PENSACOLA–A young preacher in the 1970s, Jerry Passmore had a heart for evangelism that led him up and down the streets, going from door to door, sharing the gospel with anyone who would listen. As he tells it, after he knocked on all of the doors at all of the homes, he started following moving vans as they entered the area.
Evangelism was and is his heart. At 90 years old, Passmore has a steadfast fervency to see people come to know Christ. He still has gospel conversations and makes hospital visits to discuss salvation with individuals whose health may be failing.
Passmore served as pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola from 1972 to 1989. In 1984 he served as president of the Florida Baptist State Convention.
As a pastor, Passmore had a masterful way of telling others about Christ, culminating with a weekly invitation to know the Lord. A student of soul-winning programs, he taught church members to go into the community and share the gospel with friends and neighbors.
“He has always known how to tell people how to be saved,” said Ted Traylor, pastor, Olive Baptist Church.
Traylor and Passmore share a close and mutually encouraging friendship. “When I came to Olive 34 years ago, I inherited a church that was engaged in door-to-door evangelism during a time of great growth in our community. We’ve been able to build upon that foundation and see the church continue to grow,” Traylor said.
The two pastors agree that the ability to delegate to a God-honoring body of deacons has been instrumental in advancing God’s kingdom and enabling the church to meet the needs of the growing community.
Passmore laid a foundation for the congregation to be evangelistic, to make prayer a focus of ministry and always to have kingdom advancement as a priority. The church built upon this foundation as he moved in 1989 to become the director of evangelism for the Florida Baptist Convention, where he served for 12 years prior to retiring in 2001 and returning to Pensacola and once again attending Olive.
Always a leader and encourager, Passmore has a challenge and call to today’s young adults and parents in the church: “To be found faithful in the Lord, to accept the challenge that God’s Spirit gives to be obedient and to be active by giving their lives to Christ and building the church, thereby laying a foundation for their children to build upon.”
Olive Baptist Church will honor and celebrate Passmore as he turns 90 years old with a drop-in reception Aug. 10, 2-4 p.m., at the church’s Passmore Hall. The reception is open to anyone who would like to attend.