Obituary: Nathan J. Porter

Nathan Johnson Porter of Waco, former home missionary, pastor and advocate for the poor, died Oct. 3. He was 90. He was born July 22, 1932, in Campinas, Brazil, to missionaries Paul and Margaret Porter. He graduated from Baylor University and later completed a master’s degree and doctorate at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In 1965, Porter helped found the Southern Baptist Convention’s US-2 program, in which students and young adults served alongside career missionaries in the United States for two years. He worked for decades with the SBC Home Mission Board in its Christian Social Ministries Department. He also was pastor of a mission congregation in Tulsa, Okla., pastor of First Baptist Church in Arkadelphia, Ark., and a consultant with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and its Christian Life Commission. Porter was a strong voice for the poor and vulnerable. He was known for his commitment to social justice and spent his life as an advocate for equality for all people. He married Francis Booth on Aug. 23, 1952. She preceded him in death in 2006. He is survived by son Joel Porter and wife Janet of Waco; daughter Leslie Porter Smith of Waco; daughter Becca Hollaway and husband Steven of Baltimore, Md.; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. The family also includes adopted grandchildren Andrea McQuistion Han and Suzi McQuistion Mao. Memorial gifts may be made to Calvary Baptist Church, 1001 N 18th-A Street, Waco TX 76707.