Three years ago, Arthur Brice, a husband and father of two adult children, answered his calling.

He had long been active at St. Paul's Missionary Baptist Church in his town of Brookhaven, Miss. But he yearned to do more. So Mr. Brice, a union representative at Delphi Packard Electric, became an assistant pastor.

''The love he had for everybody, and the love he had for the Lord, that's what made him special,'' said his daughter, Myryan, 24. ''But it was who he was, not what he did.''

The Rev. Mr. Brice, 46, was the uncle of NFL player Alundis Brice.

Mr. Brice also was past Sunday School superintendent and past choir director at his church.

His devotion was typical of the close-knit, deeply religious small Mississippi community.

''He was one of the truest Christians I knew,'' said St. Paul's pastor, Phil Sterling. ''He lived for his family and his church.''