Eldred Thomas
5/18/1919--3/17/1998
“You were never meant for a place like this. You are going to die.” Fourteen-year-old Eldred Thomas received this as a warning from the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result, two weeks later he gave his heart to the Lord, making the decision that would change his entire life.
Born and raised in East St Louis, Illinois, Eldred lived with his mother, a devout Methodist, and his father, a man of the world. As an unhappy teenager, he found refuge in the Pistol City String Band, playing violin, guitar, mandolin, french horn, and harmonica. The hours spent with the band in night clubs brought the escape and enjoyment he was seeking. But the Lord had a higher calling for Eldred Thomas. Once he turned his life over to the Lord, Eldred never played in a club again.
Within months, Thomas began studying radio and communications. Although he was awarded an academic four-year scholarship to the University of Illinois for graduating with the highest grades in the township, Thomas chose to go to the Southwest Baptist College to prepare for the ministry. He was licensed to preach by the Washington Park Baptist Church in Washington Park, Illinois; ordained at the age of 17; and preached to his first church in Lamar, Missouri while attending Southwest Baptist College. He then went on to study at Baylor University, where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Bible. Later, he went on to earn a Master’s of Theology in Manatos Springs, Colorado.
For the next twenty years, Eldred Thomas pastored a number of churches in Texas and Missouri and founded the Berean Memorial Church in Irving, Texas. He was also co-founder of India Bible Education Enterprises of which he was president for twenty-five years. While under his direction, forty-three churches were established overseas by India Bible Education Enterprises and its work is still actively going on.
It was in 1976 with the establishment of KVTT radio in Dallas, Texas that his vision of reaching people with the Gospel through modern communications techniques became a reality. This was the beginning of the fulfillment of a plan revealed to Thomas by the Lord; a plan for radio and television to be used to broadcast the hope and life of Jesus Christ to a hopeless and dying world.
Thomas made his first venture into television in 1983 with Channel 49 in Dallas, Texas, a 24 hour Christian station, and in Houston, Texas in1988 he opened KLTJ Channel 57 which later was moved to Channel 22. As the call-letters symbolized the station’s goal was to help people “Keep Looking To Jesus.” The station is now owned and operated by Daystar Television Network.
Eldred Thomas was married for over 42 years to his wife Raye Nell Thomas and they had four children. Mrs. Thomas was the general manager for KVTT Radio and helped co-host the “Keep Looking to Jesus” TV program on the KLTJ television station.
As his life testifies, Eldred Thomas is an example of what can be accomplished in a life submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. A teenage band member, playing the clubs of East St Louis was raised up to reach out to the world with the message of salvation. And it all began by saying “yes” to His call.
The Three “P’s” for Success in Brother Thomas’s Life #1- PRAYER Few men have I met who resorted to prayer as Brother Thomas. I cannot recall a time where he visited our home or we his where he did not invite us all to kneel and pray before departing. He truly believed in prayer—united prayer where two or three were gathered together in Jesus Name.
What impressed me most was the fact that he always had a prayer closet nearby, whether at home or at work. Never have I known a man to pay his employees their regular hourly salary even during daily prayer hour—imagine 20 hours a month each employee was paid to pray and read God’s Word! That’s 600 hours a year! We know it pays to pray—ET, as he was known, took that literally. Prayer meeting was a daily must and TV programs would sooner be cancelled than united prayer time. It was at the end of a 7 day fast that God spoke to him, “Go into the homes of the people.” Immediately he set out knocking on doors to witness Christ. Later he realized it was television God was asking him to pioneer. Over the heads and into the homes!
Let us learn from his example the importance of prayer for successful ministry. Without that daily hour of united prayer what a different story Channel 22 Houston would have had! Wouldn’t it be fitting if somehow someone somewhere could make a little stone prayer chapel open 24 hours a day to the public honor of our brother? Until then, let’s each have our own prayer closet.
#2- PRINCIPLE His second P for Success was principles—unchangeable principles in business and ministry. I was never able to give a sufficient excuse for not being somewhere I was scheduled to be in the presence of Brother Thomas. Rain, storm, wind, and cold were not sufficient as an excuse. Once when we were filming the KJV Bible series we were caught in a literal deluge and hail storm with thunder and lightning crashing and flood warnings all over town. We pulled off to phone and say, “Brother, it is going to be extremely difficult to make it to the station tonight…” Without a pause he said, “Well, brother, whenever we say we are going to be somewhere, especially for the Lord’s work, we don’t let anything stop us!” Needless to say, we did make it---though 15 minutes late.
