Absent from the body – present with the Lord

Thomas G. Bowlin was born in Assumption, IL. He joined the United States Air Force in July of 1957 and served his country honorably for twenty one years. While serving at Kadena, AFB, Okinawa, Japan, he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior in July of 1976. After retiring from the Air Force in May of 1979, he answered the Lord’s calling on his life to become a pastor and attended Tennessee Temple University where he received a Bachelor’s of Bible degree in May of 1983. He joined BIMI in July 1983 and served as a military missionary as pastor of the Yokoska Baptist Church in Yokoska, Japan until July of 1990. When he left Japan he was called as Senior Pastor of Koolau Baptist Church in Kaneohe, HI, where he was dearly loved by his parishioner’s until his retirement in September of 2005. Tom is survived by his beloved wife Shirley Bowlin, his sons and daughters in law, Jeffery and Barbara Bowlin, Thomas Lee and Sissy Bowlin, five grandchildren, Jennifer and Shelly Miller, John, Hannah and Kaitlyn Bowlin, one sister Sandy Powers.

Testimony Submitted by Pastor Tom Bowlin,
Koolau Baptist Church, Kaneohe, HI

Since January of 1991, I have had the privilege of pastoring the Koolau Baptist Church in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Our church is a unique one as is each independent fundamental Baptist church. God has been good to my wife and I, as well as our church. We have seen many precious souls saved who have also followed the Lord Jesus Christ in believer’s baptism. To quote one of BIMI’s own missionaries, Brother Zane Abbott, “Ain’t God good!”

The evening of, August 29, 2004, I was compelled to go before the church and tender my resignation as pastor, to be effective in October. The previous Sunday evening, I had no idea that I would be doing this.

You see, for the past year or so I have been recovering from the effects of a mild stroke and fighting renal cell cancer. On Wednesday afternoon before announcing my resignation to the church my doctor had informed me that I probably have only about a year before the cancer takes its toll.

I know that God makes no mistakes. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” That gives me great comfort at this time. But it all started back in my childhood.

My grandmother raised me, and every time the church doors were open I knew that because of grandmother I would be going to church. This continued for several years until I got old enough to refuse to go to church, much to my shame.

In October of 1957, I enlisted in the United States Air Force retiring June 1, 1979. During the mid 1960’s while still unsaved, the Lord assigned me to Seward Air Force Base, Smyrna, Tennessee (19 miles south of Nashville). Although unsaved herself, my wife, Shirley began to attend a fundamental Baptist church. A man in that church, Brother Al Sligh, began to visit me every Thursday evening and shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Soon I was transferred to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa where a neighbor and later close friend, Jim Haynes, and his wife, Ursula, began taking my wife to the Maranatha Baptist Church. One Tuesday morning I heard a knock on my door. When I opened the door a gentleman by the name of Ron Mahood introduced himself and another man who was with him.

I allowed them to come in and I understood the Gospel. Much to my surprise and delight, I found myself trusting the Lord Jesus Christ and being baptized thanks to God’s faithfulness, and the ministries on Okinawa of Brother Ron Mahood and Dr. James Kennard, BIMI Military Director. This took place in the mid 1970’s.

In the fall of 1976, Dr. Don Sisk, former General Director of BIMI, preached a missions conference in which he emphasized the need for more missionaries and pastors. It was during that conference that myself, Brother Greg Boyle, currently Pastor of Faith Baptist Church, Spokane, WA, and Brother Randy Chovan, currently Pastor of First Baptist Church, Pasco, WA, surrendered to full-time service.

Thank God for military missions. Without men like Brother Ron Mahood and Brother James Kennard, this past week would have been impossible to face. But because Christ saved me there in Okinawa, I can patiently wait upon Him to sustain me, my wife Shirley, my children Jeff and Lee, through this difficult time. In fact, my whole family was saved there on Okinawa. Thank you for your prayers.