Charles Ellis Henderson was the third of six children born to Robert and Earlie Mae Henderson. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, he grew up in Denver, Colorado, and graduated from East High School. As a child, he was a member of the New Hope Baptist Church in Denver under the pastorate of the late Rev. M.C. Williams. During his high school years, he served as the youth president for the National Baptist Convention. After graduation, he earned a track scholarship to Northeastern Junior College and later attended and graduated from Bishop College in Dallas, Texas.

While he was a student at Bishop College, he met Margaret Ann Batiste, and the two were united in holy matrimony on December 27, 1966, at the Loyola Catholic Church in Denver. To their union, four sons were born: Charles Jr., Eric, Christopher, and Gregory. After a series of professional employments that took them across the country, the Henderson family settled in Dallas, Texas, in 1976. At that time, they united with the Concord Missionary Baptist Church of Dallas under the ministry of the late Dr. E.K. Bailey. He truly came to know the Lord Jesus through the ministry of the Concord Church.

In 1978, he accepted his call to the ministry of the Gospel and was ordained by Pastor Bailey in 1979. During his time of ministry at Concord, he served as the Associate Pastor of Prayer and Evangelism, Associate Pastor of Outreach and Associate Pastor of Adult Ministries. He was devoted to prayer and the study of God's Word, and he was instrumental in leading many people to Christ. He was also appointed by the late Dr. E.V. Hill to lead the Dallas arm of the World Christian Training Center Headquarters in South Dallas, a national evangelistic effort that would lead many more to salvation in Jesus Christ. He began his own personal ministry entitled 'Lift Him UP!' as another means of reaching souls with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, writing his own tracts and hosting his radio program 'Search the Scriptures' on the KHVN network.

After serving several years in leadership with Concord and having moved his family to DeSoto, the Holy Spirit led Pastor Henderson to begin a ministry there. What would later become known as the Star of Hope Baptist Church began as a Bible study in the Henderson home in 1989. The ministry moved from their living room to a local hotel. While worshipping in the hotel, the Calvary Baptist Church of DeSoto opened their doors for the Star of Hope to worship on their campus; and 18 months later, the Star of Hope secured the property at the current location in DeSoto. The church was the first predominantly African-American church in DeSoto. The property was acquired through counsel, faith, and much prayer on the part of Pastor Henderson and others.

While in DeSoto, Pastor Henderson was very involved in the community and DeSoto ISD. He began substituting in the school district, and this invigorated his passion for helping the students of the DeSoto community. He became a staple in the DeSoto ISD community and ultimately earned the position of the Director of the DeSoto Alternative Education Program, a position he held for 15 years before his formal retirement. Pastor Henderson impacted and influenced the lives of countless students during this tenure. He used his wit, wisdom, and love of basketball (winning his share of one-on-one games against the students!) to give them life lessons that would stay with them for years (most famously, the story of "Dumb-Dog!"). A father figure to countless young people in the community, he became a household name because of his ability on the basketball court at Zeiger Park in DeSoto. His goal was to win basketball games and to win souls for the Lord every Sunday afternoon.

As a bi-vocational pastor, Pastor Henderson created a lasting legacy through his God-given gifts of teaching the Word of God in the church and exemplifying Biblical principles in the school. Teaching was both an art and a science for him, and he had a sincere heart for those he taught. As devoted as he was to the spiritual education of others, he was simultaneously devoted to his own growth, evidenced by the countless notes in the margins of the thousands of books in his library. As a testament to his passion for education, he led the Star of Hope in establishing a scholarship fund for graduating high school seniors and college students. To date, his vision has blessed scholars with over $75,000.00 in funds to support their education.

For over 10 years, Pastor Henderson also served as the President of the Congress of Christian Education for the Northwestern District Baptist Association of the Baptist Missionary and Education Convention of Texas, under the leadership of the late Dr. S.C. Nash, Sr., an organization comprised of local churches united to advance the cause of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and across the State of Texas.

Pastor Henderson continued in ministry until his retirement in 2015. He assumed the mantle of Pastor Emeritus and continued to influence the church with his pastoral experience and wisdom until his illness prohibited him from doing so. He embodied the truth of one of his favorite refrains, "As long as we have breath in our bodies, You have a work for us to do." The Lord received the spirit of Pastor Charles Henderson, Sr. on December 17, 2024, and he is now enjoying the radiant presence of the Lord he served for decades.

Those who knew him well will fondly remember his zest for life, his athletic ability that lasted well into his 70s, his ardent love for nature, fishing, old school music, and his skills with Ms. Pac-Man. He loved all types of sports – from ice skating, bicycling, and jogging – and was a constant figure in the latter years of his life at the DeSoto West Track. Everywhere he went, he was known for sharing the Gospel.

He was preceded in death by his parents (Robert and Earlie Mae Henderson), his brothers Robert Lee ("Bobby") and David Earl, and his sisters Rita and June. He leaves to continue his legacy Margaret Ann Henderson, his devoted wife of almost 58 years, and their four sons: Charles Jr. of DeSoto, Eric of DeSoto, Christopher (Charita) of Glenn Heights, and Gregory of Waxahachie, as well as his sister, Billie Jean Arnold (Denver). He will be missed by his seven grandchildren (Charles III, Sydney, Arianna, Christopher Jr., John, Kaitlin Ann, and Skylar) and his four great-grandchildren: Mackenzie, Emory, Kaleah, and Aliyah. He was a loving uncle to scores of nieces and nephews, and he will always have a special place in the hearts of the Batiste, Turner, and Henderson families, the DeSoto community, and, of course, the members of the Star of Hope Baptist Church.

Pastor Henderson, welcome home.