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FROM THE BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF PRIMITIVE OR OLD SCHOOL BAPTIST MINISTERS BY DAVID MONTGOMERY AND MARK GREEN:
ELDER THOMAS MANN
I was born the son of Norvel and Jean Mann, January 4, 1965. As far back as family records can be traced, my family has been associated with the Primitive, or Old School Baptists, many of whose roots were in Indian Creek Primitive Baptist Church, Greenville, WV, as early as 1792 when the church was constituted.
Early in life I possessed a belief in the one true and living God and was often given to prayer and in reading the Bible. In fact, I learned to read from a copy of the King James Version of the Bible. My earliest impressions to join the Lord’s Church came sometime during my 7th year but were suppressed and ignored for some nine years by my quiet (but no less persistent) rebellious nature. At the age of 16, I asked for a home with Indian Creek Church and was ushered into a state of relief of soul and indescribable joy when baptized therein by my father and my uncle.
For many years prior to my being received into the church, I had felt impressions that I would one day preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and when I finally yielded myself to Christ in baptism, many decisions were settled. At this point, my rebellion had turned to joyful obedience and I found myself continually praying “God use me in whatever way You see fit.” The answer to that prayer became clear, as within a year, the call to preach was inescapable. The people of Indian Creek Church exercised considerable forbearance and patience as I, a 17 year old boy, began to preach God’s word. At the age of 20, I was ordained to the full work of the gospel ministry.
I entered Concord College in Athens, West Virginia, still preaching nearly every weekend, sometimes several times each weekend. My chosen field of study was English and oral communications with an education concentration. Upon graduating from college, I was employed by the Monroe County School System in West Virginia as an English and reading teacher.
Fully three years before graduating from college, I had been called to pastor a faithful and wonderful church in Ronceverte, West Virginia--Mt. Zion, by name.
My tenure at Mt. Zion was a period of ten years. In November of 1985, I was also called to pastor Mt. Olive Church in Roanoke, Virginia, where I currently reside. I accepted that call after much prayer and have remained at Mt. Olive, as of this writing, approaching 15 years.
In the spring of 1990, God began to open an unexpected door for me, which resulted in my resigning the teaching profession and working full-time in the ministry. In the early 1990’s, the workload at the Baptist Bible Hour began to increase, owing to some rapid growth in the ministry, and Elder Lasserre Bradley asked me to pray about coming to work for the ministry on a part-time basis. Resigning my post with the school system, I began working with the BBH from my home, and spent one week each month in Cincinnati. This is a position I still hold, my chief responsibilities being: assistant editor of the Baptist Witness, and program host for the daily edition of the BBH. The personal blessing of working in this international ministry and with Elder Bradley has been very great.
In 1990, I also came to conclusion that it was time for me to leave the loving home I had known since infancy, so I left my father and mother and moved to Roanoke in order to be near the people at Mt.Olive Church. During the first two years after I moved to Roanoke we had about 20 baptisms and numerous other additions by letter. Amid the rejoicing in God’s blessings upon His church, I had a growing sense of loneliness in my own heart, owing to the fact that I was about 30 years old and unmarried. For many years I besought the Lord for the preparation of a woman suitable to my needs. In 1996, God chose to answer this prayer “exceeding abundantly above all” I could ask or think. Miss Hannah Guess (the firstborn daughter of Elder and Mrs. Zack Guess, Memphis, Tennessee) became my wife in November. My most fervent personal interest is that I may never be left to myself, for surely, in this condition, I would make shipwreck of the faith.
The following is from The Faith Christian School (Roanoke, VA.) Website:
Thomas Mann received his B.S. Ed., English and Oral Communications from Concord University, Athens, WV, in 1988, and taught in the West Virginia public school system for two years. He then moved to Roanoke in 1990 where he assumed the pastorate of Mount Olive Primitive Baptist Church. He joined the FCS faculty in 2003, teaching Theology, Literature, and Rhetoric. This year, Mr. Mann moves into the role of Middle and Upper School Head, while continuing to teach two classes in the Upper School. In addition to his work at FCS, Mr. Mann serves as program host for the daily edition of the Baptist Bible Hour, a radio teaching ministry based in Cincinnati, Ohio. He and his wife, Hannah, enjoy reading, hiking, and any activity involving their fifteen nieces and nephews! |
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