With the Lord
Marguerite Gribble Dunning went home to her Lord on December 28, 2005. Born in Chicago in 1915 to pioneer missionaries in then-French Equatorial Africa, Rev. James and Dr. Florence Gribble, Marguerite spent much of her childhood with loving foster parents John and Hattie Weed in Washington State. Marguerite and her husband, Harold Dunning, spent more than 27 years in the Central African Republic, where Marguerite taught literacy and Bible. Harold died in 1997.
In the 1960s, in California, she taught at Brethren High School and Biola University until becoming legally blind from macular degeneration. In 1970 Harold and Marguerite settled in Lakewood, CA, where she faithfully continued to serve the Lord by supporting her husband who was associate pastor at Grace Brethren Church of Long Beach. She is survived by three loving daughters, four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held January 15 at the Grace Brethren Church of Long Beach with Pastor Jerry Giles officiating. (See related story, The Dunnings Enter Africa.)
Maynard G. Tittle, 83, went to be with the Lord on February 6, 2006, at his home in Middleburg, OH. Tittle was a graduate of Middleburg High School; Franklin and Marshall College, where he earned his bachelor of arts degree; and Grace Theological Seminary. He also studied Christian school administration at Wheaton College in Illinois.
Tittle served in the Air Force and infantry during World War II in France, Belgium, Germany, and Luxembourg. He was gravely wounded in the Battle of the Bulge, spending eight months in army hospitals. He received two Purple Hearts and two battle stars.
Tittle’s first pastorate was from 1952 to 1960 in Culver, IN, followed by five years as a school administrator. He served two churches in Ohio: Defiance and his final pastorate of 18 years at Grace Brethren Church in Galion. While in Galion, he was a member of the ministerial board of the Northcentral Ohio District of Grace Brethren Churches, serving one year as district moderator.
Tittle served one year as chairman of the National Executive Committee of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches and 21 years on the board of trustees of the Fellowship’s publishing house, Brethren Missionary Herald Company. In retirement, Tittle filled the pulpit as needed in 20 different churches and served three interim pastorates. He was a member of Kish Valley Grace Brethren Church, Reedsville, OH. Survivors include his wife, Kathleen, and one son, Philip of Baton Rouge, LA..
Carlton Jay Fuller, 80, Telford, TN, died Monday, January 23, 2006, at his residence. Born in Dayton, OH, Fuller was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and served during the Korean War. He later served as a Grace Brethren chaplain in Vietnam. He was a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, OH, where he received a full scholarship as a long distance runner, and of Grace Theological Seminary.
Grace Brethren Chaplain’s Endorsing Agent, Dr. John Schumacher, said Fuller’s service with the Air Force chaplaincy dates from February 1963, when he reported to Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, TX, for the Basic Chaplains Course.
He was then assigned to Stewart AFB, New York. He also served an isolated tour in Shemya, Alaska, in 1966-67. He left the Air Force chaplaincy in 1972 after finishing his tour of duty at Canon Air Force Base, NM.
Fuller was a chaplain at the Quillen Veterans Administration Medical Center for more than 30 years. He attended Telford Grace Brethren Church. For many years he served as minister for Grace Brethren Churches in Tennessee, Iowa, and Virginia.
In 1998 Carlton was given “The Secretary’s Excellence in Chaplaincy” award in the “Part Time” category. Larry Chamberlain and John Schumacher were present for the presentation of the award in Washington, D.C.
Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Vivian Stewart Fuller; two daughters, Ruth Fuller, Hawaii, and Beth Fuller, Telford; a grandson and two great grandchildren. Funeral services were at Telford Grace Brethren Church with Pastor Robert Skeen, Chaplain Richard Willis, Mr. Don Meade, Pastor Randy Ryssemus and Larry Chamberlain officiating.
Robert Kliewerwent to be with the Lord Friday, January 27, 2006, at his home in Cherry Valley, California. He was born April 26, 1930, in Mountain Lake, MN. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1944 and he attended Culter Academy, where he was student body president and played varsity football, basketball, and baseball.
He graduated in 1948 and entered the Bible Institute of Los Angeles to prepare for full-time ministry. At BIOLA he was active in varsity basketball, intramural football and music, and worked with the student missionary union and served as president of Biola Men.
Kliewer graduated from BIOLA in 1951 and married Lillian in August of 1952. Bob supported his bride in a number of ways in those early years: Fuller brush sales, encyclopedia sales, vacuum cleaner sales, janitor, crop picker, TV repair, truck driver, football coach, and assistant pastor. He attended Talbot Seminary where he sang in the Seminary Quartet.
