On May 15, 1974, the third minister of our church, the Rev. Samuel “Tom” Young began his ministry with Lebanon Presbyterian Church. Tom was born in 1928 in Newdale, NC. He attended King College, graduating with his Bachelor of Arts degree and he attended Columbia Theological Seminary, where he received his Bachelor of Divinity degree. He also attended the Presbyterian School of Christian Education.
Tom believed that his call to the ministry was the result of cumulative challenges to serve Christ and do his work. In 1949, during his senior year in college, he decided that God definitely wanted him in the ministry. He was ordained in 1952 in Roseann, Virginia. After serving as a pastor at several small churches in the south, Tom studied for a year in Edinburgh, Scotland. From there, he continued his calling to be a pastor in Kershaw, SC where he then was called by God to enter the Air Force as a Chaplain from which he ultimately retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. His Air Force travels took him to Oklahoma City, Peshawar in West Pakistan, Montana, Colorado, and Spain. However, the best and first stop was at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma City, where he met his loving wife, Zeta on a blind date. Within 2 months, they were married, and some said it would never last. They were married for almost 53 years.
When asked what the main lesson he felt he learned since he was in the ministry was, Tom would answer, “the importance of kindness and generosity and the need to be very sparing and careful with criticism, never give up on people and to leave the results to God.”
The Lebanon Presbyterian Church congregation believed that Tom Young followed that lesson to the fullest. His son, David, remembers being in a budget meeting one day and they were over budget. Tom offered to take the money from his salary so they could meet the budget. David was so impressed with his selflessness and love for the church. That was Rev. Tom Young. He gave his life to God and he lived each day “remembering the importance of kindness and generosity.” Tom pastored churches in Virginia, South Carolina and West Virginia.
When the Young family came to Lebanon, the new manse was being built. The Young family needed a place to live and finding a place to rent was almost impossible. LPC church member, Sharon Dingler, heard about a trailer for rent on either Tell and Sell or in the Lebanon News. The Young family moved into the crowded trailer for a while. The Dinglers were also renting a house in Lebanon and when they bought a house in the Jones’ Addition, instead of moving in right away, they offered the house to the Young family. Unfortunately, it was short lived when the Dinglers’ landlady needed them to move from their rented house. The Young family moved their furniture to the new manse basement, went on vacation and the Dinglers moved out of their rental, into their new house. When the Young family returned from vacation, the new manse was ready. Finally, Rev. Tom Young and his family had their new home with us at LPC. Sharon remembers, “Tom never seemed upset about it, but Zeta (Tom’s wife) and I were pulling our hair out wondering what was going to happen. Tom was a wonderful man and Zeta was a great lady. I loved that family so much.”
Building the new manse on the church property behind the church, facing Pruner Street was one of the highlights of the year. David smiles when he remembers “after each service, he (Tom) would shake hands to say hello to everyone and with the younger people, he would dodge his hand at the last moment and just laugh…and we would all laugh too.”
In 1980, Rev. Tom Young answered another call to pastor a church in West Virginia and he left LPC. Our hearts were heavy as he and family left our church and our community. His children grew up, were married and grandchildren came. Tom returned to Lebanon for our 50th anniversary celebration and participated in the worship service. He told the story of the “borrowed house” from the Dingler family and how much he loved that family and this church.
On June 8, 2016, Tom left his family and friends after a long illness to enter the kingdom of Heaven that he spent most of his life teaching others to accept. He was 87 years old. His life was dedicated to serving God and he lived life to its fullest. He had continued to attend Presbyterian Church of the Covenant in Hurricane, WV until his passing. Tom is survived by his wife Zeta, sons David Young and wife, Melanie of Columbus OH, Jonathan Young and wife Charlene of Charleston WV, daughter Miriam Gillispie and husband Bill of Hurricane WV, and grandsons Noah Gillispie, Eli Gillispie, and Micah Gillispie.
Tom’s family remember him as “a kind, loving, caring man who never met a stranger. He loved Jesus, his family, his congregations, golf, corny jokes, Cracker Barrel and he really loved sweets. In his last days, he struggled to eat but always seemed to manage eating his dessert. Words cannot come close to describing Tom’s life and the impact he left on many.” His LPC congregation remembers him the same.
