Marj Carpenter (August 23, 1926 – June 13, 2020) was an American reporter and mission interpreter for the Worldwide Ministries division of the
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PC(USA), is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the US, and known for its liberal stance on doctrine and its ordaining of women and ...
. She was elected to the church's top post,
Moderator of the General Assembly
The moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator. The Oxford Dictionary states th ...
, in 1995.
Carpenter was a native Texan. She won numerous journalism awards over her 50 years career as a reporter. She began as a cub reporter for ''The Enterprise'' in Mercedes, Texas. She was a reporter for the ''
Big Spring Herald
The ''Big Spring Herald'' is a newspaper based in Big Spring, Texas, covering the Howard County area of West Texas. It published on weekday afternoons and Sunday mornings. It is owned by Horizon Publications Inc.
The ''Herald'' was founded as a ...
'' from 1970 to 1978. During her career in the church she traveled to over 120 countries where Presbyterians have mission work.
Carpenter served as director of the Presbyterian News Service for 15 years until her retirement in 1994 and then was elected as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) for a one-year term in July 1995. As Moderator, Carpenter served in the church's highest elected position and acted as the ambassador for the Presbyterian Church (USA).
For many years she maintained a rigorous public speaking schedule, lifting up Presbyterian mission in thousands of congregations, hundreds of presbyteries and other church gatherings. She served on several Presbyterian seminary boards and committees. She held honorary degrees from
Austin College
Austin College is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Sherman, Texas.Sherman, Texas;
Presbyterian College
Presbyterian College (PC) is a private Presbyterian liberal arts college in Clinton, South Carolina.
History
Presbyterian College was founded in 1880 by the William Plumer Jacobs. He had served as the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Cl ...
Seoul Women's University
Seoul Women's University (SWU) is a private university in Nowon District, Seoul, South Korea. The university comprises five colleges and is a doctorate degree-granting institution.
History
The school was founded in December 1960 by the Presbyt ...
in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
.
Carpenter published two books on mission: ''To the Ends of the Earth'' and ''And a Little Bit Farther''; and two books of stories about her experiences as a west Texas newspaper reporter: ''Ridin' Fence Volume 1'' and ''Ridin' Fence Volume 2''.
Carpenter died on June 13, 2020 in
Big Spring, Texas
Big Spring is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Texas, United States, at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 87 and Interstate 20. With a population of 27,282 as of the 2010 census, it is the largest city between Midland to the west, A ...