In honour of our 70th year anniversary, we asked you to nominate alumni who could represent each decade of Kingswood’s ministry for equipping men and women to serve God and His church. On September 18, the university held an Honour’s Banquet for students who received scholarships. During the evening, the following alumni were also honoured as the alumnus of their decade.
Rev. Arnold Stairs (1940’s)
When the Holiness Bible Institute (now Kingswood University) in Woodstock, New Brunswick, opened its doors, Arnold Stairs and Leota, his wife, were some of its first students. Arnold has the distinction of being the first graduate from the Bible department in 1948, and Leota was in the first high school graduating class of 1946. Together, they faithfully pastored churches on the Atlantic District from 1948-1983, and then Arnold served with Christian Blind Ministry International until his retirement in 2000. He now resides in Stratford, Prince Edward Island, where he is active in his church as he ministers to seniors and preaches occasionally.
Rev. Hazen Ricker (1950’s)
Hazen Ricker was taught from an early age that God had a plan for his life. Even though he studied agriculture in high school, Hazen sensed God calling him into the ministry and he enrolled in Bethany Bible College. After graduating from the Bible Department in 1956, Hazen and Norma Lee, his wife, went on to serve several churches on the Atlantic District. During his years of pastoral ministry, he gave leadership to several major building programs and to a successful bus ministry at Sussex Wesleyan in the 70’s. He served on Kingswood’s Board of Trustees from 1972-1996, and now serves as Trustee Emeritus. Hazen resides in Sussex and pastors the Cumberland Point Baptist Church in Grand Lake, New Brunswick.
Rev. Dr. Laurel D. Buckingham (1960’s)
Laurel Buckingham, a 1961 graduate, began to serve in pastoral ministry and evangelism as a student in the Bible department of Bethany Bible College. In 1969, he joined the staff of Moncton Wesleyan Church as the Associate Pastor and became Senior Pastor in 1973. Under his leadership the church grew from one of the smallest in the city to the largest church in Eastern Canada, with weekly attendance hovering close to 2,000. Shortly after he retired from pastoral ministry, he and Lois, his wife, founded the Buckingham Leadership Institute in 2013. As a ministry of Kingswood University, the institute coaches churches, pastors, and future pastors in leadership principles that help maximize local church ministry. Since 1977, Laurel has served on Kingswood’s Board as a Trustee and now as Trustee Emeritus. As an adjunct professor, he taught courses in evangelism and church management. In 1989, Kingswood awarded him the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree and named him Most Distinguished Alumnus Pastor in 1996. The Buckinghams live in Moncton.
Rev. Dr. H.C. Wilson (1970’s)
H.C. Wilson graduated from Bethany’s High School department in 1962 and earned the B.A. of Religion degree in 1972 as a second career student. Over his years of pastoral ministry, H.C. has led the church as a local pastor, church planter, District Superintendent in two districts, and as General Superintendent, the highest office in The Wesleyan Church. He also provided leadership for five years as the General Director of Global Partners, the missionary arm of The Wesleyan Church. H.C. and Gloria, his wife, live in Moncton, New Brunswick, where H.C. is serving once again as District Superintendent of the Atlantic District. For over twenty years, he has been on the Board of Trustees of Kingswood University, serving seventeen years as chair. In 1988, the school awarded H.C. the Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree and named him Most Distinguished Alumnus in 1996.
Rev. Donald Ingersoll (1980’s)
With his father and mother being some of the early teachers at the Bible College, Don Ingersoll, a 1981 graduate, grew up with Bethany all around him. He also worked at the college in full and part time positions with the Admissions, Development and Music Departments for a total of nine years. Bethany students in the 70’s will remember the singing group, His Likeness, which was led by Don and his wife, Janet. Serving in pastoral ministries with the Atlantic District of The Wesleyan Church for 39 years, Don led Kings Valley Wesleyan Church as pastor for 18 years, seeing it grow to an attendance of over 600, and he served two terms at Moncton Wesleyan, giving leadership to the Living Christmas Tree production which reached a record attendance of 13,000 in 2012. Today, he is Lead Pastor at Sussex Wesleyan Church. Don also served as President of the Alumni Association and a member of the Board of Trustees from 1999-2003.
Rev. Dr. Eric Hallett (1990’s)
After earning his Bachelor’s degree from Kingswood University in 1990, Eric Hallett completed the Master of Divinity degree (1995) from Asbury Theological Seminary where he met Kimberly, his wife. At that point, they planted a church in Bangor, Maine. In 2000, Eric was accepted into the Beeson Doctoral program at Asbury in Kentucky. While completing his doctoral dissertation at the Florida Dunham campus in Orlando, he was the executive pastor of University Carillon United Methodist Church, a church with average weekend attendance of 1,600. Eric then returned to Canada to serve the First Wesleyan Church of Saint John, New Brunswick as Lead Pastor. He is currently Lead Pastor at Centennial Road Church in Lyn, Ontario, and an assistant district superintendent in the Central Canada District of The Wesleyan Church.
Rev. Tanya Campbell Nace (2000’s)
After graduating in 2006, Tanya Nace served in the Enrolment Department at Bethany for two years. She then became a missionary recruiter and mobilizer for Global Partners of The Wesleyan Church. Today, Tanya is the Director of Mobilization for The Evangelical Alliance Mission, and she oversees a team of mobilizers who recruited over 150 missionary applicants via five mission hubs across North America last year. She has been chosen as one of the 1,000 young mission leaders under age 40 who will attend the Lausanne Younger Leader’s gathering in Jakarta, Indonesia next summer. Tanya is married to Jonathon (’07), and their family resides in Maryville, Tennessee.
John Gorveatte (Young Leaders Award)
John Gorveatte, who graduated in 2014, is the recipient of the Young Leaders Award. Before beginning his university studies, John served the church in Auckland, New Zealand, for one year. As a KU student, he served on Student Council, led Kingswood summer team ministry for three years, and was viewed by his peers as a spiritual leader on campus. During his internship experience at Stoney Creek Community Church in Michigan, the church asked him and his wife, Lindsey (Hudak ’14), to join their full time staff. Today, they continue to serve Stoney Creek Community Church with John as Pastor of Corporate Worship and Lindsey as Pastor of Connections.