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Student dies after bicycle accident
August 06, 2004
By Bryan Cribb

Joseph Doubles

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary student Joseph Doubles died tragically of acute brain trauma Aug. 3 after falling from his bicycle. The master of divinity in Christian education student was 33.

Doubles had the accident while riding his bike to work, said Brad Waggoner, dean of the School of Leadership and Church Ministry at Southern Seminary. Emergency medical workers were unable to revive him.

Doubles, a native of Muskegon, Mich., came to Southern in 2000 to pursue God’s calling on his life.

“Our hearts are grieving along with his wife Melanie, and our hearts go out to her in this time of great grief and shock,” said Southern Seminary president R. Albert Mohler Jr. “Joseph Doubles came here to prepare for ministry, and even though, to human eyes, it looks like his hopes were never realized and his calling went unfulfilled, he died doing exactly what the Lord had called him to do. We should all aspire to be found just as faithful as he was when the Lord called him home.”

Waggoner said Doubles’ death is a loss not only for his family, but also for the seminary community and the Kingdom of God.

“Anytime you lose a young, promising pastor or staff member, it’s a huge loss for not only the institution, but for some church somewhere,” Waggoner said. “He just felt God’s leadership toward ministry and made that difficult decision to leave his career and the financial security that came with that. I know he wanted to serve the Lord. He wanted to serve the local church.”

Doubles is survived by his wife, Melanie. She is employed as a teacher at Whitfield Academy in Louisville. The Doubleses were members of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Louisville.

Visitation for Doubles will be 6-9 p.m. on Aug. 6 and 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Aug. 7 at Highlands Funeral Home, 3331 Taylorsville Road in Louisville, . The funeral will be 2 p.m. on Aug. 7 at the funeral home, and will be officiated by Larry Purcell, associate professor of leadership and church ministry at the seminary.

 

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