Pastor Bruce retiring from Living Word Assembly after 20 years

Contributed photo RETIRING —  Pastor Thomas and Rhonda Bruce will be leaving the Living Word Assembly of God in Dover-Foxcroft at the end of the month after 20 years of service to the region.

By Nicole Hoad

  After 20 years of service, Pastor Thomas Bruce and his wife, Rhonda, will be leaving Living Word Assembly of God in Dover-Foxcroft at the end of May as they allow the Lord to lead them in a new direction.

  The Lord delivered Tom from a life of drug addiction and crime in the late 1980s and called him into the ministry. He and Rhonda married in 1990 and soon afterward moved to Maine in order to attend Faith School of Theology in Charleston. Tom graduated from Faith School in 1993 while Rhonda left school in order to care for both the three children the two of them already had and the three new bundles of love that arrived in 1993, 1994 and 1996.

  In 1994, Tom became the interim pastor at Living Word Assembly of God, then called Dover-Foxcroft Assembly of God.  In September 1994, the church members elected him to be Senior Pastor.

  Then in 1995, the food program which had been started by the church’s previous pastor, Mark Stevens, began to grow and space was needed in order to make room for that growth. The church members voted to expand the church building, allowing the food cupboard to operate in the church basement.

  As the food cupboard grew, Tom became deeply involved as he has always had a passion for helping those in need. Pastor Tom’s empathy stems from the fact that he struggled financially for many years before and after finding The Lord. He also saw the food cupboard as a way in which he could share more than just food; he could share the love of Christ with the community.

  The food cupboard eventually grew to the point that it had to be moved several more times.  After the church basement, Jerry Cole was kind enough to donate a building on Lincoln Street that was used until the growth required an even bigger space. Part of the Dover-Foxcroft town hall building was rented for a while.  After the town hall, a building was acquired on West Main St.

  The number of people served by Pastor Tom as well as the other volunteers at the food cupboard over the years are too many to count. As Pastor Tom and his wife transition into retirement, they are sad to announce that the food cupboard also will be closing. There will be other programs expanding in an effort to fill the void.

  In addition to serving the church and the community through the food cupboard, the Bruces served the youth of the church through the church youth group. They chaperoned many activities and trips including ones to the outdoor Christian music festival “Soul Fest” for many years. They have touched the lives of many teens that have come through the church doors over the years by allowing God to work through them.

  Pastor Tom said it has been a pleasure to serve the community of Dover-Foxcroft as well as the surrounding areas, and he will miss everyone.

  An open house for the Bruces’ retirement will be held noon-4 p.m. Saturday, May 30, at Living Word Assembly of God, 176 East Main St. Pastor Tom and Rhonda hope as many as possible attend to give them the chance to say goodbye before they leave for Titusville, Florida, and to thank everyone for being a part of their lives over the years.

  Nicole Hoad is Pastor Bruce’s daughter.