by jowens | Mar 15, 2021
Tim and Kristi Johnson will serve as Missionaries-in-Residence at Welch College beginning in August. Tim will then transition into a full-time position with Welch College in August of 2022 as a faculty member and Program Coordinator of Intercultural Studies.
Tim and Kristi Johnson were appointed as career missionaries in 1997. During their first years in Spain, they completed language school and began their ministry in Villalba. In 2005, Tim and Kristi joined Anthony and Lea Edgmon in a new church plant in Alpedrete. Tim said, “While it is sad to leave the place that God called our family to over 22 years ago, I look forward to this opportunity at Welch College to train future missionaries as they help fulfill the Great Commission.” Teammate Anthony Edgmon added, “The Johnsons have been outstanding, highly gifted teammates and friends. We consider them family. We are thankful and privileged to have served alongside them throughout their years in Spain.”
Clint Morgan, General Director of IM, Inc., the international missions board of the National Association of Free Will Baptists, said, “Leaving the field to return to the U.S. is always difficult for missionaries. But when a missionary leaves their field, with the knowledge they will not return, it is an exceptionally challenging life event. The Johnsons are taking on a new, exciting, and demanding ministry, teaching missions at Welch College. They have ministered for 22 years to the wonderful people of Spain, and I am confident they will bring that same level of commitment and passion as Missionary-in-Residence and as head of the missions program at Welch.”
Tim is filling the role of retiring professor Dr. Ron Callaway. “Dr. Callaway is a great friend to IM. He and his wife Linda served as missionaries to Panama, Cuba, and Spain from 1976 to 2003,” Morgan said.
Welch Provost Matthew McAffee said, “We are excited to welcome Mr. Johnson to our campus community, first as Missionary-in-Residence, and then as full-time faculty member and coordinator of our missions program. We believe his successful years of missionary service in Spain highly qualify him to take up the mantle of training our future Free Will Baptist missionaries. We commend Dr. Ron Callaway for his faithful oversight of the program these past eighteen years. He is leaving behind a strong and vibrant missions program poised for Mr. Johnson’s leadership.”
Welch President Matt Pinson said, “Tim and Kristi Johnson have established themselves as dedicated missionaries on the field in Spain, and they’re a perfect fit to mentor the next generation of young missionaries at Welch College! Lots of eager young heralds of the good news across the world have been trained under the leadership of beloved Ronald Callaway. We’re going to miss him dearly. But I’m so glad a man of Tim Johnson’s caliber is coming on board to carry the torch and build on the foundation.”
Tim and Kristi have two children, Alejandro and Ana. Alejandro is currently attending Welch College, where he has plans to work on his M.Div. degree after graduation next year. He also serves as a Worship Ministry Intern at Cofer’s Chapel in Nashville, TN. Ana studies in Spain bilingually in French and Spanish and will graduate from high school in June. She will participate in Truth and Peace this summer and attend Welch in the Fall.
Curt Holland, Director of Field Ministry Personnel for IM, Inc., said, “IM is confident in Tim’s capacity to serve students, missionary candidates at Welch College, and the Free Will Baptist denomination at large. I am thankful for Tim’s faithfulness in serving with IM in the country of Spain for more than 22 years. And, I watch with great expectation as he works with our college students in this new avenue of ministry.”
For more information about Missions at Welch, please contact Dr. Ron Callaway at 615-675-5339 or rcally@welch.edu.
by jowens | Mar 12, 2021
Dr. Ronald Callaway, longstanding Program Coordinator of Intercultural Studies at Welch College, will retire at the end of the spring semester, according to Provost Dr. Matthew McAffee. Callaway has served as Program Coordinator of Intercultural Studies for eighteen years, assuming the position in the fall of 2003.
