Thomas L. Jenkins has been a Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the PC(USA) for about 16 years.  He was baptized into the Christian faith in the Montreat Presbyterian Church, as a freshman in college, in 1980. Tom earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Taylor University, in mathematics.  He taught secondary level math for about four years before he went to seminary at Reformed Theological Seminary, where he received his Master of Divinity Degree.  Rev. Jenkins has been the pastor of churches in Haynesville, LA., and Terrell, TX. He became our Stated Supply Pastor at Kaufman in October, 2004.   In 2005 he was graduated from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary with a degree of Doctor of Ministry.  Thomas L. Jenkins’ doctoral work was in rediscovering the gospel of Jesus Christ within the Christian doctrine of God.

When Tom was in college in Montreat, NC his pastor was asked one time about the doctrine of the Trinity.  The answer was, “If you do not believe in the Trinity you will loose you soul; if you try to understand it you will loose your mind.”  Everyone giggled, looked around at each other, and thought to themselves, “Well, we better get back to more practical aspects of what it means to be Christian.”  But, Dr. Jenkins started at that moment asking within himself, “If the doctrine of the Trinity is true, then it should have real and profound effects upon our lives, in ways that we can understand and discuss in simple contemporary language.”  Tom Jenkins’ ministry is to lead the church in understanding who we are in Jesus Christ and in His relationship with God the Father in the Holy Spirit.  His ministry is a rediscovery of the good news of Jesus Christ, what became of Him and what that has to do with us.

On April 2, 2007, Dr. Jenkins was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, Aymtrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).  He is now in a wheel chair and on a lung ventilator.  But he has a good voice and is sharing with us the wonderful good news of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Ministering to people with disabilities, even if it is our Minister of Word and Sacrament is a participation in the very ministry of our God.  The Reverend Doctor Thomas Lee Jenkins is leading us into the rediscovery of the Holy Trinity.

An Invitation from the Pastor

We are growing, spiritually, in what it means to share in the love of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The First Letter of John communicates to us that “God is love, (4:17)”  Before God created this universe God was a being in love, in the truth that God the Father and God the Son love each other in God the Holy Spirit.  It is through the Son of God becoming human in the person of Jesus Christ, with his death, resurrection, and ascension that you and I have already been included in God’s life, who is love.  We are discovering in our worship and various events together, that what we do as Christians does not start with us; it starts with Jesus Christ in his relationship to God the Father in the Holy Spirit, and that we are being lifted up by the Holy Spirit to participate in the life of God.  It is not we who live, but Christ who lives in us.  Our worship does not start with us; it starts as communion and fellowship within God.  Our faith does not start with us, it starts with Jesus Christ and his faith is given to us as a gift from the Holy Spirit.  Our love does not start within us; it starts within God.

This is how we are growing as a congregation in understanding our relationship within God’s personal relationships, and how this speaks to us in our lives and relationships with one another.  “Faith in search of understanding;” we believe this is what God is sharing with us as God’s children in Jesus Christ.  We would love you to come and be a part of our spiritual growth.