Charles Peyton Love — a longtime Southern Baptist missionary to Guyana, St. Lucia and China — died Feb. 1. He was 96.
A native of Marion, Kentucky, Love moved to Colorado at age 9. After high school, he served for six years as an administrative specialist for the U.S. Air Force, serving three of those years in Japan.
Love met his wife, Mary Elizabeth, while serving at the Air Force base in Amarillo, Texas. The two married in 1954 at Fairview Baptist Church in Amarillo.
While he was a student at Hardin-Simmons University, Love served as associate pastor and music director at North Park Baptist Church in Abilene, Texas. He graduated from HSU with a bachelor’s degree in Bible and then earned a bachelor of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
Love served as pastor of Bethel Heights Baptist Church in Gatesville, Texas, while in seminary, then served as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Beatrice, Nebraska.
Overseas service
In August 1964, the Loves were appointed as Southern Baptist missionaries to Guyana and moved there with their family. During their 28 years there, Love taught at Guyana Baptist Theological Training Center and helped train up local pastors. He also served as pastor of several churches there and planted churches all over the country. He coordinated and hosted many volunteer missions teams and helped build Guyana Baptist Camp.
After their retirement, the Loves returned to Abilene, but soon afterward they felt God calling them back overseas. They served in St. Lucia for 18 months, then moved to China for three years to teach English as a Second Language at a university. During that time, they built relationships with students and led many to faith in Christ.
After returning from China, Love became active at First Baptist Church Abilene, volunteering with the homeless ministry.
Love is preceded in death by his wife and his granddaughter, Michelle.
He is survived by his daughters, Debi, Kathy and Donna; his sons, David and John; 13 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren with one on the way.