He was a man of principle—prayer foremost, the Authorized Version of the Bible God’s only true Word to the English speaking world. Alcohol was of the Devil and so was mixed bathing, which was what most swimming pools condoned. Also no pants on women and no dancing on the TV station he set up in Houston. He stuck to his principles. Though many tried to change him, none could succeed but mostly were rather worse for the wear.
Oh, and organic food—he’d rather fast than eat “contaminated” conventional food. He used to say, “I’m the poorest man in Houston as I can’t find a good meal to eat?” That was before our son Paul taught him to cook, which he really did enjoy in his latter years.
Brother Thomas had his principles. He fasted every Thursday rain or shine in sickness or health, and as well he exercised regularly—right up to the end of his earthly life. Once when I was with him in El Paso, I was surprised to see him pull out his rebounder from the trunk of the car the next morning and bring it into the hotel. I was awakened to the sound of the springs going “boing”, “boing”, as this dear old saint of God was airborne getting his blood circulating! He was not anyone’s mold but what the Lord wanted. As one brother put it at his funeral, “Eldred never did worry about what kind of wake he made!” He had principles and….
#3 PRIORITIES First things first. The Bible, prayer, praising the Lord, then whatever needed to be done that day! He never let phone calls or visitors deter him from a project. How many times have you come to share about one thing only to find it will have to wait?!
Souls was Eldred’s priority and at any cost. He loved the lost and his goal in life was souls for his Master. This was his priority—on this he rested his business and ministry and social life! How many guitars he gave away to help win souls? How much equipment bought and sent to reach souls? This priority was his focus and kept all else in perspective.
May we be challenged by the 3 P’s in Brother Thomas’ life.
Written by Stephen Star
“Brother, Brother…..” How well we remember Eldred’s greetings whenever we would meet!
One “Brother!” meant great—nice to see you!
Two “Brothers” or a “Brother, Brother!” meant wonderful to see you—very exciting, also it meant pay attention or kind of like a verily, verily—Ha! But if you received a triple “Brother” or a “Brother, Brother, Brother”—you were in store for a lecture from this Elder on how you blew it! Amen!
Born and raised in East St Louis, Illinois, Eldred lived with his mother, a devout Methodist, and his father, a man of the world. As an unhappy teenager, he found refuge in the Pistol City String Band, playing violin, guitar, mandolin, french horn, and harmonica. The hours spent with the band in night clubs brought the escape and enjoyment he was seeking. But the Lord had a higher calling for Eldred Thomas. Once he turned his life over to the Lord, Eldred never played in a club again.
Within months, Thomas began studying radio and communications. Although he was awarded an academic four-year scholarship to the University of Illinois for graduating with the highest grades in the township, Thomas chose to go to the Southwest Baptist College to prepare for the ministry. He was licensed to preach by the Washington Park Baptist Church in Washington Park, Illinois; ordained at the age of 17; and preached to his first church in Lamar, Missouri while attending Southwest Baptist College. He then went on to study at Baylor University, where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Bible. Later, he went on to earn a Master’s of Theology in Manatos Springs, Colorado.
For the next twenty years, Eldred Thomas pastored a number of churches in Texas and Missouri and founded the Berean Memorial Church in Irving, Texas. He was also co-founder of India Bible Education Enterprises of which he was president for twenty-five years. While under his direction, forty-three churches were established overseas by India Bible Education Enterprises and its work is still actively going on.
It was in 1976 with the establishment of KVTT radio in Dallas, Texas that his vision of reaching people with the Gospel through modern communications techniques became a reality. This was the beginning of the fulfillment of a plan revealed to Thomas by the Lord; a plan for radio and television to be used to broadcast the hope and life of Jesus Christ to a hopeless and dying world.
Thomas made his first venture into television in 1983 with Channel 49 in Dallas, Texas, a 24 hour Christian station, and in Houston, Texas in1988 he opened KLTJ Channel 57 which later was moved to Channel 22. As the call-letters symbolized the station’s goal was to help people “Keep Looking To Jesus.” The station is now owned and operated by Daystar Television Network.
