James William Gilley, Sr. passed away on Wednesday, December 28. He was 82-years old.
Jim was known and loved by many, including myself. His life of church ministry included President of Arkansas/Louisiana Conference, Vice President of Evangelism for the NAD, and President of 3ABN. He was also a successful businessman in Dallas, Texas between being a pastor and conference evangelist.
Though retired, he served as interim pastor at the Celebration SDA church in Kissimmee Florida for a couple years.
He was married to Camille Thurmon in 1960, who if I may say so, is one of the more gracious women I have known. They have four children, one of whom is a special friend to Nancy & I, along with her husband.
In recent years, Jim led tours to Israel and had just returned from one when he fell sick 4 weeks ago. They had repeatedly invited us to accompany him, an offer that regrettably never seemed to sync with our schedule.
In my opinion, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is better because of Jim’s service to it. He will be missed, but the promise of the Lord in Psalms 116:15 brings us assurance and comfort.
The funeral will be held in Dallas.
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