Pastor Fred C. Thornton
Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away.......
Well maybe not so far away after all. Our Pastor has been following, and serving the Lord Jesus Christ for 35 years. And since the fateful day that he came to faith in 1988, he has had an unquenchable hunger and thirst for the truth and knowledge of the word of God. Along with that hunger came an earnest desire to know the deeper things of the Lord, not just the obvious meaning of the words of scripture, but the meaning below the surface of the pages of the Bible. He wanted to know, not just what he had believed in by faith, but why. Coming from an agnostic background, and being a person of reason and logic, he needed to know all the details of his faith and how to defend it on every level. (1 Peter 3:15) And the more he learned the more he wanted to know.
During this time he was discipled and taught by many but none were more influential than Pastor Doug Seidel who served as Fred's Senior Pastor and spiritual mentor from 1990 forward and over the years became one of Fred'd closest friends. Doug's depth of knowledge of the word of God, and the history, languages, and culture of the bible inspired Fred and spurred him on to dig deeper into his faith. Unfortunately, Pastor Doug lost his battle with prostate cancer and went home to be with the Lord on October 3, 2015.
As Fred studied and researched he found that his relationship with the Lord was growing deeper and his appreciation for the Lords sacrifice was becoming more acute. It was shortly thereafter that the Lord laid on his heart a vision for a ministry of teaching and discipling. Not a church, but an outreach, intended to support the local church and grow believers deep in their knowledge of the Lord. (Ephesians 4:11-12)
In 2005, after serving in many leadership roles and teaching positions in his church, Fred began to feel the Lord calling him to enter the ministry and share this knowledge with others. The Lord had gifted him with an ability to relate the truths of scripture in an engaging, practical, and sometimes humorous way, and so with a heart filled with love for Christ and much prayer Fred entered Seminary and received his bachelors degree in Theology in 2007 followed by a masters degree in Divinity. In the summer of 2007 Fred was ordained into the ministry by his long time friend and mentor Doug Seidel at Jesus Focus Ministry, a vital teaching and discipling ministry in its own right, in Southampton, Pennsylvania.
Now, equipped with the call, the education, the gifts, the ability, and the vision, Pastor Fred, with the help of others, has launched Heart of the Word Ministries in 2010 to reach out to, and help those who long to know more about their faith and to Dig Deeper.....
(2 Timothy 2:15)
In addition to spearheading the work of Heart of the Word Ministries and the many teaching opportunities that are presented, Fred is the Lead Pastor of the Church In The Wilderness Community Church in Naples, Florida as well as a teaching Pastor at his home church New Life Community Church in Marco Island, Florida and the Chaplain at Lely Palms Retirement Community.
To read more about Fred's influences, family life and passions click here.
Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away.......
Well maybe not so far away after all. Our Pastor has been following, and serving the Lord Jesus Christ for 35 years. And since the fateful day that he came to faith in 1988, he has had an unquenchable hunger and thirst for the truth and knowledge of the word of God. Along with that hunger came an earnest desire to know the deeper things of the Lord, not just the obvious meaning of the words of scripture, but the meaning below the surface of the pages of the Bible. He wanted to know, not just what he had believed in by faith, but why. Coming from an agnostic background, and being a person of reason and logic, he needed to know all the details of his faith and how to defend it on every level. (1 Peter 3:15) And the more he learned the more he wanted to know.
During this time he was discipled and taught by many but none were more influential than Pastor Doug Seidel who served as Fred's Senior Pastor and spiritual mentor from 1990 forward and over the years became one of Fred'd closest friends. Doug's depth of knowledge of the word of God, and the history, languages, and culture of the bible inspired Fred and spurred him on to dig deeper into his faith. Unfortunately, Pastor Doug lost his battle with prostate cancer and went home to be with the Lord on October 3, 2015.
As Fred studied and researched he found that his relationship with the Lord was growing deeper and his appreciation for the Lords sacrifice was becoming more acute. It was shortly thereafter that the Lord laid on his heart a vision for a ministry of teaching and discipling. Not a church, but an outreach, intended to support the local church and grow believers deep in their knowledge of the Lord. (Ephesians 4:11-12)
In 2005, after serving in many leadership roles and teaching positions in his church, Fred began to feel the Lord calling him to enter the ministry and share this knowledge with others. The Lord had gifted him with an ability to relate the truths of scripture in an engaging, practical, and sometimes humorous way, and so with a heart filled with love for Christ and much prayer Fred entered Seminary and received his bachelors degree in Theology in 2007 followed by a masters degree in Divinity. In the summer of 2007 Fred was ordained into the ministry by his long time friend and mentor Doug Seidel at Jesus Focus Ministry, a vital teaching and discipling ministry in its own right, in Southampton, Pennsylvania.
Now, equipped with the call, the education, the gifts, the ability, and the vision, Pastor Fred, with the help of others, has launched Heart of the Word Ministries in 2010 to reach out to, and help those who long to know more about their faith and to Dig Deeper.....
(2 Timothy 2:15)
In addition to spearheading the work of Heart of the Word Ministries and the many teaching opportunities that are presented, Fred is the Lead Pastor of the Church In The Wilderness Community Church in Naples, Florida as well as a teaching Pastor at his home church New Life Community Church in Marco Island, Florida and the Chaplain at Lely Palms Retirement Community.
To read more about Fred's influences, family life and passions click here.