Rev. Dr. Thomas L. Bess Sr.
Thomas L. Bess Sr.,  the son of Tom and the late Eunice Roberson Bess, was born in Hassell, North Carolina and attended E.J. Hayes High School. While a high school student, Thomas found himself in leadership roles. Having a passion for music, he played in the jazz band and was also the head drummer in the marching band. His love for music and people brought him one of his most youth-acclaimed honors, best dancer of his class.

After graduating from high school, Dr. Bess relocated to Stanford, Connecticut where he began to chart his employment and educational careers. He enjoyed several opportunities, including working for C.A. Doxiades, a city planning firm, and Flori Roberts, a
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multi-million dollar corporation.

No stranger to hard work, he continued to make inroads in education. He was a charter student at the Federal City College, which is now the University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC. While there he took up the study of marketing. In July 1977, he quit his job and became a student at Fort Valley State University and graduated with honors, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. Having been bitten by the education bug, Dr. Bess went on to graduate school at Turner Seminary of the ITC in the fall of 1979 and graduated with honors in 1982, receiving his master’s degree in divinity. He was the first Middleton Fellow in 1982 after completing an intern at the Central State Hospital in Clinical Pastoral Education. In 1983, Dr. Bess was accepted in the doctoral program at Columbia Seminary in Decatur, GA. In 1986, he earned his Doctorate in Ministry.

For over thirty years, Dr. Bess has been a servant-leader to congregations. In 1975, he accepted the call to ministry at Mount Nebo A.M.E. Church, Mitchellville, Maryland. Heeding the admonition of his late father-in-law to not be a “bootleg” pastor, he took the ministry seriously and began to go where the Lord led him. His places of service included: Crossroads AME and Browns Chapel A.M.E. both in Eatonton, GA; Rock Temple AME, Conyers, GA; St. Luke AME, Forsyth, GA; Allen Chapel AME, Macon, GA, St. Phillip AME, Savannah, GA; Flipper Temple AME, Atlanta, GA.

Currently, Dr. Bess is an adjunct professor at the ITC, Dean of the Atlanta North Georgia Conference, a member of the Board of Trustees for many groups, including Georgia for Children, Butler Street YMCA, ITC, Turner Theological Seminary, North Georgia Conference. He is also a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., 100 Black Men of Atlanta, and Graduate of Leadership Atlanta. He is the author of The Funeral, and co-author of When Black Folk Die.   

Reverend Dr. Thomas L. Bess, Sr., is the pastor of St. Paul AME Church, Atlanta. He is married to Dr. Gretchen Bess and they have two sons, Steven and Thomas, Jr. He and Gretchen are the grandparents to one beautiful granddaughter, Mia.