Lloyd G. James, 95, minister

Lloyd G. James, 95, of Lower Providence Township, an American Baptist Churches minister and missionary, died at his home on Saturday, Aug. 9, of complications from a stroke.

Mr. James retired in 1987 as a recording secretary, budget director, and property manager for American Baptist International Ministries, a religious organization based in Valley Forge.

He went to Burma as a missionary, and became treasurer for the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society in Burma/Myanmar from 1950 to 1964.

He also was a founder and trustee of Cetana, a Burmese scholarship foundation.

During his retirement, he and his wife, Eileen E. Reeves James, volunteered as missionaries in Hong Kong and as in-residence missionaries at Central Baptist Seminary in Kansas City.

He was a model of living one's faith, said his son, David L. James. "You could watch [him] and learn."

Mr. James was born in Iola, Kan., and served in the Army during World War II. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in business administration from Ottawa University, Kansas, and a master of theology degree from Central Baptist Seminary.

In 1948, he was ordained a minister of the American Baptist Churches, USA, at the Reading Baptist Church in Kansas.

American Baptist Churches, USA, is a Christian denomination with 5,200 congregations in the United States and Puerto Rico. The denomination emphasizes evangelism and missionary work. It also is known for creating medical and educational institutions.

The James family lived in Burma before moving to Lower Providence, where Mr. James was a member of Lower Providence Baptist Church. He acted as deacon and moderator, sang in the choir, and taught Sunday School.

He volunteered with Montgomery Home Care and Hospice, the NMI Hospitality Center soup kitchen in St. John's Episcopal Church in Norristown, and with Yokefellows, a Christian group at the State Correctional Institution at Graterford.

"It was people to people, taking care of each other," said his son of the Yokefellows.

Mr. James's wife died in 2008. Besides his son he is survived by two other sons, Stephen W. and Peter L.; seven grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. A sister died earlier.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 16, at Lower Providence Baptist Church, 3430 Ridge Pike, Collegeville. A visitation starts at 2 p.m. at the church. Burial is in the church graveyard.

Contributions may be made to Cetana Educational Foundation, 200 W. 10th St., New York, N.Y., 10014; or to American Baptist International Ministries, (Burma/Myanmar Work), P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, Pa., 19482.