Eldred Thomas was married for over 42 years to his wife Raye Nell Thomas and they had four children. Mrs. Thomas was the general manager for KVTT Radio and helped co-host the “Keep Looking to Jesus” TV program on the KLTJ television station.
As his life testifies, Eldred Thomas is an example of what can be accomplished in a life submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. A teenage band member, playing the clubs of East St Louis was raised up to reach out to the world with the message of salvation. And it all began by saying “yes” to His call.
The Three “P’s” for Success in Brother Thomas’s Life #1- PRAYER Few men have I met who resorted to prayer as Brother Thomas. I cannot recall a time where he visited our home or we his where he did not invite us all to kneel and pray before departing. He truly believed in prayer—united prayer where two or three were gathered together in Jesus Name.
What impressed me most was the fact that he always had a prayer closet nearby, whether at home or at work. Never have I known a man to pay his employees their regular hourly salary even during daily prayer hour—imagine 20 hours a month each employee was paid to pray and read God’s Word! That’s 600 hours a year! We know it pays to pray—ET, as he was known, took that literally. Prayer meeting was a daily must and TV programs would sooner be cancelled than united prayer time. It was at the end of a 7 day fast that God spoke to him, “Go into the homes of the people.” Immediately he set out knocking on doors to witness Christ. Later he realized it was television God was asking him to pioneer. Over the heads and into the homes!
Let us learn from his example the importance of prayer for successful ministry. Without that daily hour of united prayer what a different story Channel 22 Houston would have had! Wouldn’t it be fitting if somehow someone somewhere could make a little stone prayer chapel open 24 hours a day to the public honor of our brother? Until then, let’s each have our own prayer closet.
#2- PRINCIPLE His second P for Success was principles—unchangeable principles in business and ministry. I was never able to give a sufficient excuse for not being somewhere I was scheduled to be in the presence of Brother Thomas. Rain, storm, wind, and cold were not sufficient as an excuse. Once when we were filming the KJV Bible series we were caught in a literal deluge and hail storm with thunder and lightning crashing and flood warnings all over town. We pulled off to phone and say, “Brother, it is going to be extremely difficult to make it to the station tonight…” Without a pause he said, “Well, brother, whenever we say we are going to be somewhere, especially for the Lord’s work, we don’t let anything stop us!” Needless to say, we did make it---though 15 minutes late.
He was a man of principle—prayer foremost, the Authorized Version of the Bible God’s only true Word to the English speaking world. Alcohol was of the Devil and so was mixed bathing, which was what most swimming pools condoned. Also no pants on women and no dancing on the TV station he set up in Houston. He stuck to his principles. Though many tried to change him, none could succeed but mostly were rather worse for the wear.
Oh, and organic food—he’d rather fast than eat “contaminated” conventional food. He used to say, “I’m the poorest man in Houston as I can’t find a good meal to eat?” That was before our son Paul taught him to cook, which he really did enjoy in his latter years.
Brother Thomas had his principles. He fasted every Thursday rain or shine in sickness or health, and as well he exercised regularly—right up to the end of his earthly life. Once when I was with him in El Paso, I was surprised to see him pull out his rebounder from the trunk of the car the next morning and bring it into the hotel. I was awakened to the sound of the springs going “boing”, “boing”, as this dear old saint of God was airborne getting his blood circulating! He was not anyone’s mold but what the Lord wanted. As one brother put it at his funeral, “Eldred never did worry about what kind of wake he made!” He had principles and….
#3 PRIORITIES First things first. The Bible, prayer, praising the Lord, then whatever needed to be done that day! He never let phone calls or visitors deter him from a project. How many times have you come to share about one thing only to find it will have to wait?!
Souls was Eldred’s priority and at any cost. He loved the lost and his goal in life was souls for his Master. This was his priority—on this he rested his business and ministry and social life! How many guitars he gave away to help win souls? How much equipment bought and sent to reach souls? This priority was his focus and kept all else in perspective.
May we be challenged by the 3 P’s in Brother Thomas’ life.
Written by Stephen Star
“Brother, Brother…..” How well we remember Eldred’s greetings whenever we would meet!
One “Brother!” meant great—nice to see you!
Two “Brothers” or a “Brother, Brother!” meant wonderful to see you—very exciting, also it meant pay attention or kind of like a verily, verily—Ha! But if you received a triple “Brother” or a “Brother, Brother, Brother”—you were in store for a lecture from this Elder on how you blew it! Amen!
