Blotted Out

Mel Trotter
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Mel Trotter

Melvin Ernest Trotter (1870–1940) was an American preacher and evangelist whose transformative ministry led to the founding of the Mel Trotter Mission in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Born on May 16, 1870, in Orangeville, Illinois, he was one of seven children of a saloon-owning father who drank heavily and a godly mother. The family moved to Freeport, Illinois, in 1887, where Trotter became a barber but descended into severe alcoholism and gambling. In 1891, he married Lottie Fisher in Pearl City, Iowa, and they had a son. His addiction worsened, leading to job losses and extended absences, culminating in the tragic death of his two-year-old son during one such binge, which he blamed on himself. On January 19, 1897, a destitute and suicidal Trotter stumbled into Chicago’s Pacific Garden Mission, where he was converted after hearing superintendent Harry Monroe’s testimony. Trotter’s preaching career began shortly after his conversion as he worked at the mission, eventually becoming its song leader with his guitar skills. In 1900, Grand Rapids businessmen recruited him to establish a rescue mission in their city’s red-light district, which he led for over 40 years until his death. Ordained by the Presbyterian Church in 1905, he expanded the mission into a major operation, purchasing a burlesque house in 1906 to house its growing ministries, including a Sunday School for hundreds of children and services for alcoholics and soldiers during World War I. He founded over 60 missions nationwide, preached prolifically, and used his testimony of redemption to inspire countless conversions. Trotter died on September 11, 1940, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose life exemplified divine grace, continued today by Mel Trotter Ministries. He was survived by his wife, who had supported his work through initiatives like the Martha Mission for women.