Dr. Lovell R Cary
Lovell R. Cary (1929 – February 27, 2012) was born in Logan, W. Virginia, and his early ministry was as an evangelist and pastor in West Virginia and Florida. He and his wife, Virginia, began their missionary service in 1954 in Hawaii, which was not yet a state. The Church of God appointed him as overseer of the Philippians in 1959, and superintendent of the Far East in 1967. In 1984 Cary was elevated to assistant general director of World Missions and four years later to general director of the department.
Tenure limitations led to a change in 1992, but Cary was returned to the office again in 2000, making him the first person to serve as general director on two different occasions. He served for a total of 16 years as assistant director or general director of the department.
Dr. Cary has given his life to the work of reaching the world, having served as a missionary in Asia/Pacific for over 32 years. As general director of World Missions for four separate terms (1988, 1990 and 2000, 2002), his combined years in World Missions culminated to more than 51 years of fulfilling the Great Commission. In recent years, he and his lovely wife, Ginny, evangelized in Asia, Africa, Mexico, Eastern and Western Europe, and anywhere else the call to share the Gospel might be propagated.
Lovell Cary remains true to his calling – a calling since 1944 that has produced many, many souls for the Kingdom of God. Let each one of us be true to the call to prayer for this beloved leader.
Tenure limitations led to a change in 1992, but Cary was returned to the office again in 2000, making him the first person to serve as general director on two different occasions. He served for a total of 16 years as assistant director or general director of the department.
Dr. Cary has given his life to the work of reaching the world, having served as a missionary in Asia/Pacific for over 32 years. As general director of World Missions for four separate terms (1988, 1990 and 2000, 2002), his combined years in World Missions culminated to more than 51 years of fulfilling the Great Commission. In recent years, he and his lovely wife, Ginny, evangelized in Asia, Africa, Mexico, Eastern and Western Europe, and anywhere else the call to share the Gospel might be propagated.
Lovell Cary remains true to his calling – a calling since 1944 that has produced many, many souls for the Kingdom of God. Let each one of us be true to the call to prayer for this beloved leader.
Lovell Cary, who was the first executive to be elected two times as head of Church of God World Missions, died February 27, 2012, at the age of 83. Cary, a native West Virginian and a career missionary, served twice as general director, separated by a period of years, 1988–1992, and 2000–2004. Counting his two terms as assistant director and two as director, he spent 16 years in the direction of missions. His long tenure on the field and as a missions executive earned him the appellation of “Mr. Missions” in many quarters of the Church.
Lovell and his wife, Ginny, first became missionaries in 1954, when they were appointed to Hawaii before it became a state. He became overseer of the Philippines in 1959 and served until 1967. That year he became superintendent (the office later renamed field director) of the Far East. He remained in that office until 1984, when he was elected assistant general director.
Cary was the innovative leader who changed the manner of funding missionaries’ budgets. Until the time of his leadership, missionary salaries came from the World Missions general fund. Cary, who had traveled extensively and was intimately familiar with the financial systems of other denominational and independent missions agencies, recognized the advantages of having individual missionaries raise their own funds. This methodology created a bond that had not existed before between missionaries and their sponsoring individuals and churches. It ensured that more than finances―prayer and other support―would accrue to those serving in other countries.
It is a plan that has worked well. At the time of its inception in 1988, only 70 missionaries were under appointment; within a few years, that number had grown to 300. Most missionaries welcomed the opportunity to become personally acquainted with those who were financing their ministries.
Expansion was encouraged by Cary and his team. During his two tenures as general director, the Church entered 25 new fields. These include Curacao, Poland and Singapore (1989), Czech Republic, Luxembourg and Malaysia (1991), China, Ivory Coast, Russia, Togo, Ukraine, and United Arab Republics (1992), Byelorussia (now Belarus), Gambia, Sao Tome, Senegal, and Sierra Leone (2000), Zanzibar (2001), Guinea and New Guinea (2002), Bangladesh (2003), and Nagorno-Karabakh (2004), Slovakia and Slovenia (2004).
Cary is survived by his wife Virginia (Ginny), who shared his missions career, their two daughters, Sharon and Susie, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Although he passed from this life on February 27, 2012, Lovell Cary will live on through the legacy of his missions leadership, the people won to Christ through his ministry, and his influence upon the thousands of people with whom he has worked.
Lovell and his wife, Ginny, first became missionaries in 1954, when they were appointed to Hawaii before it became a state. He became overseer of the Philippines in 1959 and served until 1967. That year he became superintendent (the office later renamed field director) of the Far East. He remained in that office until 1984, when he was elected assistant general director.
Cary was the innovative leader who changed the manner of funding missionaries’ budgets. Until the time of his leadership, missionary salaries came from the World Missions general fund. Cary, who had traveled extensively and was intimately familiar with the financial systems of other denominational and independent missions agencies, recognized the advantages of having individual missionaries raise their own funds. This methodology created a bond that had not existed before between missionaries and their sponsoring individuals and churches. It ensured that more than finances―prayer and other support―would accrue to those serving in other countries.
