The date was April 29, 1923.  The place was Covington Louisiana.  "Yes We Have No Bananas" was the song to remember.  A gallon of gas cost 12 cents.  A new car cost less than $300.  With a slap on his hind-end and a cry from the other end, little Tommy Jenkins made his appearance into the world, the second child and first son of Charlie and Gertrude Jenkins. 

When asked about his earliest memories, Papa remembered that he enjoyed sneaking his father's hammer and nails and when no one was looking, driving the nails into the ground - a foreshadowing of a life filled with a love of building and tools.  He also remembered throwing a terrible fit on the first day of school - another foreshadowing of the behavior of several of his grandsons on their first (and in some cases second and third) days of school.  Then there was the memory of his first solo-hunting trip.  His mom told his dad to let him borrow the .22 rifle.  Though reluctant, his father finally agreed and dropped little Tommy off by a creek on the way to town.  Upon return, little Tommy had two huge rabbits tucked under his belt and dragging the ground.

Tom was a hard worker from a very young age, farming out with his family and doing a man's work at 12 years old; hoeing cane stubble for 75 cents a day; selling coffee to the WPA road crews; and then finally his first job away from home - hiring on as cook for a trapping camp.  He was paid a salary of $50 for the winter.  As an older teenager he continued a tradition of hard work, this time serving with the Civilian Conservation Corps draining swamps and pulling stumps.  Finally the big break he was praying for occurred as he hired on as a welder at the Madisonville ship yard.  When that job shut down he went to New Orleans, where after a stint in the Sears wrapping department, he began welding in the Delta ship yard.  In remembering his salary of $80/week, my grandfather especially remembered the joy of inviting his mother to visit him and then taking her on a shopping spree like she'd never experienced before.

Of all of his memories, though, the most treasured by my grandfather are those of the early brush arbor meetings, meetings that led to the forming of the Shepherd's Fold Church of God, and which also led to the salvation of his grandmother and mother.  My grandfather shared the details of the night when his mother was saved.  She walked into the house, gathered the family to the dinner table and announced, "From this time forward there will be no more sinning in this house."  If you had ever known my great-grandmother, Gertrude Jenkins, then you know that there was no more sinning at that house.  My grandfather surrendered his life to the Lord as his savior in 1935 at the age of 12.  It was the beginning of a commitment that has lasted until the present.

In 1943, as WWII continued to rage, Uncle Sam called and Tom was drafted into the army.  Though he was offered a deferment to continue the crucial work he was doing at the shipyard, he answered the call to military service.  He did his basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, followed by further training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi and was finally stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland.  As he received word that his unit was shipping out for combat overseas, Tom received one of the very first letters from his mother.  In it she wrote that the Lord had spoken to her and he would not be shipping out with his unit.  Tom, almost in tears said to himself, "Poor Mom doesn't know the army."  He was worried about the disappointment she would face.  Well, his mom didn't know the army, but she knew the Lord.  As the men were forming for their final instructions and a final equipment check, Tom was caught with an unauthorized set of barber tools.  Although he'd broken regulations by holding onto them, Tom's captain told him to set up a makeshift barbershop and give all of the men in the outfit a last haircut before shipping out.  At the end of the line, the captain got his haircut and then told Tom that his orders were being changed to stay at Fort Meade for the duration of the war to cut the hair of all of the men passing through on the way to Europe.  Tom was speechless, and could only remember the words of his mother's letter.  "The Lord spoke to me and you will not be shipping out with your unit."

After about a year, Tom did ship out for overseas duty, serving with distinction in the 89th Infantry Division.  As he received his ammunition, Tom's prayer was that he'd never have to use it.  The Lord honored his request and at the end of the war he turned in the very ammo he was originally issued.  Though he never had to fire his weapon, Tom captured many enemy soldiers and was among the first American troops to liberate a Nazi concentration camp - the camp at Ohrndorrf.  He was also in one of the first American units to cross the Rhine River and along with his comrades fought all the way to the Czechoslovakia border.  As the European theater of war came to an end, Tom returned home.  His unit was preparing to go to the Pacific, when the war finally came to an end.  In his few years of service, Tom Jenkins was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant.

