Bishop Earl G. Hunt Jr. church ‘giant,’ dies at age 86
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Bishop Earl G. Hunt Jr |
March 29, 2005 By Dawn Hand* CHARLOTTE,
N.C. (UMNS)—United Methodist Bishop Earl Gladstone Hunt Jr., 86, a
leader in the church and in world Methodism, died March 26 at Mission
Hospital in Asheville, N.C. Elected to the episcopacy in 1964, he led annual (regional) conferences in the church for 24 years before retiring in 1988. During
his 46-year career, Hunt served at all levels of the United Methodist
Church and was active in the World Methodist Council. He also was widely
respected as an evangelist, earning the top awards given for
outstanding evangelism in the denomination. “He
was a strong, articulate, passionate voice for the spread of the Gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ,” said the Rev. H. Eddie Fox, director of
world evangelism for the World Methodist Council in Nashville, Tenn.
“…When he stood to speak, everyone listened.” Fox,
a fellow Holston Annual Conference native, knew Hunt for almost 50
years. “Whether it was on the world scene (or) whether it was in the
Council of Bishops, he was certainly a giant.” Hunt
was born in Johnson City, Tenn., on Sept. 14, 1918, the son of Earl
Gladstone and Tommie Mae DeVault Hunt. He earned a bachelor’s degree
from East Tennessee State University in 1941 and a divinity degree from
Candler School of Theology in 1946. He was ordained a deacon in 1944 and
an elder the following year. He
began his pastoral ministry at Sardis Methodist Church in Atlanta as a
student pastor. Returning to his home conference in 1944, he
served churches in Kingsport, Chattanooga and Morristown, Tenn. In 1956,
he was elected president of Emory & Henry College in Emory, Va.,
where he served for eight years. He
became a bishop at age 46, when the Southeastern Jurisdiction elected
him and assigned him to lead the Charlotte (N.C.) Area. During his 12
years there, he appointed the first black pastor to serve as a district
superintendent in the Southeastern Jurisdiction and he organized a lay
advisory council. In
1976, Hunt was assigned to the church’s Nashville (Tenn.) Area. There,
he began his writing ministry, producing several books on theology and
evangelism. At the time of his death, he was working on his last book, An Open Door. Four
years later, Hunt became leader of the Florida Area, where he served
until 1988. While in Florida, he led the denomination’s Committee on Our
Theological Task. The committee spent nearly eight years perfecting a
document addressing the church’s theological task in the world. In 1988,
the General Conference adopted the document, which is still contained
in the denomination’s Book of Discipline. Hunt
was the keynote speaker for the 1976 World Methodist Conference in
Dublin, Ireland. He served 10 years on the council’s executive committee
and was awarded the World Methodist Chair of Honor in 1988. Upon
retiring, he moved to Lake Junaluska, N.C. There he served as president
of the Foundation for Evangelism, an affiliate ministry of the United
Methodist Board of Discipleship. In 2002, the foundation honored him as a
Lifetime Distinguished Evangelist of the United Methodist Church, a
rare honor. Other recognition included the Philip Award, given by the
National Association of United Methodist Evangelists. “Bishop
Hunt was larger than life in so many ways,” said Bishop Richard Looney.
Looney, president of the Foundation for Evangelism. Hunt’s
arrival at the foundation in 1988 came at a critical time, Looney said.
“He brought real strength and credibility in moving the foundation
forward. … He gave so much energy, and that helped to renew the
foundation’s vitality.” Hunt
gave his energy to numerous other organizations during his career,
including the General Council on Ministries and the governing board of
the National Council of Churches. He led the United Methodist
Bicentennial Planning Committee, the Board of Higher Education and
Ministry, and the Council of Bishops, and served as a trustee for 10
colleges and universities. The
bishop is survived by his wife, Mary Ann Kyker Hunt; and son, Dr. Earl
Stephen “Steve” Hunt, and daughter-in-law, Edeltraut Hunt, of Bethesda,
Md. Funeral
services will be March 30 at Long’s Chapel United Methodist Church in
Lake Junaluska. Principal speakers will be Bishop Ken Carder and James
C. Logan. Bishops Looney, Charlene P. Kammerer and J. Lawrence McCleskey
will also participate. Looney will lead a committal service later that
day in Johnson City. Memorial
gifts may be sent to the Foundation for Evangelism, P.O. Box 985, Lake
Junaluska, NC 28745; Given Estates Resident Supplementary Assistance
Fund, 2360 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville, NC 28803; or Emory & Henry
College, P.O. Box 947, Emory, VA 24327. *Hand
is director of communication for the United Methodist Church’s Western
North Carolina Annual Conference. Some information used in this obituary
was obtained from the Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times newspaper. News media contact: Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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