Rev. Dr. Leon Carl Rector, Jr.
Rev. Dr. Leon Carl Rector, Jr., was a native of Duncan, South Carolina in Spartanburg County. He was married to Mrs. Dora Smith Rector. He and the late Mrs. Lois G. Rector had five children: one daughter (Kathy), four sons (Lonnie, Myron, Allen and Dennis) and one adopted granddaughter, Shannon. He has 12 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
He was the son of the late Leon C. Rector, Sr. and Myrtle Rector. He was born January 16, 1936. Rev. Dr. Rector departed this world into the hands of our Lord on Saturday, March 23, 2019.
Pastor Rector received his Associate of Arts degree from Fruitland Bible College in Hendersonville, North Carolina; Bachelor of Arts degree in Pastoral Ministry from Mid-Atlantic Baptist College and Seminary in Rock Hill, South Carolina; and his Masters in Pastoral Ministry from Andersonville Bible Seminary in Camilla, Georgia. Also, an Honorary Doctorate degree was bestowed to Pastor Rector from St. Johns Theological Seminary in Los Angeles, California.
He served as pastor for four churches in the last 56 years, but served as pastor of the Harrison Grove Baptist for 42 years. He was a busy leader in the community where he received numerous recognitions and was involved in many varied organizations which included being a life member of the NAACP, a faculty member with the South Carolina Congress of Christian Education, Moderator of the Tyger River Baptist Association, Seminar Leader in the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education and served on the Board of Directors of the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc.
Rev. Dr. Rector believed in education and advocated support for Morris and Benedict Colleges as well as other educational establishments. He was a member of the Board of Trustees at Morris College, Sumter, South Carolina. Recognizing the need for ministers and laypersons to be trained and taught, he took the necessary steps to begin an extension program at Harrison Grove Baptist Church. For over ten years, the Martin-Webb Learning Center of the American Baptist College and Seminary (now known as the N.J. Brockman School of Religion) has been preparing preachers and laity to rightly divide the word of God and become better leaders in their respective ministries.
Rev. Dr. Rector was also an author. He wrote a book titled “Ordered Steps”. This book has touched the lives of many people by encouraging them to rise above their circumstances.
He accomplished many goals at Harrison Grove with the cooperation of a praying congregation. One of Rev. Dr. Rector’s greatest concerns was outreach and winning souls. He stressed that every member of the church should know how to lead a soul to the Lord.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, March 27, 6-8 p.m. at Sullivan Bros. Mortuary in Greer.
A funeral will be held on Thursday, March 28, 1 p.m., at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Spartanburg. Burial will follow at Harrison Grove Baptist Church in Roebuck.
