Remembering Deacon Gladstone Thompson
I first met Deacon Gladstone Thompson in early 2020. It was an incredibly hot day and one on which the police turned up for a baptismal service at Tarrant Baptist Church! He saw my discomfort and cautioned me not to worry about the stifling heat, for the counter wind would soon start blowing. And sure enough, it did! I’ve never forgotten that and have been testing it since – “
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5b).
Be assured, whatever the situation, the Counter Wind will always come!
The interview below by Liz Thompson was done in September 2020, and was first carried in Freedom Come Rain Vol. 1 Issue Nos. 6 and 7. I recall that when Deacon was asked if he would be willing to sit still for the duration of the interview, he laughed and questioned why we wanted to feature him. Our response then is even more poignant now, given his recent transition (July 3, 2024) from this life to the LORD: “We consider this particular interview a God-move, Sir, and see it as a way of honouring you, a stalwart of the faith; to let your voice be aired in the public arena as you speak with such great pride about the House of the LORD where you have served for more than half a decade! We want to hear our senior citizens’ experiences so the younger generation can learn.” – Maxine Demetrius.
CONVERSION AND MARRIAGE
Deacon Gladstone Thompson accepted Christ in the Brethren church, where he was baptised at age 17. He started attending Tarrant Baptist Church (TBC) in 1970 and was very active in the youth fellowship, the church choir, and the men’s fellowship.
He met his rib, Beryl, while they worked side-by-side in the youth fellowship. A love connection, which culminated in marriage in their twenties, kept them together, serving the LORD and rearing five children (none biological).
BUILDING THE BUILDING
Deacon Thompson acted in many capacities during his over 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, when they would begin a night of fellowship, inspirational sharing, getting closer to the LORD, and enjoying nature, and would return to Kingston on Ash Wednesday, energised by the time of renewal and refreshing in the LORD.
Instrumental in the development of Tarrant Baptist Church, Deacon Thompson was an active contributor to its physical structure, and exhibited great pride in that time of working in the Kingdom.
He shared that when he started attending Tarrant, there was no sanctuary. Services were held in what is now the church hall. Back then, upstairs (where the current sanctuary is now located) was open and used only for praying. He said that through fundraising activities like concerts, money was raised consistently until the upper section was enclosed. Rev. William Edwards was the pastor at the time.
Deacon Thompson disclosed that most of the activities undertaken during this time in the church’s history were characterised 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 safe-guarded. They not only raised funds but also undertook the infrastructural work at every stage. There were bulldozers that cleared the area, and tonnes of topsoil spread by workers, including many young people who voluntarily assisted. Deacon Thompson’s voice was booming with joy as he recalled how happy they were to eventually see the fruits of their labour unveiled.
BOYS’ SCOUT, COVID-19, AND 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 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 recognised the value of uniformed groups and are trying to revive the scout unit and attract the youngsters who live close by.
Deacon Thompson taught Sunday School and was a member of the senior choir, which was quite popular at one time (until Covid-19), participating in some Baptist (Jamaica Baptist Union Mass Choir performances at the National Arena), and non-Baptist functions (ministering with Apostle Dr. V. T. Williams, who also recently passed).
“I like to keep my ears to the ground,” he shared. “I have to keep abreast of the changes that are taking place in the world around me, so I listen to the news a lot!”
Fulfilling the Great Commission to win souls for Christ was his heart’s desire. Most of Freedom Come Movement Missions moments did not miss him. Save for Ulster Spring’s Cockpit Country Mission; he was at all the other main ones: Port Royal, St James, Clarendon, Waterhouse, Portmore Climate Change Park, Newlands, Spanish Town (next to Tyre Warehouse), and Gordon Pen.
THE SEARCH FOR PASTOR JEFFREY SHUTTLEWORTH
Deacon Thompson spoke glowingly of Reverend Jeffrey Shuttleworth, noting, “Our pastor is so special.” He explained that he was a member of the Search Committee (the committee responsible for selecting and recommending 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 we just had to receive Rev. Shuttleworth at Tarrant. There were even people in the Fellowship who saw him in visions!”
The Man of God admitted that other than seeing Rev. Shuttleworth at the Jamaica Baptist Union Conventions, he 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, even 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 meetings where the committee would convene to consider the names submitted. 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?
Deacon Thompson described 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 2008, when the committee met, they prayed and looked at the names and what the needs for Tarrant were. He said the LORD assured him, “Just be patient, Gladstone. 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, until they came to Rev. Shuttleworth’s.
“All right!” The chairman said, “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 responded, “Yes, Shuttleworth 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 replied, “LORD, there is something special about this servant of Yours,” and the rest was history!
IN THIS SEASON
Deacon Thompson concluded that when he saw how God had been using Pastor Shuttleworth in the radio ministry and all the other associated ministries, he could understand why He had chosen him. He further declared that it was really fascinating what the LORD had been doing since the arrival of Apostle Jeffrey Shuttleworth and family to Tarrant, and he was looking forward to the next great wind of change, even as he contemplated his favourite scripture, “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our LORD Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1