter’s joy in them, their heavenly azure brought its own message of the hope of the life from heaven which shall swallow up mortality.

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2The Revealed Mystery is now included in the volume Phanerosis, and other writings.

1 The brethren above mentioned.