Rev. Tom W. Barnes

On July 12, 1913, Lonzo and Margaret Barnes became the parents of Tom Willis Barnes. When Tom was two years old, his mother placed several toys and a Bible on a pallet in front of him. He reached for the Bible. His mother felt this was a sign her son would be used of God in a special way. A few years later, he told his mother that when he became twelve years old, something special would happen to him. Pentecost came to their little community when he was twelve years old; he and his mother were filled with the Holy Ghost and baptized in Jesus' name. Thus began a life of anointing on this man of faith.

At the age of twenty-four, he began preaching this Pentecostal message. Before he began preaching on his own, he was helping in a revival when a beautiful young lady, Lucille Farrington, came to the altar and received the Holy Ghost. On September 24, 1937, she became his wife. They have one child, Ruth, four grandchildren, and five great grandchildren.

After evangelizing a while, Brother Barnes accepted the pastorate of a church in Pinegrove, Arkansas. In 1942 he pastored in the Shiloh community, and in 1943 he went to Pendall, Arkansas, and pastored there for four years. He preached in fourteen different communities in the Ozark hills. On Sunday he would preach three times in different churches and communities.

As he prayed one day, he was surprised when God told him he would be leaving Pendall in the near future. On September 8, 1947, he and his dear wife and daughter drove into Minden, Louisiana, to become pastor of the small congregation there. Not content to preach to just this small congregation, he began going out into the surrounding communities and holding services in people’s homes, in brush arbors in cotton fields, and in tents wherever he could find a place to put one, and in store front buildings. Many people received the Holy Ghost, and soon the small church in Minden could not hold the people. One of these revivals resulted in his building a church in Gibsland, Louisiana. For two years he pastored both churches, then felt led to call a permanent pastor for the Gibsland church. The Minden First United Pentecostal Church was blessed to have this man of God for their pastor for fifty-six years.

For nineteen years Brother Barnes served as Home Missions director for the Louisiana District. He touched the lives of thousands of young men and women during his thirty-six years as principal of the Louisiana District youth camps.

He is the author of three books: Living in the Overflow, Spiritual Warfare, and If You Need Healing.

Brother Barnes is revered as a man of God in his community. Lawyers, judges, and law enforcement officers have relied on his advice and counsel for many years. In 1998 the Minden Chamber of Commerce named him Man of the Year.

He has preached many camp meetings and conferences. One highlight of his ministry was preaching in Jerusalem at the UPCI World Conference in 1976. His heartbeat for many years has been to pray for the Jews.

He passed from this life on April 22, 2006.