Senior pastors focus on faith in everyday life

By Linda M. Linonis

COITSVILLE — “Keep it simple, keep it real and make God relevant in people’s everyday lives.”

That’s the mantra that has guided Pastor David Thomas since his first congregation of 46 people at First Assembly of God in Lowellville, which had evolved from a small country church known as Providence Chapel with Pastor John Bunney.

The concept has been the touchstone of the ministry of Pastor David Thomas and his wife, Pastor Kathie Thomas, senior pastors at Victory Christian Center. Membership is about 1,500 people, and attendance at Sunday services hovers at 3,000.

The Thomases are marking their 30th year in the ministry.

Pastor David Thomas admitted he seemed like an unlikely candidate to spread God’s word. Religion hadn’t been part of his upbringing; it was music that brought him to God. He had read that Jimi Hendrix described Phil Keaggy as the “greatest American guitarist.” So when Keaggy performed at a Christian event in Hartford, Pastor Thomas attended.

Pastor Thomas heard Keaggy’s master musicianship firsthand, listened to lyrics about God, Jesus and faith and came away with a new spirit in his soul. He had accepted Jesus Christ.

But, as Pastor David Thomas said, life happens and his did. He and his high school sweetheart, Kathie Gordon, were married in 1972.

The couple attended some services at The Barn in Newton Falls, and he described it as the “Jesus people movement.” It was there that Pastor Kathie Thomas accepted Jesus and the Thomases moved forward as a Christian couple — with work, their two children and their lives.

“I felt the call of God in my life,” Pastor David Thomas said, noting he was working at the Chevrolet Division of GM at Lordstown. “Nov. 1, 1974, was my last day at GM. It was a step of faith,” he said. He took a position as an associate youth pastor at Corinth Assembly of God in November 1974, and then in 1978 became senior pastor at First Assembly of God in Lowellville.

“I just knew God was in the midst,” Pastor David Thomas said.

What was First Assembly of God became Victory Assembly then Victory Christian Center. “We had steady growth, but not staggering growth,” he said.

“We have more people who attend than members,” he said.

“Some choose to become members.”

Victory’s theme, “There’s a Place for You,” is exemplified in its multiracial and multicultural makeup.

The Thomases described Victory Christian as “evangelical” with services that aren’t liturgical or traditional.

Though the congregation may be large, there’s an emphasis on interpersonal relationships. Those attending services sign a guest book. If they attend for a few weeks then don’t come to a service, they get a phone call from a church member just to check in.

“We understand a large church might become impersonal,” Pastor David Thomas said. “We acknowledge that and try to fight that.”

“We don’t want people to feel lost in the crowd. People want to be cared for,” Pastor Kathie Thomas said.

Pastor David Thomas said he and his wife share the philosophy that “God is good. The grace of God gives us hope to change our lives and find eternal life.”

“It’s about the future and where God wants to take them. It’s not the about the past,” Pastor Kathie Thomas said.

“People have so many options today. They don’t go a certain church because their parents or grandparents went there,” Pastor David Thomas said. “Time is so precious. If you go to church, it needs to be meaningful.

“Some people have experienced spiritual abuse,” he said, and that moves them to look for something else.

“But there’s no watering down of the word of God. God’s people aren’t stupid,” he said.

“We would see lives change. The Gospel needs to be preached. And in it, people find hope,” she said.

At Victory Christian, services that last about one and one-half hours engage participants with music and large-screen displays project passages from Scripture the pastors refer to along with words of hymns. The end result is that people feel involved and a part of the service, they said.

The Thomases said their goal is to make God and faith relevant in people’s everyday lives. Small groups revolve around that.

“They’re all Christ-centered,” he said, but not all the groups are church-centered.

“They focus on building relationships,” she said.

The small groups vary widely in purpose — education, self-help, service to the church and community, shared interests, recreation and sports, prayer, family and marriage. Some groups are age-specific such as singles who are 45 and older and seniors for those 55 and older.

The Thomases said they have developed various ministry teams with hundreds of volunteers involved.

Among efforts are serving meals at the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley, Salvation Army in Youngstown, and hospital and prison visitation.

The pastors also have made children and families a priority. “We want to be mindful of the whole family," Pastor Kathie Thomas said.

“We try to be kingdom-minded,” Pastor David Thomas said. “We support every church in its ministry. We’re on the same side.”

The Thomases, who did not attend any formal religious or seminary training, are self-educated in the Bible and its teachings.