By Damion Mitchell, Staff ReporterIN 1946, at the age of seven, N. Carlton Mullings survived a two-year battle with malaria - a disease that killed more than 20 other children in his Mountainside community of St. Elizabeth.
Many persons, including his mother, Rosa Powell, and a local medical practitioner called Dr. Calder, marvelled at the endurance of the little boy who had to drink bitterwood tea as medicine for breakfast, lunch and dinner almost throughout his illness.
Now, the Rev. Carlton Mullings, 63, celebrates the victory of his battle with the disease and he said he survived because "the Lord was saving his son to accomplish a mission".
NUMEROUS SUCCESSES
Indeed, the reverend gentleman has attained numerous successes, including establishing four branches of the Church of Christ and most recently, receiving the 2003 Governor-General's Achievement Award for the parish of St. Ann.
"I am really humbled by this award," Rev. Mullings, who is now in charge of the Church of Christ, Ocho Rios branch, told The Gleaner. He said his early commitment to God assisted him in resisting strong temptations and provided the necessary faith to surmount economic difficulties and to become a useful citizen.
The first of four children for Ms. Powell, Rev. Mullings also credits some of his achievements to the discipline she instilled in her children. He said that up to age 16, when he first met his father, his mother played the paternal role in his life.
He attended the Morningside Primary School in St. Elizabeth and later Titchfield High School in Portland, where he met the late Rev. Canon R.O.C. King, who fuelled his desire to become a minister of religion. At Titchfield, he began to craft his path into the ministry as a member of the Youth for Christ movement, and subsequently the Church of Christ denomination.
His active involvement in the organisation earned him a scholarship from Church of Christ to the Alberta Bible College in Canada where he obtained the Bachelor of Theology degree with honours. He later obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours, from the Milligan College in Tennessee in the United States. In 1965, he was ordained a minister of religion and since then, Rev. Mullings has been going beyond the call of duty to serve his community.
PROVIDING SKILLS TRAINING
The immediate past chairman of the Churches of Christ Jamaica Incorporated, Rev. Mullings, who is also a teacher of English language and history at Prospect College, established the St. Ann's Bay Christian Vocational Training Centre in 1992. This institution has provided skills training in computer science, cosmetology, dressmaking and food and nutrition for more than 600 students since its inception.
"I believe in assisting with the development of people and that has been the driving force behind my involvement with community," he said.
Rev. Mullings, a Justice of the Peace since 1994, has been married to Pansia for 29 years and the union has produced three children.
Sponsors of the Governor-General's Achievement Award Scheme are Jamaica National Building Society, The Gleaner Company Ltd., First Caribbean International Bank, Victoria Mutual Building Society and Scotia Jamaica Building Society.
