Bishop Carl Julian Sanders

Bishop Carl Julian Sanders, a retired Bishop of the United Methodist Church, died March 7, 2007.He was 94.

Funeral Services will be Monday, March 12, at 2 p.m. in Trinity United Methodist Church, 903 Forest Ave. Richmond, Va. Officiating will be Bishop Paul A. Duffey assisted by Bishop B. Michael Watson. Bishop Charlene P. Kammerer, Bishop Joe E. Pennel, Jr., Bishop R. Kern Eutsler, and the Rev. Gene C. Tatum. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Richmond, VA..

A memorial service will be in Montgomery at the First United Methodist Church on Thursday, March 15, at 2 p.m. Officiating will be Bishop Paul Duffey assisted by Bishop B. Michael Watson, Bishop William H. Willimon, and Bishop Larry Goodpaster. The family will receive friends at the conclusion of the service.

In 1934, he joined the Upper South Carolina Conference and transferred to the Virginia Conference in 1935 and served as a pastor and District Superintendent until his election as a Bishop in 1972.

Dr. Sanders made history at the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference in 1972 by being the first person ever to be elected a Bishop on the first ballot. He was assigned to the Birmingham Area, consisting of the State of Alabama and the northwest panhandle of Florida, serving there until his retirement in 1980. He led the Alabama-West Florida Conference in financial campaigns for Huntingdon College and Ministerial Pensions and led the North Alabama Conference in financial campaigns for Birmingham-Southern College and Ministerial Pensions. Bishop Sanders was the co-founder of the Alabama-West Florida United Methodist Foundation in 1979 which has assets of over $40 million dollars today. While an active Bishop, he served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Can-away Methodist Medical Center, member of Board of Trustees of Athens College, Birmingham-Southern College and Huntingdon College. Also, he served as President of UMCOR, Vice-President of Board of Global Ministries, and as a member of the Board of Higher Education and the Board of Ordained Ministry and the Division of Chaplains. The Bishop traveled extensively around the world, visiting refugee camps and mission work in Africa, Asia, and Europe and was a frequent visitor to the Middle East and Far East; The Co-Founder of the Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies for Educational Opportunities, Inc. in Lakeland, Fla. and served 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 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 the hearers. He was awarded three Freedom Foundation Awards for his sermons: 1962 "One Nation Under God," 1977 "Independence and Beyond" and 1987 "In God We Trust - Do We or Don't We." In 1980, he was chosen to give the opening sermon for the General Conference of the United Methodist Church. In the same year, he was chosen to deliver the Consecration Sermon to the newly elected Bishops at the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference.

Bishop Sanders was a member of the Masonic Order since 1937. He received 33° Scottish Rite on December 12,1987 and in 1991 was conferred the Grand Cross of Scottish Rite. He served as Grand Chaplain of Supreme Council Scottish Rite-Southern Jurisdiction 1989-1999. An original oil portrait of Bishop Sanders hangs in the Hall of Honor of Scottish Rite House of the Temple in Washington, D. C. He has been listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the South and was elected a member of OMICRON DELTA KAPPA (ODK) May 18,1964.

At the time of his death, he was a Trustee Emeritus of Emory University, Member of the Board of Governors and Lecturer, Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies; Director and Lecturer, Our Church Heritage Program in England, Scotland, and Wales.

Bishop Sanders was preceded in death by his first wife, Eleanor Lupo Sanders.

Bishop Sanders is survived by his wife, Billie Jo P. Sanders of Birmingham, AL; two daughters and sons-in-law, Lundi S. and John Martin of Richmond, VA, Eleanor S. and Paul Kasler of Lancaster, OH; three granddaughters and their husbands, Karen K. and William Wheeler of Columbus, OH, Kristen K. and Nathan Peters of Lancaster, OH, and Kathleen K. and P. J. O'Keefe of Portland, OR.; two great granddaughters, Kamryn Elizabeth and Ella Nicole Peters of Lancaster, OH.; a great grandson, John Carl Wheeler of Columbus, OH; two step daughters: Elizabeth (Beth) Perry and Judith P. Shipp and her husband, A. R. Shipp, III; three step grandchildren, Allec R. Shipp, IV, Leigh Ellen Shipp, and Julie Christine Shipp all of Birmingham, AL; one brother, Charles M. Sanders of Rock Hill, SC.

E. Alvin Small Funeral Home and Crematory in Colonial Heights, Va., (804) 526-3400, is in charge of arrangements. Sign the guest book at www.dothaneagle.com.