The Life and Legacy of Carlton R. Arthurs

Carlton R. Arthurs was born on August 8, 1932. He remembers that there was a lot of excitement among the adults when after much struggle, he found his twin brother, Cliff (Clifton), born one hour earlier, in the crib they shared. His mother, Florence née Hemmans, verified that Carlton had always insisted on this memory from his infancy. Scientists disagree about whether the brain can remember events before 3.5 years of age, but it does reveal that there has always been something unusual about Carlton Arthurs. And that he had a photographic memory that would enable him to memorize poetry, entire Shakespearean plays, as well as entire books of the Bible almost effortlessly.

Carlton was a middle child. The fifth of seven children. He grew up on Victoria Street in Belize City, Belize, in a shot-gun house comprised of two tiny rooms. His family was poor, even for the standards of a developing country in the 1930s and 40s. They did not have indoor plumbing or refrigeration until the children reached young adulthood and could contribute financially. Carlton learned while he was still in the single digits to do odd jobs to support his family. The money he and his brothers earned determined whether the family would eat that day. This ability to hustle explained how he was able to preach three times on Sunday and twice during the week from Wheaton to Chicago and to Gary years later. But at the time, his poverty was a source of shame, which contributed to deep feelings of inferiority.

Carlton was also small for his age. He recalls that his twin brother was six feet tall at sixteen and had the bearing of a man while he looked like a prepubescent boy. Worse still, not only was he physically immature, but he was emotionally immature. He was always in trouble both at school and at home. It seemed to everyone, including himself, that he would never get his life together.

The bright spots for Carlton were the many moments of laughter with his siblings. Even as adults, when they got together, there was no end to jokes and stories. They loved being together, and they were fiercely loyal and protective of each other. Another bright spot was the church. The music, the liturgy, the cadence of the preaching, mesmerized him. And he decided at six years old that there could be no higher vocation in life than to "work for God." At six, he wrote that he wanted to be a minister and that "he would endeavor to be good and religious." He failed spectacularly. There was no evidence that this troubled boy would preach the gospel to the nations including India, Singapore, China, Japan, the Philippines, Australia, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Australia, the Dominican Republic, and throughout the Caribbean, or that he would travel to Israel twenty-six times and bring hundreds of pilgrims with him. But the seed had been planted.

Carlton eventually buckled down and became serious about his studies. He won a full scholarship to attend Wesley College. Upon graduation, he passed the London Cambridge Exam and took a government job as a civil servant. These were highly sought-after jobs and should have put him on an upward trajectory. But Carlton was about to lose it all. The boy who could not put his life together became a man whose life was spiraling out of control. At twenty-two, he was an alcoholic.  He was searching aimlessly for meaning in his life, but everything led to a dead end. However, God's hand was upon him. He would later say the Hound of Heaven had him in their sight and would not let him go.  When Carlton heard the message of salvation, it moved him. Yet, he lacked the strength of character to commit his life to Christ.

Not long after, on the way to a dance, almost inebriated, he heard the strains of a hymn from a small country church. Somehow, he found his way to the altar and pleaded with God to save him. Carlton tried to turn his life around, but with very little temptation, he was back to smoking and drinking, and he hated himself for it. On Thursday, October 15, 1953, he went home and pleaded with God to save him. He repeated, "God save me! God save me!" for what seemed like an eternity. And he saw what he would later describe as a vision of Christ, replying to him, "that's why I died so that anybody who wants to be saved can be saved." And then, like Paul on the road to Damascus, Carlton knew that he had met the One who his soul longed for.  He clenched his fist, and slowly stood, and declared. "This is It." And it was. As the scripture says, all things became new. Carlton became a minister of the gospel at that moment.

Everyone who knew him knew that Carlton was a changed man. He never again had the desire to smoke or drink alcohol. He honed his Spanish speaking skills and knocked on every door in that small town in Cayo, where he led many people to the Savior who transformed his life. Later, he would pastor a Spanish-speaking church, but his drive to be fluent in Spanish was so that he could effectively communicate the gospel. Carlton shocked (and dismayed) his family when he enrolled in Fitkin Memorial Bible College, but he was undeterred. There was no turning back. Eventually, he was able to attend Canadian Nazarene University in Canada, where he graduated at the top of his class.

