AL HR107

Mourns the death of Mr. Rizcallah H. Constantine, who lived 90 years and was highly regarded in his community.

Established the first Baptist Church of Bikfaya, Lebanon at age 19 and was influential in building churches in five villages; his ministries inspired subsequent generations of pastors.

Founded the first Arabic Baptist Church of Birmingham, the first Arabic radio program on WGIB, and the annual Arabic Baptist Conference at Shocco Springs Conference Center.

Was a first-class calligrapher of Arabic script trained in Lebanon during the 1940s, creating Bible verse calligraphy distributed to thousands of homes worldwide.

Married Najla Constantine in 1949 and was survived by six children, 13 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren; persevered through scoliosis, lung disease, and colon cancer diagnosed in the mid-1990s.