Ralph Phillip Hughes (September 25, 1916 - September 4, 2016) was an American minister. He was known for his own prominence in the

Assemblies of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...

as well as that of his family. His ministry received much news coverage beginning in the 1940s.

Early life and education

Ralph Phillip Hughes was born on September 25, 1916, in

Battle Creek, Michigan Battle Creek is a city in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a tota ...

. He was the youngest of three sons of Ralph Bloomfield Hughes (1882 - 1962), a postman, and Larene (; 1891 - 1983), the daughter of an attorney and was raised in a middle-class family. He graduated from Battle Creek Central High School and received training as an electrician. He was not drafted into the army in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, but joined out of patriotism, and served as a military electrician. Hughes was the eighth-great-grandson of The Reverend John Wing (or Wynge; 1584 - c. 1629), an

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

-educated

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

minister from

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Career

After his military service, he worked as a foreman at a factory, a position of unusual authority given his age. In the early 1940s, he left this lucrative position for the ministry after receiving a calling. Over the next 60 years, he had ministries in Michigan, Washington and Kentucky at various times. He began pastoring churches in

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

and

Battle Creek Battle Creek is a city in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a tota ...

. During the mid-1940s, he received a home missionary assignment to Kentucky. There, he had difficulty preaching due to his stammer and the hostile culture of the locals toward Christianity. During an interview with

The Flint Journal ''The Flint Journal'' is a quad-weekly newspaper based in Flint, Michigan, owned by Booth Newspapers, a subsidiary of Advance Publications. Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, it serves Genesee, Lapeer and Shiawassee Counti ...

, he recalled: Following this, he settled in Clio, Michigan, where he pastored the Clio Assembly of God Church for 29 years. Hughes remained in active ministry into his 90s, hosting a bible study from his home. By the end of his career, he was one of Michigan's longest-active clerics, and was recognized within the Assemblies of God. Hughes visited

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

in 1968 and preached through an interpreter. He officiated hundreds of funerals and weddings in the

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...

area. In the 1980s, he moved to

Blaine, Washington Blaine is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, Whatcom County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The city's northern boundary is the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. border; the Peace Arch international monument straddl ...

, known as "sin city" because of its lack of churches and high rates of gambling. There he came out of retirement and assisted his son, the Reverend Jonathan P. Hughes, in founding a church which grew to over 150 members By the 1940 census, he had acquired his first property and reportedly renovated, flipped and rented houses numerous times throughout his career.

Personal life and family

Hughes married Margaret Lucille Coville (1919 - 2004), the daughter of Percy Adelbert and Ethel () Covill and the great-granddaughter of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

pioneer agriculturalist Lewis Henry Coville, in LaGrange, Indiana on August 31, 1936. Margaret taught piano and art and painted fine china as a hobby. She and Hughes won several talent shows in Michigan for singing and

trick riding Trick riding refers to the act of performing stunts while horseback riding, such as the rider standing upright on the back of a galloping horse, using a specially designed saddle with a reinforced steel horn, and specialized kossak loops for ...

. They had four children: * Barbara Ann Hughes (b. 1937), who married

Edgar Louton Edgar Myron Louton ( ; born December 13, 1933) is an American missionary in southern Africa. He has been affiliated with the Assemblies of God and other organisations. Early life and education Louton was born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, an ...

in 1958, and serves as a missionary in

. * Nancy Lucille Hughes (b. 1940), who married the Reverend Ronald E. Thayer. * Ralph Steven Hughes (b. 1946), an agricultural advisor, and a graduate of

the University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Michigan is one of th ...

* Jonathan Phillip Hughes (1947 - 1991), a pastor who graduated from

Central Bible College Central Bible College (CBC) was a private"Central Bible College"

. Hughes died at the age of 99 at his home in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...

in 2016 and was buried at Thetford Township Cemetery

References

External links

Rev. Ralph P. Hughes
at Find a Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Ralph 1916 births 2016 deaths Assemblies of God pastors Louton family