CONVERSION AND MARRIAGE
Deacon Gladstone Thompson is a 74-year-old servant of the Lord who is married to Beryl. They have reared five children (none biological).
Gladstone Thompson accepted Christ in the Brethren church where he was baptized at age 17. He started attending Tarrant Baptist Church (TBC) in 1970, and was very active in Youth Fellowship, the Church Choir, and Men’s Fellowship.
He met Beryl while they worked together in the Youth Fellowship. A love connection which culminated in marriage in their twenties, has kept them together, serving the Lord, ever since. Mrs. Thompson performs crucial behind-the-scenes work at Tarrant today, preparing mouthwatering meals for the volunteers, while her husband assists with logistical arrangements.
BUILDING THE BUILDING
Deacon Thompson acted in many capacities during his five decades of service at Tarrant, including as Youth Fellowship president. One of the regular activities to which the Youth Fellowship looked forward each year was their annual Ash Wednesday trip to New Castle. They would arrive on Tuesday where they would begin a night of fellowship, inspirational sharing, getting closer to the Lord, and enjoying nature. They would return to Kingston on Ash Wednesday, energized by the time of renewal and refreshing in the Lord.
Deacon Thompson has been very instrumental in the development of TBC. An active contributor to its physical development, he exhibits great pride in that time of working in the Kingdom.
He shared that when he started attending Tarrant in 1970, there was no sanctuary. Services were held in what is now the church hall. Back then, upstairs where the current sanctuary is located,was open and used only for praying. He says that through fundraising activities, such as concerts, money was raised consistently until the upper section was enclosed. Rev. William Edwards was the pastor at the time and though now retired, he remains in active service. His son, Dale Edwards, attends Tarrant and assists in the church.
Deacon Thompson shares that most of the activities undertaken during this time in the church’s history were characterized by physical labour. The last major undertaking was assisting with the securing of the parking area at the back of the church, referred to as ‘the gully wall.’
The Men’s Fellowship was instrumental in having the wall constructed and the place secured. They not only raised funds but also undertook the infrastructural work at every stage. There were bulldozers that cleared the area and tons of topsoil spread by workers, including many young people who voluntarily assisted. Deacon Thompson’s voice was booming with pride and joy as he recalls how happy they were to eventually see the fruits of their labour unveiled.
BOYS’ SCOUT, COVID-19 & MINISTRY
TBC’s energetic and enthusiastic Boys’ Scout Unit used to meet on Friday or Saturday evenings. On the third Sunday of each month, they would attend church, proudly arrayed in their uniforms; but when the leader was appointed District Commissioner for Scouts, he was unavailable to oversee the church’s programme, so it became defunct and the young boys from the surrounding communities who were members, drifted away.
The Scout House remains on the property at 51 Molynes Road and the grounds are used by other scouting units for their annual Camp Fire. Members of the present-day Men’s Fellowship have recognized the value of uniformed groups and are trying to revive the Scout Unit and attract the youngsters who live close by.
Deacon Thompson has always been involved in some form of teaching: his latest sojourn was with the upper age limit group at Tarrant which comprised his Sunday School class. However, because of COVID-19, physical meetings have been suspended and replaced with online classes, conducted by other teachers via Zoom.
A member of the senior choir, the latter too has suffered from COVID-19 restrictions. Deacon Thompson looks forward to the return of the choir which was very vibrant, as well as the return of the annual and special activities in which they participated, including some Baptist (Jamaica Baptist Union Mass Choir performances at the National Arena), and non-Baptist functions (ministering with Bishop Dr. V. T. Williams).
Deacon Thompson’s favourite scripture is Romans 5:1: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
He says he continues to serve the Lord and to keep his ears to the ground; keeping abreast of the changes which are taking place in the world.
Teacher and friend to many, Deacon Thompson still serves as a counselor, assisting whenever the need arises with recording personal information of the people who go to the altar in response to altar calls, or the prompting of the Holy Spirit. He stresses that the Lord has been so good to him and has blessed him with reasonably good health.
Fulfilling the Great Commission to win souls for Christ continues to be his heart’s desire, and this stalwart of the faith still reports for duty on the Missions Field. Most of Freedom Come Movement Ministry Missions have not missed him. Save for Ulster Spring’s Cockpit Country Mission; he has been at all the other main ones – Port Royal, St James, Clarendon, Waterhouse, Portmore Climate Change Park, and Newlands.
THE SEARCH FOR REVEREND JEFFREY SHUTTLEWORTH
Deacon Thompson speaks glowingly of Reverend Jeffrey Shuttleworth, noting that “our pastor is so special.” He says he was a member of the Search Committee (the Committee with responsibility to select and recommend the pastor for the church) and that before Rev. Shuttleworth was appointed Pastor of Tarrant, he (Deacon Thompson) had had some experiences with the Lord. It was as if God was saying they just had to receive Rev. Shuttleworth at Tarrant. There were even people in the Fellowship who saw him in visions.
Other than seeing Rev. Shuttleworth at the Jamaica Baptist Union Conventions, Deacon Thompson had not had any great interaction with him, but it was as if the Lord kept telling him that he was the one for Tarrant. He said he had that consciousness within him before the Search Committee signed off on him as pastor.
He explained that each church within the Baptist Union is at liberty to invite a pastor to come and serve. Back then, the system used to determine that person was a series of weekly meeting where the Committee would convene to consider the submitted names. He said the Lord kept putting it in his spirit that Rev. Shuttleworth was the one that He wanted to be at Tarrant. He hardly knew him, but the Holy Spirit kept nudging him.
WHAT SAY YOU?
He shared how the Committee considered the names of several other pastors who were serving in the island, and the Lord kept saying to him: “Remember, Jeffrey Shuttleworth is the one for Tarrant!”
On that fateful Sunday evening in 2012 when the Committee met, they prayed and looked at the names and what the needs for Tarrant were. It was as if the Lord kept saying to Deacon Thompson: “Just be patient, when you get to Jeffrey Shuttleworth’s name, that is when you will sign off on who will be at Tarrant.”
So they went through, name, after name, after name each Sunday evening, and it was not until they came to Rev. Shuttleworth’s and the chairman said, “All right, we have here now the Reverend Jeffrey Shuttleworth!” Turning first to Deacon Thompson, he asked directly, “What do you say, yes or no?”
Without so much as a quiver in his voice, Deacon Thompson replied, “Yes, this is the man for Tarrant!”
Much to his surprise, everybody said, as each was asked, “If brother Thompson says Shuttleworth is the man for Tarrant, so say I!”
Brother Thompson responded, “Lord, there is something special about this servant of Yours,” and the rest is history!
IN THIS SEASON
Deacon Thompson says when he sees how the Lord is using Rev. Shuttleworth now in the radio ministry and all the other associated ministries, he can understand why the Lord chose him. He states further that it is really fascinating what the Lord has been doing since the coming of Rev. Jeffrey Shuttleworth and family to Tarrant, and he is looking forward to the next great wind of change.
Deacon Thompson’s favourite scripture is Romans 5:1: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Blessed be the Lord God Almighty who is and was and is to come for He hath done great things!
This article was written in 2020.