Faith St. Clair

Born June 25, 1924 in Chicago, IL, Faith Edith (Urshan) St. Clair, the last surviving child of Andrew David Urshan and Mildred (Hammergren) Urshan, died April 2, 2018, in Rio Rancho, NM.  Faith followed the examples of her parents in Christian ministry, moving with them to congregations in Chicago, St. Paul, MN, and New York City.

As a teenager Faith studied music at Julliard until she and her older brother, Nathaniel Andrew Urshan, contracted tuberculosis.  After a miraculous healing, her father sent her to study at Apostolic Bible Institute, St. Paul, MN.  She became the pianist and featured soloist at Midway Tabernacle, then accepted a position as music director at ABI.

In 1947 Faith wed Rev. L. Wm. Schmidt and upon his graduation from ABI in 1949 traveled to New York City to assist her father’s pastorate at the 92nd and Broadway Apostolic Faith Assembly.  During this time three children were born to her, Stephen Andrew, Beth Suzanne Burns, and Ethel May Brown.

In 1951, the family moved to Indianapolis, IN to assist Faith’s brother, Nathaniel, at Calvary Tabernacle.  The couple was soon given oversight of a fledgling congregation in Greenwood, IN where they were ordained pastors in 1958, and remained until March 1971.  During this period two more children were born to the couple, William Paul Schmidt and Ruth Esther Hope Harvey.

The couple then moved to Marion, IN where they served as pastors of the First Pentecostal Church, eventually moving to their final pastorate in Brookville, IN where Rev. Schmidt died in 1990.  Faith noted she had always been a pastor’s daughter or a pastor’s wife, sorely missing an active, official position in a church.

Accepting the invitation of her youngest to move to Albuquerque, NM, Faith met and married Rev. Ray St. Clair in 1993, serving with him at the United Pentecostal Church on Menaul Blvd.

Faith is preceded in death by her parents and siblings, her son, William Paul, her husband, L. Wm. Schmidt, and two grandsons, Daniel Ray Brown and Trent Stephen Schmidt.  She is survived by her husband, Ray St. Clair Sr., son, Stephen Andrew Schmidt, three daughters, Beth Suzanne Burns, Ethel May Brown and Ruth Esther Hope Harvey, 9 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.