Charles Meade
Encyclopedia
Charles Meade was the leader of an end-of-times
Christian
church based in Lake City, Florida
.
Meade was born to a farming family in Oil Springs
, Kentucky
(west of Paintsville
), the ninth child of his mother. According to church literature he was the twelfth of fifteen children.
As a young man, Meade served in the United States
armed forces on the front lines in World War II
, and earned eight Bronze Stars. According to church literature he was seriously injured more than once, but there is no indication of this in his service record. In 1948, Meade was charged with stabbing a man in Indiana, but he received a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to assault with intent to commit murder.
During the early 1970s Meade began to carry the gospel of Jesus Christ to various groups of young people in their late teens and early twenties. They met in living rooms, garages and various meeting places throughout the United States.
He founded End Time Ministries (now Meade Ministries
, Inc.) In 1984, he relocated his ministry from South Dakota and Indiana to Lake City, Florida
. According to the church, God told Charles Meade that Lake City, Florida, would be the only place that believers could survive Armageddon
.
Meade was married twice, first to Marie Meade who died of breast cancer on 24 October 1985, and then in November 1985 to Marlene Helen Malthesen.
Apocalypticism
Apocalypticism is the religious belief that there will be an apocalypse, a term which originally referred to a revelation of God's will, but now usually refers to belief that the world will come to an end time very soon, even within one's own lifetime...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
church based in Lake City, Florida
Lake City, Florida
Lake City is the county seat of Columbia County, Florida, in the United States. In 2009, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 12,614. In addition, it is the Principal City of the Lake City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is composed of Columbia County, and had an...
.
Meade was born to a farming family in Oil Springs
Oil Springs, Kentucky
Oil Springs is an unincorporated community in Johnson County, Kentucky, United States. It lies along Route 40 west of the city of Paintsville, the county seat of Johnson County. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 41238.Oil Springs was named for the first...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
(west of Paintsville
Paintsville, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 4,132 people, 1,681 households, and 1,079 families residing in the city. The population density was 786.1 people per square mile . There were 1,901 housing units at an average density of 361.7 per square mile...
), the ninth child of his mother. According to church literature he was the twelfth of fifteen children.
As a young man, Meade served in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
armed forces on the front lines in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and earned eight Bronze Stars. According to church literature he was seriously injured more than once, but there is no indication of this in his service record. In 1948, Meade was charged with stabbing a man in Indiana, but he received a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to assault with intent to commit murder.
During the early 1970s Meade began to carry the gospel of Jesus Christ to various groups of young people in their late teens and early twenties. They met in living rooms, garages and various meeting places throughout the United States.
He founded End Time Ministries (now Meade Ministries
Meade Ministries
Meade Ministries is a cult church group located in Columbia County, Florida just south of Lake City, Florida. Their founder was Charles Meade , who relocated his ministry from South Dakota and Indiana to Lake City, Florida in 1984.Meade Ministries' current worship center was built in the mid-1990s...
, Inc.) In 1984, he relocated his ministry from South Dakota and Indiana to Lake City, Florida
Lake City, Florida
Lake City is the county seat of Columbia County, Florida, in the United States. In 2009, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 12,614. In addition, it is the Principal City of the Lake City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is composed of Columbia County, and had an...
. According to the church, God told Charles Meade that Lake City, Florida, would be the only place that believers could survive Armageddon
Armageddon
Armageddon is, according to the Bible, the site of a battle during the end times, variously interpreted as either a literal or symbolic location...
.
Meade was married twice, first to Marie Meade who died of breast cancer on 24 October 1985, and then in November 1985 to Marlene Helen Malthesen.