Personal Bio of John Gilbert ______________________________________
John Gilbert was born January 27, 1963 in Georgetown, Guyana, South America and grew up in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. As a youngster, he would dive off the docks into the crystal clear coastline waters of St. Croix retrieving quarters tossed in the water by tourists visiting the island. His father was a staunch Christian and instilled within the heart of his children Godly principles and values, as well as a working knowledge of the Word of God. After leaving St. Croix, John moved to Baltimore Maryland where he attended Job Corps and received his GED and Certificate in Building Maintenance. In 1980 he traveled to Tucson, Arizona for a visit with his brother, stationed at Davis Monthan AFB. In July of 1983 he married Beverly Jordan and to this union 2 children were added.
John had accepted Christ as his personal savior at a young age, but he really did not have and maintain a personal relationship with Christ. Due to an undeveloped relationship with God John eventually strayed away from the church and found himself in trouble and serving 7 ½ years in prison. While incarcerated he re-dedicated his life to the Lord. While in the Douglas Unit of AZ Corrections John met Chaplin Keith who saw God working in him, when he could not see it himself. Chaplin Keith would talk to John about the Bible and about God and even told him that God was going to use him to preach the Gospel. The Chaplin began asking John if he would be interested in teaching weekly Bible Study and then from there, being in charge of Sunday Worship Services, which he graciously agreed to do. John gives thanks to God for Chaplin Keith for recognizing that God was going to use him to do great things in the Kingdom.
John begin his ministerial training in 1999, shortly after being released from prison when he received his calling to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. John was licensed and ordained at the Grace Temple Missionary Church, in Tucson, Arizona. His ministerial training includes: Completion of various classes offered through the Congress of Christian Education, and Paradise State Convention.
John’s past Christian Positions and affiliations include: Associate Pastor, Grace Temple, Tucson Arizona; Young Adult Sunday School teacher, Grace Temple; Prison Ministry Coordinator, Grace Temple; Chaplin, Inter-Denominational Ministerial Alliance, Tucson, Arizona; President, Evangelism Department, Southern District, Tucson, Arizona; Chaplin, Laymen Department, Grace Temple, Tucson, Arizona, Member, Converge Caribbean Conference, US, Virgin Islands, and currently Senior Pastor of Frederiksted Baptist Church, U.S., Virgin Islands.
John’s ministerial accomplishments include: Growing Frederiksted Baptist Church from a membership of less than 50 to over 150 within 4 years; Increasing the church weekly income to $2,000 week, moving the church from a position of being inactive in the community to having an active voice in the community and government of St. Croix; and increasing overall morale in the fellowship. As current pastor of Frederiksted Baptist Church John was instrumental in starting several new ministries in the church within 5 years, including: Men’s ministry, men’s choir, women’s ministry, media arts ministry, fine arts ministry, food sharing ministry, clothing and food pantry ministry, TV ministry, Elder Care (Human Services), yearly mission trips, learning how to study the Bible classes, Men’s temporary Housing/Shelter and Bridges After-School Program, and HUD, Homeless Prevention Program. Frederiksted Baptist Church has become very active in the Community and has very strong ties with local Government Officials. Frederiksted Baptist Church is Networked with various other entities to provide goods and services to the youth, elderly, homeless, less fortunate of our community.
Leadership Roles/Church Leadership Responsibilities
Preaching Ability
One of the most important aspects of being a Preacher/Pastor is having the ability to preach the Gospel with simplicity and clarity. I believe you must do as the bible says, 2 Timothy 2:15, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Being diligent with my study and meditation upon the word, allows me to hear the Word of God clearly and then relay that word relying upon the Holy Spirit to the people of God and to those who are lost, those who are hurting, and those who need deliverance, can hear the word and then respond.
General Pastoral Care (visiting the sick and shut-ins, etc)
As a shepherd it is my responsibility to care for the sheep that God has put me over. Making sure that they are not only being feed the word spiritually, but making sure that they are well taken care of holistically. The whole man must be cared for, mind, body and soul. Making sure that the sick and the shut-ins, within our congregation and community is something I believe Christ has called us to do. Sometimes those who are sick and shut-in just need to see a friendly face, and hear a comforting word.
Leadership
Being able to raise up Kingdom Leaders is something very important to me. In order to have a healthy church and ministry you must have those in leadership positions on the same page. There must be gender harmony amongst everyone, all working together to achieve the same goals and vision set for the church. Although there are several types of leaders I believe what Romans 13:1 says, “All leaders are raised up from God for His Purpose”. I truly understand that if you are not a good follower, (servant), you will never make a good leader. Learning how to serve others is a characteristic I always want to have, even as Pastor.
Promoting the Ministries of the Church
I believe that in order to have a healthy church you must have ministries within the church that meet the needs of the people. There must be a variety of ministries made available to people, in order for them to grow and be the type of people God has ordained, and called them to be. The ministries of the church must be driven by a desire to give everyone solid biblical direction for life. By offering various ministries, it encourages all believers to find their “spiritual gifts” for service in the church, and also encourages leaders to “equip the Saints”,
Eph 4:12, “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body if Christ,” working together to meet all the needs of the people.
Personal Evangelis
Everyone in the body of Christ should be involved in personal evangelism. Being able to deal with “what to say and how to say it”, it necessary today. Personal Evangelism also equips the saints on how to be more effective in setting up and teaching Bible Study. By engaging in Personal Evangelism and effectively studying the scriptures thoroughly you learn how to give authoritative biblical answers to those who ask. And when witnessing, make sure that others know and understand all that they must know in order for them to receive Jesus Christ as their personal savior.
