Our Faith & Leadership
Dr. Pastor Frank Thomas Sr.
Pastor Frank Thomas Jr.
Pastor Frank Thomas Sr. is the senior and founding pastor at Berean Calvary Chapel. Born at home in Wilkes-Barre, PA, to a coal mining family, his family moved to Elmira, NY when his father contracted Coal Miner’s Asthma. Pastor Frank grew up in Elmira, graduated from Elmira Free Academy, and was raised in a traditional denominational church. At 8 years old, having been hospitalized with acute appendicitis and scheduled for surgery, Pastor Frank asked the Lord to heal him, and in return, he promised he would become a minister. Frank was miraculously healed and still has his appendix, but forgot about his promise. Then in 1976, Pastor Frank was born-again.
Pastor Frank taught Health Science at Horseheads High School before becoming Principal of Commonwealth High School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he and his family began attending a church that taught from the Bible. While in Puerto Rico, he contracted dengue fever and was released from his contract early to return to Elmira in 1980. In 1982, Pastor Frank had a dramatic call to full-time ministry and remembered his childhood promise. Shortly thereafter, God called him to pastor the Onondaga Indian Reservation Church where he served for two years. In 1984, Pastor Frank was called to a church in Syracuse, NY where he pastored for almost 14 years when the Lord called him out of that denomination to pastor Berean Calvary Chapel in 1997.
The vision of BCC is to Worship the Lord, Preach the Word of God Line Upon Line, and to Reach the Lost. BCC is a warm and loving fellowship to which everyone is welcomed. Pastor Frank and his wife, Vi, have two grown children, eleven grandchildren, and one great-grandson.
Pastor Frank Jr. was raised in a Christian home and became a PK (Pastor’s Kid) when his dad was called to the ministry in 1982. While he was raised in the faith and taught the Word of God by his parents, Frank was more interested in the world than the church for most of his life growing up. Even when he was called to the Lord to be a pastor in a supernatural way at the age of 16, he still resisted the Lord’s calling and continued living a worldly life. God brought him to the end of his own will at the age of 22, and Frank finally cried out to the Lord to rescue him from his prodigal life and submitted to God’s calling. His life changed dramatically from there, and within a year he was married to his wife Nicole.
From there, it was finding a job, raising a family together, while at the same time pursuing ministry training. Frank began teaching Bible study and leading youth and was ordained a pastor by his dad in 2002. In 2010, he became the associate pastor at Berean Calvary Chapel where he has taught and ministered ever since. Frank also ministers as a chaplain for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at a motocross camp and is the board pastor for the local FCA director who heads up other ministry camps. Frank is passionate about motorcycles, golfing (badly), and most importantly spending time with his wife Nicole and children Taylor, Frank Lee, Luke, Mallory, and Brooke.
what we believe
1
We believe the Bible, both Old and New Testament to be the inspired, infallible Word of God. We believe God is an Eternal Personal Being of absolute knowledge, power, and goodness, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2
We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, His sinless perfection, His miracles, and in His vicarious propitiatory death. We believe in His atonement for the whole human race, in His bodily resurrection from the dead, in His ascension into heaven where at the right hand of God He is now our High Priest and Advocate, and in His return for His church which will be evidenced by the resurrection of those who have died in Christ and in what we call the rapture of the living saints to meet Him in the air. We also believe in His bodily return to earth, at which time He will establish His millennial kingdom
3
We believe that all creation is described accurately in the Genesis account, and that man did not evolve from matter or from lower forms of life.
4
We believe that because of willful disobedience, man brought upon himself both physical and spiritual death. We believe man passed on to all posterity a sinful nature for which he becomes personally responsible to God at the age of accountability.
5
We believe man’s return to God can only be through the atoning work of God, accomplished for us on the cross of Calvary as our eternal and living sacrifice. This salvation is received by choice when man recognizes his sin and therefore his need for a savior and willingly repents of his sin and receives Christ as Lord of his life. This is all accomplished by God’s grace, received by faith, and not of any work which can be done (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7).
6
We believe salvation is attested to by new life of the spirit rather than by mere agreement to doctrinal truths. This new life in the spirit is made evident by a literal second birth (John 1:12, 13; 3: 5-7; I Peter 1:23) which results from the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, the confession of sin, and the surrender of One’s life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ by faith in His vicarious death.
7
We believe in the conscious existence of the dead, the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, everlasting life of the saved, and everlasting punishment of the wicked.
8
We believe in the pre-millennial, pre-tribulation return of Christ for His waiting Church, His Bride.
9
We believe that Christians are not to isolate themselves, but rather are to be examples in the world, honest in all dealings with other persons, respectful of authority, reverent for the name of God, and observant of the Lord’s Day in worship and spiritual edification.
10
We believe in the continuance today of the diversities of spiritual gifts as found in I Corinthians 12:4-11.
11
We believe in simplicity in church government rather than complex bureaucracy
12
We believe in our dependence on and leading of the Holy Spirit.
13
We believe the Word of God should be taught line upon line, precept upon precept from Genesis to Revelation, and that the Word of God should be taught in such a way as can be applied to life as beneficial towards a growing maturity.