by jowens | Jan 6, 2021
Dr. Charles Allen Thigpen
September 26, 1926 – December 31, 2020
Charles Allen Thigpen, 94, of Macon, Georgia, received his heavenly reward on December 31, 2020, after a long and rewarding life of dedication and service to the Lord, family, ministry, and people.
Charles was born to the late Jesse Allen and Mabel Thigpen on September 26, 1926, in Olanta, South Carolina, where he spent his childhood and was greatly impacted by his maternal grandparents, John and Stacia Thomas. Even as a teen, Charles displayed his strong work ethic as an assistant to the local pharmacist. At the age of 16, he left home to attend Bob Jones College where he received a B.A. degree in Bible and Pastoral Training. After graduation, on June 20, 1947, he married Laura Jane “Lolly” Coker, with whom he ministered for the next 73 years. After a short pastorate, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he began his ministry at Welch College (formerly Free Will Baptist Bible College), which spanned the years 1948-1991, except for a 4-year period when he had a fruitful ministry as pastor of Highland Park Free Will Baptist Church in Royal Oak, Michigan (now Central FWB Church). In his years at Welch College, he served as Professor, Administrator, President (1979-1990) and Chancellor. Throughout Charles’s many years of ministry, he served as a denominational leader, evangelist, interim pastor, and writer, while he also pursued several educational degrees in order to more fully serve in the academic arena. He received numerous degrees, culminating in a PhD from Middle Tennessee State University. After his retirement from Welch College, he began a 15-year ministry as Tennessee State Promotional Director from 1991-2006. He then moved to Macon, Georgia, to be near family where he continued to serve through preaching engagements, interim pastoral ministry, personal evangelism, and as an active member of White Oaks Free Will Baptist Church in Macon, Georgia.
Charles was a committed husband to his dear Lolly, devoted father to Jonathan, Laura, Ann, and Ruth, and faithful friend to many. He was the consummate soul winner, encourager, communicator, and shepherd. He had a true servant’s heart, which compelled him to pray continually, give generously, and reach out unselfishly to others. He was the ultimate pastor to pastors, personally calling and consistently praying for each of them by name. He was a gifted teacher, speaker and storyteller, as well as an excellent expositor and preacher of the Word. He was a disciplined and humble follower of Jesus, steadfast and true to the calling he had been given. Those who knew him, family and friends alike, will agree that he was “steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work” (I Corinthians 15:58).
Charles is survived by his 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 his brother, Edd Thigpen, and many nieces, nephews, and other relatives.
Charles’s wife of 73 years, Laura “Lolly” Coker Thigpen, preceded him to heaven by only three days, and he was also preceded in death by his beloved son, Jonathan Noel Thigpen, his parents, Jesse Allen and Mabel Thigpen, his step-mother, Kathleen Green Thigpen, his brothers Ingram Thigpen and Ernest Thigpen, and his sisters, Annelyn VanRoten and Vida Mabel Melton.
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
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” II Timothy 4:7-8
by jowens | Dec 31, 2020
Welch College President Emeritus Charles A. Thipgen died today in Macon, Georgia. He was 94 years old. His wife, Mrs. Laura Coker Thigpen, died earlier this week, Monday, December 28. They both had been hospitalized for COVID-19 at the time of their deaths.
The Thigpens leave behind a long legacy with Welch College. They joined the faculty in 1948. Except for a four-year stint as pastor of a Free Will Baptist church in Michigan, Dr. Thigpen served on the faculty of the college until 1991. He held the position of academic dean for over twenty years (1957-79). From 1979 to 1990, he served as Welch’s president, followed by a year as the college’s first chancellor.
Dr. and Mrs. Thigpen were preceded in death by their son Jonathan, a Welch alumnus who had served as a faculty member at Welch and also president of the Evangelical Training Association. Please pray for their daughters, Laura Cannon, Ann Maines, Ruth Slaten, and daughter-in-law Yvonne Thigpen, all of whom are Welch alumni, and their extended families. There will be a private service with a public memorial at a later date.
by jowens | Dec 29, 2020
Hi Mrs. Laura Thigpen, wife of Welch College President Emeritus Charles A. Thigpen, died last evening in Macon, Georgia. Mrs. Thigpen had been hospitalized earlier with COVID-19. She was 94 years of age. Please continue to pray for Dr. Thigpen who is still in the hospital and their daughters Laura Cannon, Ann Maines, Ruth Slaten, and daughter-in-law Yvonne Thigpen and their extended family.
by jowens | Nov 17, 2020
In an attempt to attract more students into the nursing profession, Welch College has announced a new incentive scholarship of $2,000 per year to any nursing applicant who applies for admission by March 15, 2021, according to Dr. Charles Lea, Special Assistant to the President at Welch.
“There is growing critical shortage of bachelor’s degree-prepared nurses in the mid-state,” Lea said. “To meet the demand and to provide students an opportunity to fast-track to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree and remain in Sumner County, Welch President Matt Pinson has approved an incentive scholarship for any new student.”
“Our goal is to attract some of the best prepared students to enroll at Welch, take advantage of the incentive scholarship, as well as the Tennessee Promise, federal Pell grants, and other Welch scholarships,” Pinson said. “After completing their associate’s degree at Welch and meeting standard academic requirements for admission, students are guaranteed admission to the bachelor’s degree track at Union University Hendersonville.” The Welch Nursing Education Collaborative is the only and fastest traditional path to a B.S.N. degree in Sumner County.
Welch Nursing Education Collaborative graduates are already providing valuable healthcare services throughout the mid-state. Dr. Ian Hawkins, head of the nursing program at Welch, said, “Creative partnerships are providing financially affordable opportunities for obtaining an outstanding nursing education and be in a position to obtain an advanced practice degree in the near future.”
To obtain more information, contact Dr. Hawkins at ihawkins@welch.edu or call Welch at 615.675.5303. Prospective students and parents are encouraged to visit the Welch Nursing website at welch.edu/nursing. The incentive scholarship will be limited to the first 50 applicants who apply and are admitted to Welch for the fall 2021 semester. Similar incentives may apply to transfer applicants as well and those who desire to enroll prior to the fall 2021 term.
by jowens | Nov 10, 2020
The 2020-2021 Rejoice! Ministry Team has been selected, according to Daniel Webster, director of the group. “After extensive tryouts and interviews, I’m pleased to announce that we have finalized selections for this year’s team. We had a great number of quality musicians to choose from, but we finally selected these students to be our representatives for this year.”
Female members of the group are Meredith Baer, Erin Goucher, Krista Lindsay, Sarah Lovett, Abby Myers, Raygan Sellers, and Elizabeth Yerby. Male members are Ben Barcroft, Sam Lane, Mason McClure, and Samuel Rodriguez. Jesse Viers will be the sound technician.
The group will likely not be able to travel as extensively in the spring semester as groups have in the past due to COVID-19, but it is hopeful that some limited travel will be possible, and that the group will be able to enjoy a full summer tour. Plans are being made for the group to use a video recording that will be made available to churches. According to Mr. Webster, “We see this as a way to have a presence in our churches even in the midst of the pandemic. A video produced by Rejoice! in the spring broke the record for number of views by any Welch College video. We think the songs we produce will be received equally well.”
Congratulations to this group of young people. Please pray for them as they rehearse and prepare to serve.
