Rev. Robert Lawrence Turnipseed Sr.

The Reverend Robert Lawrence "Lonnie" Turnipseed, Sr.

(January 20, 1927 – January 19, 2026)

Memorial Service February 28, 2026, 2:00PM at Derstine Chapel, 275 Dock Dr, Lansdale, PA 19446

Beloved husband and father, The Reverend Robert Lawrence Turnipseed (affectionately known as "Lonnie") was an American missionary of the Methodist Church, a leader in the ecumenical movement, and a former General Secretary of the Hong Kong Christian Council. He was especially proud of pioneering the development of Asbury Village, a new Christian village organized by the Methodist Church to provide shelter and social services. He planned the withdrawal of the American missionaries of the Methodist Church from HK, which led to its self-support and the union of American- and British-affiliated Methodist branches in HK.

Lonnie was born in Greenwood, South Carolina, on January 20, 1927. His family moved to Statesville, North Carolina, where he grew up. Lonnie joined the Navy Medical Corps at 17 during World War II. After the war, he earned a Bachelor of Science from Davidson College in North Carolina (1947). While working as a teacher, encouraged by a former missionary in Japan and his future wife, Olive Askew Wilkinson ("Ibby"), who was also mission-minded, he felt God's call to become a missionary. In 1952, he entered the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Georgia where he earned a Master of Divinity degree. After marrying in 1954, Lonnie and Ibby later had four children. He graduated and was ordained an elder in the Methodist Church in 1955. While pursuing his Masters in New Testament Studies at Emory, he learned they would be sent to serve in the ministry in HK. In conjunction with writing his dissertation, they studied Mandarin at Yale University to prepare for ministry to Mandarin-speaking refugees from mainland China.

Lonnie and his family arrived in HK in January 1958. He was assigned as the Associate Pastor of Ward Memorial Church in Kowloon, Director of Rooftop Work, and Director of construction and programs at Tai Wo Hau, which later became the Asbury Circuit. He also served as a lecturer at Chung Chi College. Ibby, who had studied Christian education in the United States, was involved in training the Sunday School teachers of Ward Memorial; she later served many years in the Education Department of the Annual Conference.

Lonnie was passionately involved in the development of Asbury Village, a new Christian village established by the Methodist Church; and, in 1959, he became the first Pastor in Charge of the Asbury Circuit. He founded a community center (today's Asbury Methodist Social Service), established Sunday services (today's Asbury Methodist Church), a kindergarten (today's Asbury Methodist Kindergarten & Day Nursery), a primary school (today's Asbury Methodist Primary School), a library, a medical clinic, etc. In 1960, he started rooftop work at Block X in Wong Tai Sin, the largest resettlement estate in HK at the time, providing primary education, recreation, and social services to the children and their families. In 1961, Lonnie handed over the post of Pastor in Charge to The Reverend Lincoln Leung, and became the Associate Pastor of the Asbury Circuit, focusing on community services. From 1962 onwards, Lonnie also became the Administrator (HK & Kowloon) of the newly established Plummer Fund, an American businessman's bequest, which he authorized the Methodist Church to use for the direct relief of the Chinese people. Under Lonnie's leadership, the Fund started medical, food, and clothing relief work in HK.

In 1964-66, the Methodist Board of Missions sent Lonnie to New York to lead the Long Range Planning Office of the World Division and to serve as the secretary of the Commission on the Structure of Methodism Overseas, where he planned the restructuring of the organization and governance of the global Methodist church's establishment of independent international conferences and leadership, including the gradual withdrawal of the U.S. missionaries (including himself) amid the global wave of anti-colonialism and the return of church leadership to local leaders. This restructuring also fully integrated the US Methodist Church conferences. While in New York, Lonnie earned a Master of Sacred Theology degree from Union Theological Seminary.

Upon his return to HK, Lonnie was assigned to the posts of Associate Pastor/Pastor of Asbury Church (1967-1968), Supervisor of Asbury Methodist Primary School, and Director of the newly constructed Silvermine Bay Conference Center. He then served as Acting Senior Pastor of North Point Methodist Church (1968-69), Advisory Pastor of Grace Methodist Church (1969-71), and Pastor of Messiah Methodist Church and Agape Methodist Church (1971-72). He again assumed the responsibilities of the Plummer Fund Representative.