To continue the story of Tom Jenkins, it is necessary to return to Fort Meade MD.  During those good days of barbering for the Army, Tom had the opportunity to visit a nearby church.  As he walked in, accompanied by one of his comrades, he spotted a lovely young lady singing in the choir.  He turned to his buddy and said, "You see the prettiest girl up there?  I'm going to marry her."  It took him a couple of church visits to find out that the girl was Elvie Tavenner.  It didn't take him long, though, to get the pastor's young son to find out her phone number for him.  Their courtship consisted of having dinner with the Tavenner family and then Tom helping Mr. Tavenner feed his cows and do other chores, which he thoroughly enjoyed.  Though the whole family fell in love with Tom, he and Elvie still decided to elope, marrying on March 12 of 1944.  Tom and Elvie, or Joy as she is also known, have enjoyed their almost 66 years together.

My mother, Joyce Darlene was born in Laurel MD after Tom had shipped out.  She arrived prematurely and was a couple of months old by the time word was received in Germany.  Her Dad was a proud man, showing her picture to all of his buddies.  She would be a number of months old before her father would ever hold her.  After the war, Tom and Joy settled in Louisiana, where daughter Ann was born.  Tom found a job farming at the St. Joseph abbey.  He continued farming for a number of years finally ending his farming days managing Broad Run dairy farm in Loudoun County, Virginia.  After the farm was sold, Tom and Joy remained on the land at the farm that they purchased.  Daughter Connie was born while the family lived at Broad Run Farms.  Tom embarked on a career of barbering, first at the Pentagon, then at National Airport and finally in his own barbershop in Herndon, Virginia.  It was during this time period that a prayer meeting in the home of Howard and Hazel Nuckles grew into a tent revival and the beginnings of the Sterling Church.  Tom and Joy were charter members when this church became the Herndon Church of God.  They served faithfully in the Herndon Church of God for many years.  During this time Tom pioneered a ministry to the unruly boys of the church - their motto, "What you do is up to you."  It was also during this time that Darlene and Jim Temple met and married.  Ann met Marvin Nuckles and married.  Connie and Mike Johnson met and married.  It was a wonderful time in their lives.

Tom returned to welding after tiring of barbering.  He soon became known as the top finisher in the Iron Workers Local 5.  His work can still be seen in the handrails at Fair Oaks Mall and the National Air and Space Museum.  Tom and Joy answered the call to ministry in 1972, as evangelists in the states of Virginia, Texas and Louisiana.  Tom was ordained in the Church of God on June 23, 1978.  After a very fruitful season of evangelistic ministry, Tom and Joy answered the call to the pastorate, serving almost ten years at the "Friendliest church in town" - the Leesburg Church of God.  He also served as the Overseer of the Leesburg district, during which time 5 new churches were established.  In 1988, Tom retired from iron working, and also retired from pastoring.  Today they remain as faithful members of the Spotsylvania Church of God.

I'd like to become very personal at this point.  In March of 1992, Dad, Papa and I went to Sevierville, Tennessee for a denominational meeting.  During prayer around the altar that weekend, Papa put his arms around me and said, "Today I am passing the mantle to you." I didn't realize the significance of those words at the time.  I do now, though.  Two months later, while on a short-term mission trip to Ecuador, I was called into ministry.  My public ministry began, and his came to an end.

My grandfather may have never enjoyed the acclaim that many ministers enjoy.  He never pastored a mega-church.  He never served as an official in the denominational hierarchy.  He never preached to thousands, but he lived a faithful life.  He never wavered from his commitment to Christ and there is no better accolade. 

Tom Jenkins has served as the cornerstone of our family and as an example of what a man of God should be.  He has fought a good fight, he has finished his course, and he has kept the faith.  One day, and I pray very soon, he will stand before the Lord.  There is no doubt that our Lord will look him in the eye and say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joy that I have prepared for you."  When that time comes, if the Lord somehow allows him to take a look back, Tom Jenkins will see that he has left a lasting legacy.  A legacy of faithfulness.  A legacy of godliness and a legacy of fruitfulness.  

Written By: Jay Temple; Submitted by Matt Temple