James G. Thomas Jr. (Pastor Jim or PJ) has shepherded Holly Springs Bible Fellowship since 1992.
If you really want to know something about my background, here it is! Our family Christmas picture is located at the bottom of the page, so if you have to see a picture, this is the place.
Jim was married on December 17, 1983 to Jean Louise Vaughan. They were married in Virginia and taught at Petersburg, Virginia in a Christian School. They served at Joy Baptist Youth Camp in Whitewater, Wisconsin for 3 years. Jim served as Field Representative and helped with the Camp Program. Jean taught in a multi-grade Christian School located in Whitewater.
In 1986, they moved to Billy Sunday Tabernacle in Sioux City, IA. Jim served as a Youth Pastor, and Jean taught 4th grade. In Decemeber 1988, their first son – James Gordon Thomas III (Jimmy) was born. Joshua Gregory Thomas was born almost 3 years later in November of 1991. Because of the strain on their marriage, Jim left the Youth Ministry in the spring of 1992 and started filling pulpit for smaller ministries.
In the summer of 1992, he started preaching at a rural church in Northwestern Iowa, and has been there ever since. Jean continues to teach Kindergarten in Sioux City at Siouxland Community Christian School and Jim serves full time as pastor at Holly Springs Bible Fellowship. Jim has a burden for rural ministry and its unique problems. He maintains a website (smallChurch.com) for encouragement to pastors in rural ministry.
Jim served as a bi-vocational pastor for 10 years. He has worked as a teacher, roofer, farm hand, network administrator, and was on the administrative staff of a nursing home for 3 years. In 1999 the church left a 100 year old building and moved into a new debt-free facility. The entire project was done by the church fellowship. In 2003, Pastor Jim accepted a position as the full time pastor of the church. In February of 2004, Pastor Jim led 6 men from the church on a mission trip to Papua New Guinea and 7 people on a 2007 Mission Trip to Papua New Guinea. (TribalMissions.com). In March of 2009, the a group of 11 people from the church and community went to Harmons Jamaica to build a greenhouse for the community. We supported Jamaica Won by One.
Jim and his sons enjoy paintball, stained glass work, and old restorations. Currently they have restored an 1890 house (which they live in), a 1946 Erie Gas pump, a 1959 Redfish finned fiberglass ski boat, and recently completed a 1978 El Camino. When he is not working with his boys, or dating his wife, he enjoys golf, or fishing the farm ponds of Iowa.
Both of Pastor Jim’s sons serve in the 185th Air Refueling Wing as Air National Guard members. Pastor Jim currently serves in the community as a member of the Moville Towne Players. He is also an organizational leader for the Grant Go Getters 4H club. He is also serving on the board of the 4H and Fair Committee since 2007and also serves on the Old Towne Committee for the Woodbury County Fairgrounds.
As far as his educational experience, Jim holds a B.A. in Bible from Bob Jones University, and an M.A. in Biblical Studies from Grace University (Sumna Cum Laude).
