Hugh Holmes Morgan

Hugh Holmes Morgan finished his course, fought a good fight, and kept the faith. He slipped peacefully into the presence of his heavenly Father on July 7, 2026. He is now in heaven to enjoy the presence of Jesus Christ for all eternity.
Hugh Holmes Morgan was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on December 15, 1932, the son of the Rev. Hugh Henry Morgan and the Rev. Julia Payne Morgan. Hugh’s father was a bi-vocational church planter/pastor/evangelist, and his mother served as a Pentecostal Holiness missionary to China from 1920-29. When Hugh was six years old, he invited Jesus into his heart to live there forever. He became an instant evangelist by sharing his new-found faith in Jesus Christ with everyone in his neighborhood.
Hugh graduated from Hewitt High School in Trussville, Alabama, in May 1950. He worked for A & P Tea Company, a family of grocery stores, and for the Southern Railway where he became the chief clerk and assistant yard master in the Mobile, Alabama, office. It was there, in 1952, that Hugh received a call to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. He resigned from the railroad and attended Emmanuel College for one year.
In 1953, Hugh enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, and was a member of the Marine Corps Band, Quantico, Virginia. After completing his enlistment in 1956, with the rank of sergeant, he attended Asbury College, Holmes Bible College, and Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina, graduating in 1960, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology.
Hugh was ordained by the International Pentecostal Holiness Church in 1960
His higher education included a Master of Divinity degree from Asbury Theological Seminary (1963), an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Holmes Theological Seminary, Greenville, South Carolina (1975). He also attended Emmanuel College (1952-53), Asbury College (1956-57), and Holmes Bible College (1957-58). He completed three years of Bible training at Holmes Bible College under the teaching of Dr. Paul F. Beacham, whom he considered to be one of the greatest Bible teachers and preachers of the twentieth century.
On August 13, 1960, Hugh married Melvine B. Stewart at the Draper Pentecostal Holiness Church in Draper, North Carolina. The church is now known as Draper Village, located in Eden, North Carolina. Hugh and Melvine were married almost 60 years before Melvine’s passing on January 17, 2020.
Following their honeymoon in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, Hugh and Melvine drove to Wilmore, Kentucky, where Hugh had been accepted as a resident student at Asbury Theological Seminary. The newlyweds went there on faith that God would provide for them. They had no money, no jobs, no place to live, and didn’t know anyone in Wilmore. However, God made a way where there seemed to be no way. The first night, they slept in the guest quarters of the seminary with air conditioning, clean beds, and hot showers. The next day, God led them to meet the butcher at the IGA grocery store. The man happened to have a furnished apartment for rent. He allowed them to move in and live there without a down payment until they could earn money.
Melvine got a job teaching the third grade in Versailles, about 17 miles from Wilmore. Hugh’s brother-in-law, R. H. McDuff, sent Hugh a check in the mail for $200—the exact amount he needed to enroll. He was informed that a Methodist lady in Sebring, Florida, selected him as a Pentecostal Preacher Boy to give a tuition scholarship of one-half of the cost for every quarter for three years. Hugh worked at the IGA grocery store and earned enough each week to buy the groceries. They went to Wilmore without any money. After three years they moved to Alabama debt free and with money in their billfolds. Hugh graduated in the top six percent of his class in 1963.
In May 1965, Hugh was commissioned as a chaplain in the United States Air Force. Among his assignments were McChord AFB, Tacoma, Washington; Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage, Alaska; and the Air Force Institute of Technology, Houston, Texas. In addition, he served as a chaplain in two USAF medical centers, directing the Clinical Pastoral Education Program for Air Force Chaplains.
Hugh remained on active duty until November 1975. While still on active duty he was elected by his denomination to serve as president of Southwestern College (Southwestern Christian University), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He served as president for two years. He became a member of the General Board of Administration of the IPHC by virtue of being president of Southwestern College. After resigning as president of Southwestern College, he pastored his home church, Good Shepherd Church, in Birmingham, Alabama, for nine years.
Following his release from active duty, Hugh remained active in the USAF Reserve Chaplaincy for 16 additional years, retiring December 1991, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
In addition to pastoring in the United States, Hugh has participated in church planting, and mission crusades in Romania, Costa Rica, Cuba, and the Ukraine.

