Jo Carr
Encyclopedia
Bettye Jo Crisler Carr was a preacher
, a teacher
, an author
, a missionary
, a mother
of five, and a leader of the Girl Scouts of America. She was an English
professor
at Texas Tech University
in Lubbock
when she proclaimed her call to pastoral ministry, and became the first woman appointed superintendent in the Northwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. She served from 1989 to 1993 as superintendent of the Pampa
district and in the administrative role of dean of the bishop's cabinet.
Carr was born in Greenville
, the seat of Washington County
in the delta
section of western Mississippi
, the only child of Joseph Neal Crisler and the former Bessie Esther Gilley. She graduated from Texas Tech and worked as a professional Girl Scout in the Texas Panhandle
. She then spent five years with the Methodist Mission service in Zimbabwe
(then Southern Rhodesia
), where two of her children, Michael and Glenna, were born.
A single parent, she supported her children with free lance writing. She wrote curricular materials for the Methodist Church Publishing House in Nashville, Tennessee
and several devotional
books with Imogene Sorley and advent calendar
s with Sorley and Donna Cash. The first of those books is entitled Bless This Mess and Other Prayers. Another is The Intentional Family.
Carr left Texas Tech and went on to pastor churches in the South Plains
at Cooper
, Levelland
, and Crosbyton
. She said that she considered herself a "pastor, not a woman pastor. . . . I think women are called in the same sense that men are called to be pastors. I think God regards us as people."
Another Methodist woman pastor, the Reverend Elizabeth Creson "Liz" Sisco, who retired in 2002 after eight years as pastor of Christ United Methodist Church in Levelland, recalled how a female member disapproved of Carr taking over the pastorate. "Eventually, she came to love Jo, and that church now has its fourth woman pastor," according to Sisco.
Carr died at home. She was cremated. Memorial services were held at St. John's United Methodist Church in Lubbock. Survivors included her children, Catherine Ann "Cathy" Carr, Michael Joseph Carr (born ca. 1967), Glenna Faye Dunnington, and Douglas Galen Carr (born ca. 1962), all of Lubbock, and Rebecca Jo Barnebey of Dallas
(born ca. 1959), and six grandchildren.
Carr died ten days after the passing of another Texas Christian writer, Sybil Leonard Armes
, who was affiliated with the Baptist
Church.
Preacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
, a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, an author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
, a mother
Mother
A mother, mum, mom, momma, or mama is a woman who has raised a child, given birth to a child, and/or supplied the ovum that grew into a child. Because of the complexity and differences of a mother's social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to specify a universally...
of five, and a leader of the Girl Scouts of America. She was an English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
in Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
when she proclaimed her call to pastoral ministry, and became the first woman appointed superintendent in the Northwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. She served from 1989 to 1993 as superintendent of the Pampa
Pampa, Texas
Pampa is a city in Gray County, Texas, United States. The population was 17,887 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Gray County.Pampa is the principal city of the Pampa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Gray and Roberts counties....
district and in the administrative role of dean of the bishop's cabinet.
Carr was born in Greenville
Greenville, Mississippi
Greenville is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 48,633 at the 2000 census, but according to the 2009 census bureau estimates, it has since declined to 42,764, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. It is the county seat of Washington...
, the seat of Washington County
Washington County, Mississippi
-National protected areas:*Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge*Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge *Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
in the delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
section of western Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, the only child of Joseph Neal Crisler and the former Bessie Esther Gilley. She graduated from Texas Tech and worked as a professional Girl Scout in the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
. She then spent five years with the Methodist Mission service in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
(then Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...
), where two of her children, Michael and Glenna, were born.
A single parent, she supported her children with free lance writing. She wrote curricular materials for the Methodist Church Publishing House in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and several devotional
Devotional literature
Devotional literature is religious writing that is neither doctrinal nor theological, but designed for individuals to read for their personal edification and spiritual formation....
books with Imogene Sorley and advent calendar
Calendar
A calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is known as a date. Periods in a calendar are usually, though not...
s with Sorley and Donna Cash. The first of those books is entitled Bless This Mess and Other Prayers. Another is The Intentional Family.
Carr left Texas Tech and went on to pastor churches in the South Plains
South Plains
South Plains is a vernacular term that refers to a region in West Texas consisting of the portion of the Llano Estacado extending south of the Texas Panhandle, centered at Lubbock. While prominent in the area of petroleum production, the South Plains is mainly an agricultural region, producing a...
at Cooper
Cooper, Texas
Cooper is a city in Delta County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,150 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Delta County. Cooper proclaims itself to be the "Vetch Capital of the World".-Geography:...
, Levelland
Levelland, Texas
Levelland is a city in Hockley County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 13,542. It is the county seat of Hockley County. It is located on the Llano Estacado, west of Lubbock. Major industries include cotton farming and petroleum production...
, and Crosbyton
Crosbyton, Texas
Crosbyton is a city in and the county seat of Crosby County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,874 at the 2000 census. Crosbyton is part of the Lubbock Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. She said that she considered herself a "pastor, not a woman pastor. . . . I think women are called in the same sense that men are called to be pastors. I think God regards us as people."
Another Methodist woman pastor, the Reverend Elizabeth Creson "Liz" Sisco, who retired in 2002 after eight years as pastor of Christ United Methodist Church in Levelland, recalled how a female member disapproved of Carr taking over the pastorate. "Eventually, she came to love Jo, and that church now has its fourth woman pastor," according to Sisco.
Carr died at home. She was cremated. Memorial services were held at St. John's United Methodist Church in Lubbock. Survivors included her children, Catherine Ann "Cathy" Carr, Michael Joseph Carr (born ca. 1967), Glenna Faye Dunnington, and Douglas Galen Carr (born ca. 1962), all of Lubbock, and Rebecca Jo Barnebey of Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
(born ca. 1959), and six grandchildren.
Carr died ten days after the passing of another Texas Christian writer, Sybil Leonard Armes
Sybil Leonard Armes
Sybil Leonard Armes was a prominent Baptist author and musician, who served as alternate poet laureate for the U.S. state of Texas in 1969...
, who was affiliated with the Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church.