Carlton returned to Belize to teach at the bible college, and it was during that time, God spoke to him about one of the young girls in the congregation. God made it clear to him that Sheila was to be his wife, and Carlton was in love just like that. After a whirlwind engagement of three months, Carlton and Sheila Gill were married. On March 7, 1964, at 6 am. Hundreds packed into the tiny church of the Nazarene to witness the up-and-coming minister and his bride join in holy matrimony, determined to create something new. They pledged to make Jesus the cornerstone of their lives and selflessly serve God's people. Three months after the wedding, with their honeymoon baby on the way, they packed their few belongings and moved to Wheaton so that Carlton could attend college. After their baby girl was born, they would have two more girls and one son.

It was not long before God opened the door for Carlton to Pastor Second Baptist Church in Wheaton. He poured his life into this congregation for nine transformative years, leading that congregation to build a new church that still meets. It was during those years that Carlton hungered for something more. He was given a cassette tape by the late Dr. Frederick KC Price that changed his life and ministry.

God called him to start Wheaton Christian Center in Wheaton in 1977, and a global ministry was launched. He taught people that God was not just interested in their spiritual well-being but their physical lives as well. He taught people to study God's word and apply it to their lives. He also modeled what it looked like to be a husband and father totally committed to establishing a Christ-centered home. He launched radio and television ministries and established thriving churches in Gary, Indiana, and Chicago, in addition to the main branch that is now in Carol Stream.

The breadth of his ministry and impact is unquantifiable. He had a heart for the nations, especially Israel and his home country of Belize. He trained and mentored countless Pastors all over the world, yet Carlton never got over the wonder that Jesus transformed his life when he was twenty-two.

As he got older, his passion to prepare people to meet the Savior only intensified. Carlton spent the last months of his life traveling, preaching, and pastoring God's people. His final missionary assignment was traveling to Washington DC to attend a prayer conference with his daughter and son-in-law to pray for our nation prophetically.

He stood before his congregation for the last time two days before he was admitted to the hospital. After he was admitted, he preached to his family. On October 23, 2021, after a brief illness, Carlton answered the summons to rest from his labors with alacrity. He is now reunited with his parents, Reginald and Florence, his sisters Geraldine, Ingrid, and Marjorie, and his brothers, Emmet, Holman (Muriel), his beloved twin brother Cliff (Joanne) and his son-in-love, Timothy Scott Krahenbuhl. Left to cherish his memory is his wife Sheila Ruth, his daughters Gail Krahenbuhl, Sharon (James) Ward, Faith (Lawrence) Nyong, his son, Paul (Fiona) Arthurs, and his adopted daughters Aisha McDonald (Jason) and Tamanika Arthurs-Saldivar (Martin), his grandchildren: Timothy, Arielle, Christian and Karsten Krahenbuhl, Hannah and Jonathan Ward, Lawrence, Lauren, and Victor Nyong, Lydia, Sophia, and Carton Arthurs; his adopted grandchildren Jinai, Jayden and Jamir McDonald and Milani, Malia, Logan, and Alex Saldivar, a host of nephews, nieces, relatives, and friends and finally the people he so lovingly served at Wheaton Christian Center Church.

We can almost hear Carlton saying, as he looks on the face of his Savior, eyes ablaze in wonder and amazement, "Isn't Jesus wonderful?"

Condolences may be sent to Pastor Sheila Arthurs, Wheaton Christian Center, 610 E. North Ave, Carol Stream, IL 60188.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Carlton's honor can be made to Pastor Carlton & Sheila Arthurs Belize Foundation, 610 E. North Ave., Carol Stream, IL 60188. Donations may be made online by clicking here: https://wheatonchristiancenter.churchcenter.com/giving/to/belize-foundation .

To view a livestream of the service please use this link: The Homegoing Celebration of Pastor Carlton R. Arthurs

Family and friends may sign a guest book at hultgrenfh.com. For more information, please contact Hultgren Funeral Home at 630-668-0027.