With the experience of building Asbury Village, he led the development of another village, St. Andrews by the Sea, in Yuen Chau Tsai, Tai Po, in 1968. He was further involved in local ecumenical ministries as a board member of Chung Chi Theological Seminary and the Christian Study Center at Tao Fong Shan, as well as Executive Secretary and General Secretary (1972) of the HK Christian Council. During that time, he initiated the exchange of pulpits among different denominations to promote communion and unity. Regarding regional cooperation, Lonnie served as the secretary for the Asia Methodist Advisory Committee (1967-73) whose goal was to facilitate closer working relationships between Asian Methodist Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia.

Lonnie contributed much to the union of the Methodist branches in HK. At the 1967 Annual Conference of the Methodist Church, he moved a motion to ask the Bishop to appoint a group of eight to discuss a merger with the British-affiliated Methodist Church and to ask the General Conference to allow the American-affiliated Methodist Church to merge when the conditions were ripe. The motion was carried, and he was appointed to the eight-member group. This was an important step towards withdrawing the mission force and unifying the local Methodist churches in HK. In 1970, he became the English Secretary of the Methodist Negotiating Committee, contributing to the union of these churches in 1975.

In July 1973, the Turnipseeds returned to the United States where they lived in Nutley, NJ, and Lonnie was active in Vincent United Methodist Church. Committed to ecumenism, Lonnie joined the staff of the Ecumenical Division of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, which soon after became The General Commission on Ecumenical and Interreligious Concerns. He served first as Executive Secretary and then as Associate General Secretary. Lonnie was a member of the General Conference's Planning Committee and Treasurer of the National Workshop on Christian Unity. He served as chair of two committees of the National Council of the Churches (NCC) of Christ in the USA: the Committee on Jewish/Christian Relations and the Christian/Muslim Task Force. He also participated in the Consultation on Church Union in the US and the unit on Dialogue with Persons of Other Faiths. He became Director of the NCC's Southern Asia Office, an arm of Church World Service, in 1981, and then Director of Church World Service (CWS) in 1993, retiring in 1996. During this period, he chaired several Roundtables of the Asia Desk, served as a member of the International Committee of the Campaign to End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism, and was a member of the World Conference for Religions and Peace (WRCP).

In retirement, Lonnie continued to serve as a member of the CWS Committee on Common Witness and the US Catholic Mission Association. He also served for several years on the Asia Committee of the American Friends Service Committee. In 2001, he wrote a book entitled "New Life on the Mekong: Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos." Eventually, Lonnie and Ibby moved to Lansdale, PA, to be near family and live in the Dock Woods Retirement Community. Here they became involved in the local Lansdale United Methodist Church and established many new friendships.

A proud, kind brother, husband, father, and grandfather, Lonnie deeply loved his family. He is survived by his wife Ibby of 72 years, his brother Bob Turnipseed, and his sister Martha Berrier (née Turnipseed) and her husband Ron; his children: Jeanne Guernsey (née Turnipseed) and her husband Tod, Rob Turnipseed Jr, Kathryn Turnipseed and her wife Tam Saimons; his five grandchildren: Danielle Dugas (née Guernsey) and her husband Ian, Justin Guernsey and his wife Lucie, Cara Biddle (née Guernsey) and her husband Nicholas, Luke Turnipseed and his wife Katie, and Olivia Bayley (née Turnipseed) and her husband Sean; and his eight great grandchildren: Ryan Guernsey, Spencer Guernsey, Emma Turnipseed, Sammy Turnipseed, Teddy Turnipseed, Alice Bayley, Violet Bayley, and Lee Dugas. Lonnie was predeceased by his infant daughter Laurie, his niece Christy Paige Berrier, his parents Robert and Sue Alice Turnipseed, his nephew Neal Hatcher, his sister-in-law Margery Turnipseed, and his daughter-in-law, Deb Vollmer Turnipseed.

Above, beyond, and motivating his accomplishments, Dad was inspired by a deep love for God and God's people. The following scripture painted in Chinese calligraphy represents his core belief that the most important Christian teaching is … love. (1 Corinthians v13).

In lieu of flowers, Lonnie requested that any memorial contributions be made to one of the following organizations:

The Laurie Turnipseed Fund

Church World Service

PO Box 968

28606 Phillips Street

Elkhart, IN 46515

Dock Woods Sharing Fund

Living Branches Foundation

275 Dock Drive

Lansdale Pa 19446

https://livingbranches.org/donate/

Lansdale United Methodist Church

300 N. Broad Street

Lansdale, PA, 19446

https://onrealm.org/lansdaleumc/-/form/give/now

UMC Black College Fund

https://www.gbhem.org/education/bcf-for-schools/