RIP WELL-LOVED SERVANT
RIP WELL-LOVED SERVANT
James Earl Weiss (Jim) was born on July 25, 1938, in Akron, Ohio, to Earl and Zada Weiss.
He had 3 older sisters; Joyce, Joan, and Patty, and 2 younger sisters; Dawn and Peggy. He used to say that he was in church from the time he was born, but he never really knew what it was all about, so his teens and twenties saw him living a life not committed to the Lord.
Early in his 30s, the Lord got his attention, and his life changed dramatically, to the point that those he worked with in the plumbers’ and pipefitters’ union wondered what had happened to him. He and his family began attending an Alliance church in Tallmadge, Ohio, where he grew stronger in his walk with the Lord. Jim began to feel the Lord calling him into full-time Christian service, and at the age of 38, in 1976, he and his first wife, Joan, sold their house and moved to Toccoa Falls College in Georgia, along with their four children: Terri, Jimmy, Bob, and Heather.
Jim had many challenges scholastically (including what would today be called ADHD and dyslexia), and college life was very difficult for him. But the Lord was faithful, and Jim was able to graduate from TFC in 1980 with a BA in Bible Theology. He could also give a clear testimony of how the Lord protected him and his family in the tragic Toccoa Falls dam break and flood, where 39 people at the college lost their lives in November 1977.
In 1980 Jim was licensed with the Christian & Missionary Alliance and was ordained in 1983. He pastored a small Baptist church in Clayton, Georgia, for two years during and after college, and then served Alliance churches in Clewiston, Titusville, and Keystone Heights Florida, from 1981 to 1992. In 1992, Jim and Joan planted an Alliance Church in Clayton, Georgia.
In the spring of 1995, Joan passed away after a battle with cancer, and Jim continued to pastor the church in Clayton, all the while working to use Clayton as his Jerusalem and win souls to Christ. He also began his pursuit of graduate-level seminary training in 1996 back at Toccoa, and earned his MA degree in Bible Theology in 2002.
In 1997, Jim married Janet Gardner, and they continued at the church in Clayton until it closed in 1998. They moved to Leesburg, Florida in 1999, where he served as the senior pastor until 2016, when he turned 78. Still not ready to retire, he stepped aside and became the assistant pastor, serving with several short-term pastors until he finally retired at the age of 84 in 2022. To step aside and continue serving was an act of humility and grace that all who worked with him appreciated very much.
In addition to pastoring in Leesburg, Jim became active in the role of a volunteer chaplain at local hospitals and hospices, and pursued training in Clinical Pastoral Education. He impacted many people with God’s love through this ministry.
In the summer of 2023, Jim underwent major abdominal surgery. He was also dealing with AFib, congestive heart failure, and kidney failure. But he desired to keep learning, and wanted to know God more and more deeply. He longed to be able to impart what he learned to others, and continued in that vein consistently. In the spring of 2024, he did make the comment, “I finally feel like I have retired,” acknowledging the realization that his body was slowing down. In the middle of April, 2024, Jim contracted an infection which led into mild dementia. Treatment to eradicate the infection did do so, but the resulting trauma to his kidneys and heart led to dehydration and worsening dementia. The Lord mercifully took him home to Glory on June 5, 2024.
Jim is survived by his wife, Janet; daughter Terri and her husband Tom; son Jimmy and his wife, Diana; son Bob and daughter Heather; sisters Dawn and Peggy, 4 grandchildren and their spouses; and 7 great-grandchildren.
As a devoted father, grandfather, son, brother, and friend, Jim’s kindness and love touched many lives. The Lord watched over him and gave him strength, love, compassion, and wisdom throughout his life. He pointed people to the Lord and was a faithful, well-loved servant.
Let us magnify the Lord with him and exalt His Name together!