It is a plan that has worked well. At the time of its inception in 1988, only 70 missionaries were under appointment; within a few years, that number had grown to 300. Most missionaries welcomed the opportunity to become personally acquainted with those who were financing their ministries.
Expansion was encouraged by Cary and his team. During his two tenures as general director, the Church entered 25 new fields. These include Curacao, Poland and Singapore (1989), Czech Republic, Luxembourg and Malaysia (1991), China, Ivory Coast, Russia, Togo, Ukraine, and United Arab Republics (1992), Byelorussia (now Belarus), Gambia, Sao Tome, Senegal, and Sierra Leone (2000), Zanzibar (2001), Guinea and New Guinea (2002), Bangladesh (2003), and Nagorno-Karabakh (2004), Slovakia and Slovenia (2004).
Cary is survived by his wife Virginia (Ginny), who shared his missions career, their two daughters, Sharon and Susie, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Although he passed from this life on February 27, 2012, Lovell Cary will live on through the legacy of his missions leadership, the people won to Christ through his ministry, and his influence upon the thousands of people with whom he has worked.
Cary Receives Spirit of Azusa Award
Dr. Lovell R. Cary received the Spirit of Azusa Award on Oct. 12, 2010 as part of the fifth annual Azusa Lecture at North Cleveland Church of God. Dr. David Roebuck, director of the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center at Lee University, and Reverend Billy Wilson, director of the International Center for Spiritual Renewal, made the award presentation. According to Roebuck, the Spirit of Azusa Award is given each year to honor a person who represents the ongoing revival that began in Los Angeles in 1906. A reception in Cary’s honor followed the award presentation.
In making the presentation Roebuck noted, “Although there are many missionaries worthy of honor, we have chosen Dr. Cary for his missionary zeal, dedication, and sacrificial obedience to Jesus’ Great Commission to ‘go into all the world.’”
Cary’s early ministry was as an evangelist and pastor in West Virginia and Florida. He and his wife, Virginia, began their missionary service in 1954 in Hawaii. The Church of God appointed him as overseer of the Philippians in 1959, and superintendent of the Far East in 1967. In 1984 Cary was elevated to assistant general director of World Missions and four years later to general director of the department.
Tenure limitations led to a change in 1992, but Cary returned to the office again in 2000, making him the first person to serve as general director on two different occasions. He served for a total of 16 years as assistant director or general director of the department. Although tenure limitations forced another change in 2004, Cary and his wife continued to travel widely as missionary evangelists. A biography entitled Nothing to Win but the World will be released later this month.
Former Lee professor Dr. Bill George writes in his book, Until All Have Heard: The Centennial History of Church of God World Missions, that Cary’s “long tenure on the field and as a missions executive earned him the appellation of ‘Mr. Missions’ in many quarters of the Church.” George stated that Cary brought innovation to the World Missions department that greatly expanded the number of missionaries.
The Azusa Lecture and Spirit of Azusa Award were in established in 2006 on the occasion of the centennial of the Los Angeles revival. The Church of God World Missions Department supported this year’s event, which celebrated the centennial of the denomination’s world missions ministry. Dr. Douglas LeRoy, the current general director of the Church of God World Missions Department, presented the annual Azusa Lecture.
Photo: Dr. David Roebuck (left) and the Reverend Billy Wilson (right) presented the Spirit of Azusa Award to Dr. Lovell R. Cary at the fifth annual Azusa Lecture.
In making the presentation Roebuck noted, “Although there are many missionaries worthy of honor, we have chosen Dr. Cary for his missionary zeal, dedication, and sacrificial obedience to Jesus’ Great Commission to ‘go into all the world.’”
Cary’s early ministry was as an evangelist and pastor in West Virginia and Florida. He and his wife, Virginia, began their missionary service in 1954 in Hawaii. The Church of God appointed him as overseer of the Philippians in 1959, and superintendent of the Far East in 1967. In 1984 Cary was elevated to assistant general director of World Missions and four years later to general director of the department.
Tenure limitations led to a change in 1992, but Cary returned to the office again in 2000, making him the first person to serve as general director on two different occasions. He served for a total of 16 years as assistant director or general director of the department. Although tenure limitations forced another change in 2004, Cary and his wife continued to travel widely as missionary evangelists. A biography entitled Nothing to Win but the World will be released later this month.
Former Lee professor Dr. Bill George writes in his book, Until All Have Heard: The Centennial History of Church of God World Missions, that Cary’s “long tenure on the field and as a missions executive earned him the appellation of ‘Mr. Missions’ in many quarters of the Church.” George stated that Cary brought innovation to the World Missions department that greatly expanded the number of missionaries.
The Azusa Lecture and Spirit of Azusa Award were in established in 2006 on the occasion of the centennial of the Los Angeles revival. The Church of God World Missions Department supported this year’s event, which celebrated the centennial of the denomination’s world missions ministry. Dr. Douglas LeRoy, the current general director of the Church of God World Missions Department, presented the annual Azusa Lecture.
Photo: Dr. David Roebuck (left) and the Reverend Billy Wilson (right) presented the Spirit of Azusa Award to Dr. Lovell R. Cary at the fifth annual Azusa Lecture.
Lovell R Carey - October 10, 2020
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