To the Limit: A brief memoir by Chas Carrin

As Charles Carrin celebrates the many blessings of God during his 70 years of fruitful ministry, you will learn of his deep concern for young church leaders and his desire to encourage them.

 

In 2019, I complete 70 years of Ordained Ministry. It all began in 1949 when I shoved my suitcase onto a train in Miami and headed for Atlanta. I was scared, my heart pounded, and I slept little that night. My destination was my first church as pastor–and I was only 18 years old. It was a brave step for the congregation and me. But they knew God had called me to preach and insisted that I begin immediately and obey that “Call.” Everything else could catch up later. The congregation was warm-hearted and we bonded immediately. With a salary of $35.00 a week I paid for my rent, college tuition, food, transportation, and everything else. My University study began the same time as the ministry.

At the church’s request I began preaching five times a week and maintained that pattern for the next 30 years. The only exception was when I conducted revivals and preached 12 to 14 times a week. That grueling schedule forced me to rely on the Holy Spirit. Apart from Him I could not have survived that demanding routine. The night I was ordained in Miami my pastor told me, “Charles, study as if it all depends on you. Preach as if it all depends on God!” That advice became my rule for life. In those years the Atlanta Division, University of Georgia, was only an extension-school and did not offer a degree; I gained as many credits as I could and then studied two years at Columbia Theological Seminary. The Atlanta congregation remained my charge for eleven fruitful and happy years. When I resigned they–and I–wanted me to stay. God said no.

The year I was born–1930–America was gripped in the Great Depression and I grew up knowing only that time of national poverty. Many were homeless, clothes were old, and meals were meager. Our family’s problem was compounded by my father’s being an injured veteran of the First World War. The night Laurie and I married I had only $4.00 in my pocket. Even so, I fully expected God’s best and absolutely believed He wanted my life to be both fruitful and fun. Now, 70 years later I look back on a ministry in which He did precisely that. Here is what I mean:

I’ve been in the company of two Kings, a President, the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. I crossed the Atlantic at least 50 times, preached at Red Square in Moscow, Westminster Chapel in London, 800 year-old Churches in England, St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Seminary in Florida, Russian and Kazakh ministerial schools, various Jewish Synagogues, and to thousands of ministers at the International “Catch the Fire” Pastors Conferences in Toronto. I have been a return-speaker there. The day I stepped onto the train God had it all planned.

Tags: carrin, chas, limit, memoir

Category: Living the Faith, Spring 2019