Reverend Bill Tomlinson (GBI 1954) said he feels strongly that a Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary education is important – so important that he has put the seminary in his will.
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary is one of the 13 United Methodist seminaries supported by the Ministerial Education Fund apportionment of the United Methodist Church.
"Our ministers need to be exposed to different ideas, especially today," he said. "We need educated ministers. That is why it is important to support seminaries."
Tomlinson said he can't remember a time he wasn't in the church, but he didn't think about becoming a minister until mid-way through college.
For most of his early life, Tomlinson lived on farms in Ohio. After spending a couple of elementary school years on his grandfather's farm near Columbus, Ohio, he and his family moved to another farm in Northeastern Ohio for the rest of his early education and high school.
After graduating from Paris Township High School, he headed to Ohio State University, where he started to take general education courses. Then, he got a part-time job working on a dairy farm. Thinking he would become a dairy farmer, he changed his course of study. "I thought I had better major in dairy husbandry," he said.
His course of study changed again about midway through his college career when he felt a call to ministry. Looking back, Tomlinson realized that three events led to his call.
First, at the end of his freshman year at Ohio State, he was selected as the William Danforth Candidate and was invited to attend Camp Miniwanca, a camp near Shelby, Michigan that taught Christian ideals and helped young men and women prepare for a life of responsibility and leadership.
Later, Tomlinson attended the National Methodist Student movement in Urbana, Illinois and had what he called "a very moving experience." Following that, he and his roommate, Jack Hedges (GBI 52), stayed up late talking one night, and they both decided they felt called to ministry.
Tomlinson changed his major again, this time to rural sociology and economics. After graduating from Ohio State in March of 1948, he spent the rest of the spring and summer in the Extension Service as a 4H worker in Portage, Ohio.
In the fall of 1948, he and Hedges enrolled at Garrett Biblical Institute. Both chose Garrett Biblical Institute because Garrett Professor Rocky Smith had come to Ohio State and persuaded them to apply and later matriculate.
Tomlinson said he found the coursework at Garrett difficult. Because he was already enrolled and had a job, he stayed on for the next quarter, taking Professor Rocky Smith's rural sociology course. He aced it but decided to drop out of school and move to Iowa, where he had received a charge at Exline, Sharon Chapel and Zoar.
After working for a couple of years, he petitioned to return to Garrett and was accepted. His experience in the Iowa parish helped him excel.
Tomlinson graduated in 1954 and began a 41-year career as a minister in Iowa. The highlights of his career involved working with the youth and the United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministries.
After his retirement in 1991, Tomlinson has continued to volunteer at the Wesley Woods camp, building new facilities, repairing old facilities, and helping out.
"Jesus was a carpenter for 30 years, and then he went to preaching. I preached for 41 years and then went to carpentering," he said.
excerpt from a story on Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary website, Evanston, IL
Ministerial Education Fund
One of seven apportioned giving opportunities of The United Methodist Church, the Ministerial Education Fund is at the heart of preparing people for making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The 13 United Methodist seminaries help students to discover their calling through the challenging curriculum. The fund enables the church to increase financial support for recruiting and educating ordained and diaconal ministers and to equip annual conferences to meet increased demands. Please encourage your leaders and congregations to support the Ministerial Education Fund apportionment at 100 percent.
