Jimbo Bass, M.Div. ‘02 (his real name is James but everyone calls him Jimbo) is a native of Savannah, Georgia and grew up in the historic Bull Street Baptist Church of that city. Following his undergraduate work at Mercer University, Jimbo decided to pursue graduate studies in ministry here at Beeson Divinity School. What led him our way? “When I began looking at Beeson in the late nineties,” Jimbo recalls, “I had already started to appreciate the strengths of various traditions in the Christian family. Beeson’s commitment to cultivate an interdenominational community around a common confession was very attractive to me. At the same time, as a young, theologically Reformed Southern Baptist, I wanted to know if there was room for me in my own denomination. At Beeson I found an affirmative answer to that question, but even more, I found an example of the kind of Southern Baptist that I wanted to be.”
While here at Beeson, Jimbo married the love of his life, a beautiful and very gifted young woman named Lindsay. This June they will celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary. In the meantime, the Lord has blessed their marriage with three lively, precocious children: Sarah Katherine who is seven, James (not Jimbo yet) who is five, and William who is four months old. After graduating from Beeson, Jimbo served in ministry positions at several churches in Alabama and Georgia. Then, nearly two years ago, Jimbo did what Thomas Wolfe said one couldn’t do—he went back home again. He was called to serve as Associate Pastor for College and Outreach at his own home church in Savannah where I caught up with him several weeks ago.
Led by Dr. Calvin Fowler, a wonderful young pastor with a great vision for reaching Savannah with the Gospel of Christ, Bull Street Baptist Church is proving that a venerable downtown congregation can still be a beacon of light for biblical faith and spiritual life. Jimbo Bass is very much a part of the renewal taking place in this historic congregation. On the weekend just prior to St. Patrick’s Day, Jimbo planned an outreach event to the entire city with a special appeal to college students, the arts community, and the unchurched. In an annex the church has recently built on its property, there was a strong turnout for a truly “green” evening. There was Celtic music, Irish dancing, and a talk by me on “Why Savannah Should Care About St. Patrick.” Both Calvin Fowler and Jimbo Bass have a heart for reaching the post-Christian population of downtown Savannah. The message of forgiveness and new life is sounding forth with clarity. Christ is shining brightly at Bull Street Baptist Church. I was glad to witness up close and personal how the Lord is using one of our Beeson alums in this barrier-breaking ministry.
When I asked Jimbo how his experience at Beeson had shaped the course of his life and work in the church, he mentioned several ways this had happened: the desire for a lifetime of learning, and the great “tour guides” on our Beeson faculty and staff who pointed him in the right direction. Calvin Miller, Ken Mathews, Jill McCool, and Danny Blair are among those he remembers with gratitude. Dr. Bruce Winter, a distinguished Australian New Testament scholar who has been a frequent visiting professor at Beeson across the years, also helped Jimbo get his bearings in a Scripture-focused ministry.
“Anything else?” I asked. “Well, yes” Jimbo replied. “At Beeson I received a commitment to Christ-centered community. Through the regular rhythms of classwork and coffee breaks, liturgy and lunch, I found myself enfolded in a loving family. This relational experience continues to serve as a reminder of what Christian community can be and a goal at which to aim in the groups I am currently serving here in Savannah.”
Yes, you can go back home again, especially when you have something to take with you. Jimbo Bass found some special gifts here at Beeson. I believe they will continue to enrich his life and ministry for years to come to the end that God will be glorified, and the church built up, and the miracle of grace will keep on happening.
