It was October of 1979 that Mt. Morris Gospel Tabernacle A/G elected, a young, passionate, West Virginian named Fred Tomlinson as their new senior pastor. It was less than a month later that I was born into this world, and Fred Tomlinson has been my pastor ever since.
It didn't take long for his ministry to deeply affect me and my family. Within a few months, my mom, who had already been serving the Lord, brought my dad to church with her to have me dedicated as a baby. 
My dad has told me he doesn't remember much about the service other than a question and charge given to my parents by Pastor Tomlinson. "Will you raise the boy in a godly home by setting a godly example, and at an early age will you lead this boy to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ?" Those few questions were a strategic inflection point in the life of my family. The only other part of the service my dad remembers is after Pastor's message that day he gave a call for salvation. My dad says that he must of tried to stand up a dozen times from the last row, but he felt like he was lifting an incredible weight. Finally, my dad arose and began to slowly trudge towards the altar. In my dads words, "By the time I was near the front of the church I felt like I was running." That day my dad heard a challenge and dedicated his life to serving God.
My childhood was filled with much sickness and stress. I had numerous physical complications including tubes in my ears, reoccurring pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, asthma, and the list could go on (some day I'll share the miracle that happened to me). Needless to say I was a professional patient going in and out of the hospital on a regular basis. Even though I was very young, I remember a visit every time I was ill from my compassionate pastor, wearing jeans and cowboy boots. In fact, I still have a piece of memorabilia from those early days. During one of those multiple hospital and home visits, Pastor Tomlinson brought me a stuffed animal. It was a cute little monkey that sucked its thumb, and Pastor had named him Leroy just prior to giving it to me. He has always been attentive to the needs of others. Everywhere he goes he's recognized by his jeans, cowboy boots, laugh, and gleeful humming of an old chorus as he walks into places around town.
In my early years, I can remember watching Pastor Tomlinson quickly flick his head back to whip his hair out of face while he was passionately preaching the Word. Often when he would get so excited conveying the gospel that he would throw his fist in the air, kick his foot out, and bellow out a Ric Flair like "whooo!" (For those of you who don't know, Ric Flair was a professional wrestler.) His favorite subjects highlighted his Pentecostal perspective. You can often hear him speak on the cross, Pentecost, and the second coming of Christ just about anytime you come into our church. These days his shout isn't as loud, his hair isn't as long, but the fire of the gospel still burns intently in his eyes.
I spent a summer interning with him, and he involved me in many aspects of pastoral ministry. However, the most impacting times during my internship didn't happen in a service, church, or an office. It was moments spent traveling in a car to a visitation or appointment that I heard the heart of my pastor in a way that sunk deep into my being. I won't share specifics about those times because they are personal to me, and it was something intended for a young aspiring minister to heed. He told me of some strategies that had worked for him, and also lessons that he learned not only from successes but also from failures. I can recall many of those conversations almost word for word.
He's been model of a Pentecostal pastor for years. He hasn't always made decisions that everyone agreed with, nor has it made everyone happy. However, he has always sought the help of the Lord. In his 27 plus years of ministry in Mt. Morris he has lead us through two major building projects, in which both times it doubled the size of the church. The numbers have grown over the years. When he first arrived in our little town the church was around 100 hundred people. Yesterday there were well over 600 in attendance.
He's been known for his wild stories of chasing off would be thieves from around the church. Among other pastors, many know him for his endless schedule of funerals, a number of which have but a slim connection to our church. Many families ask for him because they know they'll be well cared for, and the respect for him is at a high level in our area. He is a people person, mostly because he's lived at all levels of life. His life started at humble West Virginia farm, moved to the streets of Baltimore, back home for a short period, off to a small Bible college near Pittsburgh, then into ministry. He had many occupations prior to ministry. He did what he could on the streets of Baltimore, furnace repairman, and a truck driver are just a few. He knows the value of a good days work, and that's what makes him fit in around the blue-collar town of Mt. Morris.
Pastor Tomlinson will continue to receive my respect. I know one day he'll hang up the gloves from the good fight, but he'll continue to be my pastor. He has lived a life that exemplifies the Pentecostal perspective of the cross of Jesus Christ. His reward will be of the highest level in glory. I think his favorite scripture sums up who he is...
Proverbs 11:30 - The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and he who wins souls is wise.
Thank you Pastor..., for being my pastor. I will never forget.
