The news of the death of Charles Hunter, a renowned healing evangelist, was reported to Hugh's News on Wednesday of this week. He died peacefully at his Houston-area home on Monday evening, June 21, 2010. He was 89 years old.
According to his adopted daughter, Joan Hunter Murrell, she said her father had essentially been bed-ridden for several months and suffered from a weakened heart. As of this writing, Hugh's News has not been given any funeral arrangements.
Charles Hunter was born July 23, 1920, and grew up in Abilene, Texas, where his parents operated a peach orchard. He accepted Christ as a teenager and eventually became an accountant. After a stint in the Air Force during World War II, he opened an accounting firm in Houston.
Widowed in May 1969 after 27 years of marriage, Charles married an itinerant evangelist named Frances Gardner on January 1, 1970, and the two began to travel in ministry together.
Charles Hunter and his wife, Frances, ministered together for 40 years. They believed that God had called them to a healing ministry. However, it was not until after they were baptized with the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues, did they began to see a dramatic increase in healing miracles. They were known as "the Happy Hunters." The dearly loved each other, and loved people. It was evident in their ministry of compassion for those who are lost and who needed divine healing.
Charles Hunter is survived by Frances' two children, Thomas Steder and Joan Hunter Murrell; nine grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.
[Editor's Note: Melvine and I were privileged to meet the Hunters in Anaheim, CA, at the 25th Anniversary of the Full Gospel Business Men's Convention. Afterwards, the Hunters came to Birmingham, AL, while I was the pastor of Good Shepherd Pentecostal Holiness Church, for a meeting. It was either at the Birmingham Municipal Auditorium or the Civic Center. At any rate, Melvine and I went to see and hear them. I remember them praying for large groups of people. They were dynamic and the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit was upon them for their ministry.
I am grateful that God has allowed Melvine as Classical Pentecostals to be a part of the Charismatic Movement. How refreshing and exciting were those years. We saw an increase in our church attendance, and people from many denominations starting attending our church, and some eventually untied with us in church membership.
I had a daily 5-minute radio broadcast over WNJC, 100,000 watts, FM station at prime drive time at 5:55 p. m., Monday through Friday, called "Today with God." I wrote a script of every sermon I preached for several years. God gave me the best in recording equipment using in those days a reel-to-reel recording machine, with a professional microphone and earphones for recording. I did the broadcasts in my home studio a week or two in advance. I sent them to Houston, TX, where Shotgun Cook or Dwight Cook, the number one disc jockey in Houston at one time, and owner of Cook Productions, Inc. edited the tapes, added our music introduction that began each broadcast, "Nothing is Impossible," and ended with the song, "Rise and Be Healed in the Name of Jesus." Dwight was my announcer, and with his great voice caught the attention of the listeners to the broadcast that was different from any of the other announcers. Dwight's office staff sent the edited tapes to the radio station for broadcasting. Mr. Ed Mixon, a friend since I was seventeen years old, a retired accountant for the Southern Railroad, and a CPA with his own firm in Houston gave me the recoding equipment, which I still own. God has indeed shown me favor all of my life.
To God be the glory for the exciting ministry He gave Melvine and me in Birmingham, Alabama.]
Posted on
Thu, June 24, 2010
by Hugh Morgan