NEWBERRY — When Lutheran Church of the Redeemer held the installation service for the Rev. Matthew Titus on June 21, they also welcomed the graduate of Newberry College back to his old stomping grounds.
He majored in communications and minored in religion philosophy at Newberry College. After graduating, he worked at the Fifth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office as the head of the Alcohol Education Program with pre-trial intervention.
“I worked with youths between the ages of 17 to 20 who were caught on under age drinking offenses. They would fill out a bunch of paperwork, go to classes and pay money and have that charge expunged from their record so they would not lose scholarships like Life or Hope,” Titus said.
Titus wanted to talk to people about faith, but was not legally allowed to. He had already thought about going to seminary, so he felt a calling to go.
“I felt God saying, it is time to start, that we have work to do and this is what I want you to do,” he said. “When I told my supervisor, my boss and my co-workers they said, ‘Well, about time.’”
Titus started Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia in 2007 and graduated in 2011. He interned at All Saints Lutheran Church in Huntsville, Ala., then was called to All Saints Lutheran Church in Mason, Mich., in 2011. He stayed in Michigan until 2015, when he felt he was being called to a new ministry.
“The way it works for second calls with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, you fill out paperwork on what you think you’re gifted in, what you are called to do and the way you like to do ministry,” Titus said. “I then contacted a couple of Synods. One of them was the South Carolina Synods. I told them I felt being called to move to new ministry, preferably in the South closer to family.”
The South Carolina Synod took his paperwork and compared it to Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. After comparing the two, the Synod prayed on it and felt it was a good match. Titus met with the church in March and they voted him their new pastor on May 3.
According to Titus, the process is not normally so fast, but in this case things moved quickly. He was not anticipating finding anything in Newberry.
“The interesting thing was that I did not suggest a church in Newberry, it just worked out that way,” he said. “It was pretty exciting news. I loved my time at Newberry College and I loved living in the city.”
Titus said he always enjoyed church and worship when he was younger. When he attended Newberry College, he was afforded the opportunity to work at Lutheridge, a Lutheran summer camp in Arden, N.C.
This experience also helped him realize what he wanted to do.
“While I was at camp, I really enjoyed being able to talk to kids about faith, sharing our struggles and our questions and being in conversation with one another about that. I really enjoyed it and I really felt called to do that,” Titus said.
Titus now looks at the ministry as something he gets to do, not something he has to do.
Lutheridge not only helped Titus realize his path in life, but it also introduced him to the woman he would marry. He met Erin Corley while working at the camp and the couple married in 2006. They have two daughters — Ashleigh, 4, and Miriam, 2.
“My wife grew up in Lexington so my family is excited to be closer to family. Our oldest is excited to be near Nana and Papa,” Titus said.
Titus was born in 1983 in Texas. His mother was in the Navy, now retired, so he grew up all over the world. His family lived in Texas, San Diego, Calif., and Naples, Italy. In 1996 they moved to Columbia.
His father and stepmother, Don and Kathy Titus, live in Columbia. His mother and stepfather, Sue and Bill Rucker, live in Fleming Island, Fla.
Titus said he considers himself a nerd.
“I love movies and science fiction, I play games, I read science fiction books, I am a nerd at heart,” he said. “I would have to say that my favorite movie Shawshank Redemption, my favorite book series is the Thrawn Trilogy from Star Wars and my favorite games are the Mass Effect Series and the Dead Rising Series.”
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer is located at 1515 Boundary St. in Newberry