Before coming to Welch, Callaway and his wife Linda served as missionaries in Spain, Panama, and Cuba with Free Will Baptist International Missions. During their time in Spain (1977-1995), Callaway filled the role of pastor of a church plant in Alcalá de Henares (1979-1981), worked in a church plant in Móstoles (1982-1995), and taught in the Spanish Free Will Baptist Institute (1985-1995). Since 1989, he has been involved with missionary activity in Cuba, especially in the training of church leaders in the Free Will Baptist seminary Los Cedros del Líbano. He also served as a member of the Free Will Baptist Bible Institute of Panama from 1997-2003, becoming its director in 2000, and has continued to teach as a visiting faculty member at the Seminario Bautista Libre de Panamà since 2005.
As Program Coordinator of Intercultural Studies, Callaway has continued in his ministry of the gospel to the Spanish-speaking world of Free Will Baptists. He has translated several important Free Will Baptist works into Spanish, including F. Leroy Forlines’ Systematics and Robert E. Picirilli’s Grace, Faith, and Free Will, with several other translation projects currently in progress.
“Dr. Callaway came to Welch College with an impressive résumé of missionary service in Spanish-speaking contexts among Free Will Baptists,” McAffee said. “But his efforts in global evangelization did not end when he became professor of Missions. He has mentored almost two decades of Free Will Baptist missionaries, both in the classroom and on the field, at the same time. We are grateful for the legacy that Professor Callaway has established for Missions at Welch College.”
Dr. Callaway, a native of Texas, served in the United States Navy from 1965-1972 before coming to Welch as a student, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bible and Missions in 1975. He went on to complete the Master of Divinity degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1997. While a faculty member at Welch, Dr. Callaway also earned a Doctor of Ministry in Missiology from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, which he completed in 2014. The Welch Board of Trustees named him Professor of Intercultural Studies when the college implemented faculty rank in 2019.
Welch president Matt Pinson said, “Recently I overheard a Free Will Baptist national leader talking about how many young missionaries had emerged from Ronald Callaway’s mentorship. Indeed, what he has done in missions education and shaping the lives of young missionaries has been impressive. It arises from a keen mind, a humble heart, and a love for people, wed with a biblical worldview that places the Great Commission at the heart of the church’s task. We will miss this dear friend and servant of God immensely, but his legacy among Welch graduates across the world will endure.”
The Callaways have one daughter, Rachel DeMerchant who ministers in Canada with her husband Aaron and their three children.
For more information about Missions (Intercultural Studies) at Welch, please contact Dr. Ron Callaway at 615-675-5339or rcally@welch.edu.
by jowens | Mar 11, 2021
Welch College Technology Director Charles Wise announced his resignation from Welch College, according to Craig Mahler, Vice President for Financial Affairs.
Wise, a 1995 Welch graduate who has served as Technology Director since 1999, will be taking a position close to his childhood home in North Carolina. He and his wife Stephanie, a 1994 Welch graduate, will relocate soon after he completes his service at Welch on March 18. Wise’s daughter Emily will be graduating from Welch with a degree in Psychology this May. Daughter Anna attends Columbia International University.
Mahler said, “I sincerely appreciate Charles for his effective and faithful service to Welch students, faculty, and staff. We will miss Charles greatly, and we wish him well as he returns to North Carolina for his new position and to be closer to family.”
Reflecting on his time at Welch, Wise states, “After more than 25 years of involvement with the college, I am astonished at the caliber of people, both faculty and staff, that have been connected with Welch. It is an amazing place, and I will continue to support Welch College in the years to come.”
The college is working with Mr. Wise and Trident Technology Solutions, who consulted with Welch during construction and continues to provide network support, to develop plans for meeting this important need of students, faculty, and staff.
by jowens | Feb 12, 2021
Dear Members of the Welch Community,
These have been challenging times for all of us as we have coped with a global pandemic that had farther-reaching consequences than I ever imagined it would have. Our community has been resilient, however, and has navigated these troubled waters with prudence and with grace.
I was so saddened to have to announce to the Class of 2020 last year that we would have to cancel their normal 2020 Commencement activities. After meeting with the executive council of the Senior Class, we decided that the best way forward was to have Commencement exercises for the Class of 2020 at the same time as that of the Class of 2021.
While there are still many details to be finalized, and while anything could change given the current unpredictable situation with COVID-19, I wanted to announce the date of the Commencement exercises for both the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021 so that students and their guests could mark it on their calendars and make travel plans.
