Dr. Rev. Richard Paul Belcher, Sr.

Dr. Rev. Richard Paul Belcher, 85, of Fort Mill, SC went to be with the Lord on January 3, 2020. Born October 12, 1934 in St. Joseph, Missouri, he was the son of Delbert and Virgie Belcher.

He is survived by a son, Dr. Rev. Richard Paul Belcher, Jr. (Lu) of Fort Mill, South Carolina and daughter, Ann Jeanette Gottman (Tom) of Springfield, Missouri; a brother Delbert Belcher of Scotts, Michigan, a sister Joan Teachout of Trenton, Michigan; five grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his mother and father, and his wife Mary Anne Belcher.

Richard played sports in high school, including basketball, football, and track, even going to state in pole vaulting. God used a broken collar bone to direct his life toward ministry. He attended Hannibal-Lagrange college for two years and graduated from Wheaton College. He became an evangelist before he pastored Washington Park Baptist Church in Washington Park, Illinois from 1961 to 1976. While pastoring he pursued an M.Div. from Covenant Theological Seminary and a Th.D. from Concordia Theological Seminary, both schools in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1976 he took a teaching job at Columbia Bible College (now Columbia International University) in Columbia, South Carolina. He taught for nearly thirty years and was well-known for his commitment to the doctrines of grace. He authored many books, including his best-known Journey in Grace. He was always having lunch with students, many of whom went on to pastor churches. He had a heart for missions and went on numerous mission trips to India, Africa, and other parts of the world. He preached and taught in churches all over the United States of America. He became pastor of Covenant Baptist Church, Columbia, South Carolina in the years before his retirement from teaching in 2005. The last years of his life he lived in Fort Mill, South Carolina and was a member of Flint Hill Baptist Church in Fort Mill.

Funeral service will be conducted at 11 AM on Tuesday, January 7, 2020 at Palmetto Funeral Home in Fort Mill, South Carolina with Dr. Rev. Richard Belcher, Jr. officiating. The burial will be conducted at 3 PM at Bush River Memorial Gardens in Columbia, South Carolina. The family will receive friends prior to the service on Tuesday, from 10 AM until 11 AM at the funeral home.

A special thank you to the Sunshine Girls from Flint Hill Baptist Church for their love and kindness in providing a special lunch.

Online condolences may be directed to: www.palmettofh.com.

Palmetto Funeral Home and Cremation Service of Fort Mill, SC (803.802.7788) is assisting the family.

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