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Fuller Alumnus Alvin Martin Dies on April 9

Fuller alumnus Alvin Martin (D.Miss, 1974), who was instrumental in starting the school's In-Service Program (now the Individual Distance Learning Program), died on April 9, at the age of 83.

Martin was born on October 25, 1919, on a farm near Magnolia, Minnesota, to Oscar and Hannah (Thu) Martin. His mother wanted to be a missionary to India, but being unable to fulfill this deep desire, she prayed for her four children, dedicating each of them to the Lord for his service.

Alvin graduated from Luverne High School in Luverne, Minnesota, in 1937. He worked at J.C. Penney's for two years, until he experienced the unmistakable call of God in his life, at which time he surrendered the direction of his future to the Lord's will.

Alvin said, "I was busy building my own air castle, and I was enjoying the freedom of 'driving the car,' but God told me to surrender the steering wheel and let him take charge."

Alvin enrolled at St. Paul Bible College, and during his first year of studies, he met Ruth Mildred Pierce of Lincoln, Nebraska. Alvin and Ruth both graduated from St. Paul Bible College in 1942, and they were married on August 12, 1942. From 1942 to 1944, they pastored the United Brethren Church in Grey Eagle, Minnesota. God then led the young couple to Nyack, N.Y., where they studied at the Missionary Training Institute. Ruth earned her Bachelor of Religious Education degree in 1946, and Alvin earned his Bachelor of Theology degree in 1947.

Alvin and Ruth accepted a call through the Christian & Missionary Alliance (C&MA) to serve as missionaries in Palestine. They arrived in Jerusalem with their infant son Dan on November 17, 1947, just 12 days before the U.N. vote to partition Palestine was announced. Their first term of nearly seven years was packed with many historical events as the state of Israel came into being and struggled to survive.

Three children, Keith, Shirley, and Nathan, were born to Alvin and Ruth in Israel. They returned to the United States in 1954, and they continued their studies at Winona Lake School of Theology in Winona, Indiana. From there the Martin family moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, where Alvin served first as an instructor and dean and later as president of Canadian Bible College. During that time, he was also the founding pastor of Fourth Avenue Alliance Church in Regina. Alvin and Ruth's fifth child, Darrell, was born to them while they lived in Regina.

From 1970 to 1972, Alvin served as founding president of Canadian Theological College (now Canadian Theological Seminary) in Regina. In 1972, Alvin, Ruth, and Darrell moved to Pasadena, Calif., where Alvin enrolled in the Doctor of Missiology program at Fuller Theological Seminary. After graduation in 1974, Alvin became the founding director of Fuller's new In-Service Program (now the Individual Distance Learning Program). He also pastored the C&MA Church in Pasadena from 1982 until he retired in 1984.

After retirement, the Martins received God's call to return to the Holy Land. They completed, through the C&MA, a three-year term in Jerusalem, during which time Alvin served as General Secretary of the United Christian Council in Israel, and Ruth served as the hostess of the lovely Alliance Guest Home. The couple returned to Pasadena in 1990, and were again involved in the Pasadena Alliance Church. During this time, Alvin required quadruple bypass heart surgery. After a quick recovery, he and Ruth engaged in speaking tours focused on biblical prophecy throughout the U.S.

In 1995, Alvin and Ruth moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., to be near their son Nathan. Alvin was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1995. In Colorado Springs, the couple were involved in the North Springs Alliance Church and worked as volunteers in the archives department of the C&MA national office. In 2000, Nathan and his wife, Diane, relocated to begin their seminary studies, so Alvin and Ruth moved to Topeka, Kansas, to be near their daughter and son-in-law, Dr. Steven and Shirley Gader, and where they were involved in Topeka Bible Church. In 2002, after Steve and Shirley moved to Canada, Alvin and Ruth also moved, to Wayzata, Minnesota, to be near their son Dan and his wife, Leigh Ann. They lived in a retirement center in Wayzata when Alvin died on April 9, 2003.

Alvin was preceded in death by two brothers, Ruben and Marvin. He is survived by his wife, Ruth, his younger brother, Walter (Verdella) Martin, of New Brighton, Minnesota, and five children: Dan and Leigh Ann (Spaulding) of Maple Plain, Minnesota; Keith and Jenny (Milone) of Toronto, Ontario; Shirley & Steve Gader of Swift Current, Saskatchewan; Nathan and Diane (Anderson) of Denver, Colorado; and Darrell and Darlene Collison of Toronto, Ontario. They also have 15 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Memorial gifts in Dr. Martin's honor may be made payable to the Christian & Missionary Alliance to be used toward its archives department and the denomination's mission in Israel (C&MA, P.O. Box 35000, Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500).