Rev. Cleveland M. Becton

Born September 21, 1928, in Jackson, Tennessee, Cleveland M. Becton was the second son of James M. and Christine M. Becton. At the age of two, his family moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where his mother’s brother, Reverend G. H. Brown, pastored a Pentecostal church. The family did not immediately attend the church that he pastored; however, after attending the First Baptist Church for a short period of time, his parents felt that they should make a change. This was the beginning of their experience of Pentecost, both parents receiving the Pentecostal experience.

In the summer of 1940, in a revival meeting with Brother Odell Cagle, Cleveland Becton received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and was baptized in the name of Jesus. At the age of fifteen, he left home with his parent’s consent and, properly chaperoned, played for the Stamps Quartette. At the age of sixteen, he was teaching piano and accordion in the Stamps School of Music in Dallas, Texas.

Pentecostal Bible Institute was opening for their first year in Tupelo, Mississippi. In the fall of 1945, along with approximately twenty-eight others, he became a pioneer student for the very first term. It was in the second semester of that year, while in a weekend service in Iuka, Mississippi, he felt the call into the ministry. He was seventeen years of age and started in the evangelistic work when that term ended. His first revival experience was in Nashville, Tennessee. His evangelistic days continued until the fall of 1950 when he took his first church to pastor in Bay City, Texas.

While growing up in the church in Little Rock, Arkansas, Brother Becton met a family by the name of Dyson, also members of that church. They had several children, and one of them, a daughter named Margie, was about the same age as Cleveland. They were married in 1947. Right away she became an evangelist’s wife and three years later a pastor’s wife.

They had three wonderful children. Rudy was born in 1948 and traveled with them from the time that he was three weeks old until they settled down to pastor when he was two years of age. Ronald was born in 1952, in Bay City, Texas, where they continued pastoring until 1957. In 1957, they became the first pastor of a small group of people in North Little Rock, Arkansas, and it was there they had their third child, a daughter, Renee, who made their family complete. They moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1960 to become the pastor of the West Nashville Pentecostal Church. The name was later changed to the First United Pentecostal Church.

Their three children are all married. Rudy married Helen McNalley and they have two children, Alicia and Arlen. Ronald married Cheryl Grisham and they have one son, Austin. Renee married Richard Flowers and they have two sons, Chad and Chase. All of them have been baptized in the name of Jesus and are filled with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. All of them, including the grandchildren, are working for the Lord.

Following are the positions Brother Becton held in the United Pentecostal Church:

1952-1957 Youth Secretary of the Texas District

1958-1960 Home Missions Director of the Arkansas District

1961-1967 Secretary of the International Youth Division

1968-1976 General Secretary of the UPCI

1978-1981 Assistant General Superintendent of the UPCI

1982-1998 General Secretary of the UPCI

1982- One of two speakers on Harvestime

1999- Honorary UPCI General Board member

In the 1998 General Conference, held in Greensboro, North Carolina, Brother Becton felt he should not let his name stand any longer for the position of General Secretary. Brother Jerry Jones was elected at that conference to succeed him. A total of twenty-five years as General Secretary came to an end December 31, 1998. The Bectons moved to Texas and attended Emmanuel Pentecostal Church pastored by their son-in-law, Richard Flowers. They did not retire, but continued to travel for some time.

Brother Becton passed from this life November 16, 2010.