Kliewer was a teacher and coach at Culter Academy in Los Angeles and served the following churches: East LA GBC- asst pastor for brother Al ; North Long Beach GBC- asst pastor for Dr. George Peek; Bell- Pastor; Norwalk GBC- interim Pastor; West Covina- Pastor; Greenwood GBC, Modesto- Pastor (started the church); Seal Beach GBC- Pastor; Orange GBC- interim Pastor; Westminster GBC- Pastor; Cherry Valley GBC- Pastor; Rialto GBC- Pastor; Orange Grove Chapel (Redlands)- Pastor. He also served as president of Linfield School in Temecula.
Survivors include his wife, Lil, two daughters Lynne (Steve) and Jan (Les), four grandchildren, and one great grandson.
Leanore “Jerry” Button who served many years with her husband Bruce in Jewish evangelism, went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, January 4, 2006.
A feature story on Jerry, written by Barbara Hulse, was published in the September/October 2004 issue of FGBC World.
Saved under the ministry of Pastor Art Malles in the Grace Brethren Church of West Kittanning, PA, in 1943, Jerry made her commitment to Christ with Bruce. In the fall of 1945 Bruce resigned his position with a railroad company and the family moved to Winona Lake, IN, to attend Grace Seminary.
The Buttons ministered among Jewish people in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles for the next 20 years, working alongside Isobel Fraser for much of that time. In 1970 Bruce took the pastorate of the Grace Brethren Church of Albany, OR, where he served for eight years. They returned to Jewish evangelism, working in Tucson, AZ, for the next 20 years. Bruce went to be with the Lord in April 2001 and Jerry continued her ministry in Arizona. Recently Jerry had moved to Sterling, VA, to live with her daughter and son-in-law, Dianne and Paige Ballard.
Pastoral Updates
Pastor Bob Pearson, Crossroads Grace Brethren Church-Wissinoming, was ordained on Sunday, January 15, in Philadelphia, PA.
Dan Thompson, son of former Home Missions Executive Director Robert Thompson, began the first Sunday in December as pastor of the Grace Brethren Church of Lake Odessa, MI.
Brian Ethridge was ordained to the ministry at Northwest Chapel Grace Brethren Church in Dublin, OH (Terry Hofecker, pastor) on Sunday morning, January 15.
Tim Nixon has left his position as associate pastor at Basore Road (Dayton, OH) Grace Brethren Church to be a chuch planter.
Jason Carmean, pastor of the Lexington, OH, Grace Brethren Church, was ordained Sunday evening, January 8.
Steve Mitchell, pictured here with his wife, Supriya, has accepted a call to pastor Garden City Grace Brethren Church in Roanoke, VA and began his ministry there the first part of February. The son of Pastor Dave Mitchell in Hawaii, Steve is a 1997 graduate of the University of Hawaii. He has ministered on mission trips to Australia and India, and served as a missionary to India with Gateway Ministries from 2000-2003. He has assisted in his father’s church in Hawaii, played with a Christian rock band for ten years, and has been active in apologetics ministry, teaching home Bible studies. He was ordained with Calvary Chapel.
The Osceola, IN, Grace Brethren Church (Greg Serafino, pastor) has announced the addition of Dave Knight as children’s pastor and Dan Kramer as youth pastor. Knight has spent the last 15 years at the Clinton Grace Brethren Church in Clinton, MD, as the Children’s Pastor. He is married with two children and serves on the CE National Children’s Cabinet. Kramer graduated from Grace College with four major areas of study and recently finished his Master’s Degree in Youth and Family Ministry at Grace Theological Seminary while serving as a youth intern in Akron, OH, under Pastor Jeff Bogue.
The Vicksburg Grace Brethren Church of Hollidaysburg, PA, announces “with deep regret” the retirement of Pastor Doug Witt effective March 26, 2006. The announcement said, “The Lord has truly blessed this congregation over the past five years. We have seen souls saved. We have seen Christians mature and grow in the Lord. The Sunday morning attendance has risen from fewer than 100 to over 160. We have also been blessed by completing a new educational wing for our building. We are praying for God’s will in leading us to the man He wants to lead our church in continued growth.” Interested candidates may send a resume with tape or video to Tim Miller, 8 Cedar Heights, Duncansville, PA 16635, or call 814-696-0803, or e-mail resume to jtmiller1313@aol.com.