All Commencement activities for both classes will take place on Friday, May 7th. The times, locations, and details of the gatherings will be forthcoming. Guest seating will be limited owing to COVID-19 and the need for physically distanced seating. Thus a limited number of free tickets will be provided to each graduate for his or her family and friends.
Neither the graduate breakfast nor a Baccalaureate service will be held. An awards ceremony for the Class of 2021 will be held virtually, similar to what we held last year for the Class of 2020. Also forthcoming will be details regarding hooding for master’s degree recipients.
More details will follow as we finalize them. Thank you for your patience as we work through what will be a very different celebration in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. And continue to pray for us here at Welch as we continue to make key decisions and fulfill our mission in these difficult times.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
Sincerely,
Matt Pinson
President
by jowens | Jan 6, 2021
Laura Jane “Lolly” Coker Thigpen
November 24, 1926 – December 28, 2020
Laura Jane “Lolly” Coker Thigpen, 94, of Macon, Georgia, went to be with her Lord and Savior on December 28, 2020, after a meaningful and long life filled with God, family and friends which gave her joy, purpose and passion.
She was born to the late C. E. and Laura Coker on November 24, 1926, in Turbeville, South Carolina. She grew up on Puddin Swamp, until leaving at the age of 16 to go to Bob Jones College where she received a B.A. Degree in Speech and Drama. On June 20, 1947, she married Charles Allen Thigpen, with whom she ministered for the next 73 years. She lived in Nashville, Tennessee, for 60 years, where she served as professor of speech and drama for 40 years at Welch College (formerly Free Will Baptist Bible College.) In 2006, she moved to Byron, Georgia, to be near family, where she faithfully continued to serve the Lord in her community and as a member of White Oaks Free Will Baptist Church in Macon, Georgia.
Lolly was a dedicated wife, loving mother and grandmother, faithful servant of the Lord, gifted teacher, speaker and story teller, and friend to many. She will be remembered as a prayer warrior, encourager, and both student and teacher of the Word. She was a soul winner, compassionately serving others and sharing Christ with her students, neighbors and each person God placed in her path. Her passion for Jesus was evident, especially in her many dramatic productions and in the way she invested her life in her students. She raised four children who grew to know, love and serve Jesus and pass His legacy on to the next generation. Truly, her children and thousands upon thousands of others rise up and call her blessed (Proverbs 31:28).
Lolly is survived by her daughters, Laura Cannon (Steve), Ann Maines (Gary), Ruth Slaten (Brad), and daughter-in-law Yvonne Thigpen (Jonathan, deceased), as well as 14 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren, and her brother, Dr. C. E. Coker, Jr., and many nieces, nephews, and other relatives.
Lolly was joined in heaven three days later by her dear husband of 73 years, Dr. Charles Allen Thigpen, and was preceded in death by her beloved son, Jonathan Noel Thigpen, her parents, Clarence and Laura Coker, and her brothers Ray Coker, Col. Larry Coker, Dr. Homer Coker and Donald Coker.
In lieu of flowers, the Thigpen family requests that memorial gifts be made to the “Thigpen Fine Arts Center” project at Welch College in Gallatin, Tennessee. Two years ago, Welch College launched an effort to name a wing of Celorio Hall on the new campus of Welch College the “Thigpen Fine Arts Center.” The purpose of the project is to perpetually honor the life and ministry of Dr. Charles A. and Laura Thigpen. The “Thigpen Fine Arts Center” will be the home of the drama and music departments of the college. Gifts may be sent to: “The Thigpen Fine Arts Center Project” c/o Welch College, 1045 Bison Trail, Gallatin, Tennessee, 37066.
Due to the restraints of COVID, there will be a memorial service and celebration of life at a later date. Please visit our website to leave memories, stories, and condolences. https://easlaten.wixsite.com/TheThigpens
“For her worth is far above jewels.
Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future.
She opens her mouth in wisdom,
And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
Her children rise up and bless her;
A woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” Proverbs 31:10, 25-26, 28, 30