Some highlights of his career:
Civilian Pastorates:
 1963-1965 — Pastor, Brownville PH Church, Evergreen, Alabama
 1977-1986 — Pastor, Good Shepherd PH Church, Birmingham, Alabama
 1986-1995 — Pastor, Tarkenton Memorial PH Church, Athens, Georgia
 1995-1997 — Pastor, Richmond First PH Church, Richmond, Virginia

Military Service:
 1953-1956 — USMC Band, Quantico, Virginia
 1956-1961 — USMC Reserves (inactive)
 1961-1965 — US Army Reserves Chaplaincy
 1965-1975 — US Air Force Chaplaincy (active duty)
 1975-1991 — US Air Force Reserves Chaplaincy

The National Kiwanis Club selected Hugh Morgan as one of the Most Outstanding Young Men in America in 1968. Emmanuel College selected him as one of their Most Outstanding Alumni in 1975, and the “Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2004.” He received the “Corvin Heritage Award” from Southwestern Christian University in 2005 and was awarded the Christian Service Award (an eagle) at the 60th Anniversary of Southwestern Christian University in 2006, for his Leadership in helping design the curriculum for the Master of Ministry degree program that meets the graduate level requirements for the Department of Defense 1304.28 for military chaplains in the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Hugh served as president of the Ministers Association of Greater Birmingham, Alabama (1979-1980). He was a member of the World Missions Ministries Board of the IPHC from 1987-1995. He was selected to serve as the Director of Chaplains Ministries and Ecclesiastical Endorser for the International Pentecostal Holiness Church on January 1, 1998.
It was in 1998 that he started Hugh’s News & Commentary. From 13 subscribers, his electronic newsletter has grown to over 1,000 subscribers with over 3,000 readers, with a website that reaches hundreds of others. Hugh’s News, Inc. is incorporated as a non-profit Christian organization and has obtained a 501 (C) (3) IRS Tax Exemption.
On December 4, 2006, Hugh Morgan was elected by acclamation as the Vice Chairman of the NAE Commission on Chaplains at their annual endorsers’ conference in Alexandria, Virginia. Then, on December 7, 2006, he was elected by acclamation as the Chair Elect for the Endorsers Conference for Veterans Affairs. This is the first time Pentecostal Holiness endorser has been elected to this leadership position. In January 2008, he was elected Chairman, Endorsers Conference for Veterans Affairs Chaplaincy. He serves as an ex officio member, the executive committee, the National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces, representing some 96 million voting Americans. His tenure as chairman ended on January 13, 2010, when he completed his two-year commitment.
Hugh established the Hugh H. Morgan Chaplains Studies Endowed Scholarship Fund at Southwestern Christian University, Bethany, Oklahoma, in April 2007. The fund provides scholarships for military chaplain candidates who have been commissioned in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. In addition, he has established the Hugh Holmes Morgan Education Scholarship Fund, Inc., a non-profit corporation to provide scholarships for aspiring young men and women who desire to be military chaplains.
In March 2009, Hugh was elected as a member of the Board of Trustees, Holmes Bible College in Greenville, South Carolina.
Hugh Morgan’s first book, Dare To Believe, A Remarkable Journey of Unwavering Faith in God’s Promises, was published in 2025 and is available on Amazon. His second book, Our Stephanie, a tribute to his late daughter, Stephanie Ellen Morgan, is being prepared for publication soon, under the supervision of Hugh’s business manager, June Butler.
Hugh was preceded in death by his parents and his older sister, Mary Evelyn Morgan McDuff, his daughter, Stephanie Ellen Morgan, who died on August 3, 2012, and his wife, Melvine Stewart Morgan, who passed away on January 17, 2020. He is survived by his son, Gregory Holmes Morgan, a number of cousins, nephews and nieces and their families. Countless friends and subscribers to Hugh’s News remember him fondly with gratitude. Hugh finished his course on July 7, 2026, having served God, his family, and his country well. We salute you, Sir, and thank you for your faithful service.

A celebration of life service will be held on Sunday, July 19, 2026 at 2PM at Christian Life Worship Center. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Burial will follow at Athens Memory Gardens.

Lord and Stephens Funeral Home, EAST, Athens, GA is in charge of arrangements. www.lordandstephens.com