Carl Julian Sanders
(1912-2007) was an American Bishop of the United Methodist Church who
was elected to office in 1972. At the time of his election, he was
the only candidate
for the Methodist episcopacy ever to have been elected on the first
ballot in the history of the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference.
Birth and Family
Carl was born 18 May
1912 in Star, North Carolina. He married Eleanor Lupo (1935-1995) with
whom he had two daughters Lundi Kay and Eleanor.
Education
Carl earned the B.A. degree in 1933 from Wofford College. He then earned the B.D. degree in 1936 from Candler School of Theology.
Ordained Ministry
The Rev. Carl Julian
Sanders entered the Upper South Carolina Annual Conference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South in 1934. In 1935 he transferred to,
and in 1938 was ordained
an Elder in the Virginia Annual Conference. He served a variety of
local church appointments through 1955. He then served (1955-71) as
District Superintendent of three Districts in succession: Petersburg,
Richmond, and Norfolk.
The Rev. Sanders
served as a delegate to U.M. General and Jurisdictional Conferences
between 1960-72. He also was an accredited visitor to the first World
Council of Churches
assembly in Amsterdam in 1948.
Episcopal Ministry
The Rev. Carl Julian
Sanders was elected to the Episcopacy in 1972 by the Southeastern
Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church. He was
assigned the Birmingham
Episcopal Area, consisting of the State of Alabama and the northwest
panhandle of Florida (the Alabama-West Florida and North Alabama Annual
Conferences). He served there for eight years before retiring in 1980.
During his episcopacy
he led the Alabama-West Florida Conference in financial campaigns for
Huntingdon College and for Ministerial Pensions, and led the North
Alabama Conference
in financial campaigns for Birmingham-Southern College as well as
Ministerial Pensions. He was the co-founder of the Alabama-West Florida
U.M. Foundation in 1979, which at his death had accumulated assets of
over $40 million.
Bishop Sanders served
as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Carraway Methodist Medical
Center, member of the Board of Trustees of Athens College,
Birmingham-Southern and Huntingdon
Colleges, too. Bishop Sanders also served as a Vice President of the
U.M. General Board of Global Ministries (1972-76), and as President of
the United Methodist Committee on Relief. He was also a member of the
U.M. General
Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and of the Division of
Chaplains.
Preacher and World Traveler
Bishop Sanders
traveled extensively, visiting refugee camps and mission work in
Africa, Asia and Europe, as well as a frequent visitor to the Middle
East and the Far East. He
was the Co-Founder of the Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies for
Educational Opportunities, Inc. of Lakeland, Florida, also serving on
its Board of Directors (1976-2000). He served as a Lecturer for
Educational Opportunities
in England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Alaska, and
Jerusalem.
Bishop Sanders was
also known as one of the greatest preachers in Methodism. His devotion
to God, his understanding of the Gospel, and his keen wit made his
sermons live in the
hearts of his hearers. He was awarded three Freedom Foundation Awards
for his sermons: "One Nation Under God" in 1962, "Independence and
Beyond" in 1977, and "In God We Trust - Do We or Don't We"
in 1987. In 1980 he was chosen to give the opening sermon for the
United Methodist General Conference. The same year he was chosen to
deliver the sermon for the Consecration Service for newly elected
Bishops at the Southeastern
Jurisdictional Conference.
Death and Burial
Bishop Carl Julian
Sanders died 7 March 2007 at Fairhaven Hospital, Birmingham, Alabama
after a brief illness. He was 94. He was survived by his wife; his two
daughters, Lundi
Martin and Eleanor Kasler;
grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Bishop Sanders' funeral was held at 2:00 p.m. 12 March 2007 at the Trinity U.M. Church, 903 Forest Ave., Richmond, Virginia. Visitation was 4-6 p.m. on 11 March. Bishop Sanders was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Richmond. A Memorial Service also took place at 2:00 p.m. 15 March 2007 at the First U. M. Church, 2416 W. Cloverdale Park, Montgomery, Alabama.
(Based on a Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Julian_Sanders)