Meet Jerome
Trust your intuition and success will follow
Robert Jerome Thomas
Retired U.S. Navy Chaplain, author,
poet and motivational speaker
My concept of ministerial excellence derived from the perceptions observed by my Dad. My father was extremely gifted as an orator, preacher, singer, and erudite church administrator. I knew there was a “call” on my life, but I intrinsically knew I did not possess those fatherly gifts and talents. If one needed the skills of my father to perform ministerial duties. I was on the other side of that continuum I was born into a family lineage with strong spiritual roots. My father was born into a family, where my paternal grandmother played the piano and sang “Songs of Zion” throughout the home.​
My father became an ordained Methodist elder in 1953 and served as pastor until his passing in 1981. My mother attended church regularly in her developmental years as a faithful Christian of the Methodist faith, where my maternal grandfather was a deacon/trustee. I was baptized
in the ChristianMethodist Episcopal (CME) Church as an infant and spent Sundays involved in church life. Therefore, I became very comfortable with the church community and was often “volunt- told” to sing in the choir, assist the usher board
or teach a Bible class.
SEED PLANTED
At the early age of six, I felt a strong urge to serve God at a deeper level. Prayerfully, I felt to serve God appropriately, there were several personal developmental obstacles that would have to be overcome; such as a hearing disability and stuttering. As a result of my speech impediment, I compensated by reading and became a keen observer.
SPEECH IMPEDIMENT RESOLVED
After enrolling at the University of California, Davis (UCD, 1971), I became a disc jockey at the local radio station, KDVS. This volunteer interest not only allowed me to perform a 4-5 hour weekly musical show, but it gave me time to resolve speech concerns that began in my adolescence. Through daily practice, a conscientious connection with the breath and cognitive thought, and a greater desire to enunciate, I reached a new level of confidence in communicating with others. Four years of weekly practice at KDVS and daily improvement were a self-esteem booster toward my goal of being an exhorter of ministry in God’s kingdom.
WRITING SKILLS DEVELOPED
When I worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer, in Kenya, for 2 ½ years, my spiritual path evolved to unexpected heights and depths. I had the opportunity to journalize my experiences and write about what I visualized. Through the medium of aerograms, I would write about the culture, the vistas, the animals, and the struggles of living in an impoverished African country. This experience brought me closer in profound ways, to understanding what it means to help those who are without food, shelter, or clothing.
VOWS MADE
During my time in Kenya, I had many near-death experiences. I was stung by a scorpion, passed out for three hours, and transported by hotel personnel before being revived by an anti-serum at a local dispensary. I had malaria twice with one episode creating a fever over 105 degrees. And I was almost shot by a Kenyan man who mistakenly took me for a tribe that needed to be exterminated. During each experience, I vowed to God that I would serve Him when I returned home to America if He would intervene on my behalf.
THE REPENTANCE
In York, PA, I experienced a spiritual rebirth that refocused my desire to “serve the Lord in spirit and truth”. I had a transformational experience and asked God’s forgiveness for running away from my “calling” like the reluctant minor prophet Jonah.
DEVELOPED ENHANCED WRITING SKILLS
To reinforce my ability to communicate literally, I enrolled in a creative writing class at Alameda Junior College (Jan 1980). I was happily surprised when the teacher appreciated my poetry. The instructor’s mentoring and guidance gave me additional opportunities to hone my literary skills.
ACCEPTED THE CALL
In the midst of incredible literary creativity and vertical pressure, I felt prepared intellectually to meet any verbal or written challenge of seminary. Prayerfully, I told my Dad that I believe I was ready for “The Call”
and preached my first sermon in June 1980. In the fall of 1980, I matriculated at San Francisco Theological Seminary, San Anselmo, CA.
