Editor's note: Following the closure of DPI this spring, here is a small tribute to Tom and Sheila Jones, incredible servants who have inspired and helped many in their ministry of DPI.
From Wyndham Shaw, Boston: I believe it was in 1973 that I met Tom Jones at a campus ministry workshop at Abilene Christian College, as it was called then. Little did we know that this time would begin a friendship that would bring our families together in Boston 15 years later—and our hearts together as dear friends, fellow soldiers and fellow elders. Tom impressed me with his Biblical knowledge, but even more with his humility and heart to continually learn and grow as a disciple. No one has inspired me more to be a man of spiritual integrity, Biblical depth and practical transformation.
Tom has always championed restoration of Biblical principle, from standing against segregated churches of Christ to standing for a greater emphasis on grace, kingdom lifestyle and ministry for the physically challenged. When MS forced Tom to change roles from an evangelist to editor for DPI he wholeheartedly engaged the ministry of the written word and has left a legacy of written impact that both transforms lives and depicts the progress of International Churches of Christ over the last 25 years. I count Tom as one of my best friends and thank God for the gift of his life to mine.
Sheila has been a soul mate for my wife and inspired everyone with the way she took sole responsibility for DPI management during difficult financial times. I admire her spunk and grace as a disciple, editor and woman of God. She has tirelessly served Tom with his disability and never complained of the toll on her emotionally or physically. I admire this example and believe it stands as a higher calling to many of us as the challenges of aging ascend upon us. Tom and Sheila Jones are consummate disciples with radical faith that has stood the test of time, testing and stages of life. We are forever grateful for the contribution both of you have made to our brotherhood, churches and individual lives. We love you both and thank God for your gifts and contributions to us all.
From Jeanie Shaw, Boston: Every so often a special friend comes into your life—one who brings joy and makes you a better person. One who is a forever-friend. Sheila is that type of friend to me. She is a loyal friend and confidant—someone I can laugh with, cry with and pray with. She gave me the courage to write (out loud), and has helped me grow in literary confidence and competence. She leaves a huge imprint of God’s love not only on those who know her personally, but on those who know her through her books.
Sheila’s love for God, her family, her Bible and her friends come from deep within her heart. Her love for language and all the arts, her love of laughter, her creativity and her ability to communicate in written (and spoken) words are gifts from God. She has faithfully and lovingly used the gifts God has given her to enrich and strengthen the lives of countless women (and men.)
Most would review the products from DPI and surmise that this company was staffed with dozens of talented individuals, but Sheila did it all. As a writer, editor, publisher, marketer, webmaster and business woman she made DPI an exceptional publishing company, producing quality spiritual books that will continue to help many get to heaven. It has been an honor to serve with her and Tom on the DPI board.
Tom is one of the most genuine, loving, and dedicated students of the Bible I have known. When faced with his physical challenges, he learned to turn a weakness into strength as he taught, wrote and counseled—all from his scooter chair. He has always made me feel deeply loved and cared for. As a vital part of DPI for years, he and Sheila leave a rich legacy.
Tom and Sheila, thank you for being such treasured friends and for sharing the gifts God has richly given you. I love you deeply.
From Gordon Ferguson, Los Angeles: One of the highlights of my many years in Boston was working alongside Tom and Sheila Jones in DPI. My writing career was spawned under Tom’s guidance as editor, and through the years both Tom and Sheila were instrumental in guiding me as an author. When I somehow ended up being “volunteered” to head up a committee to develop the Kingdom Kids Curriculum, it was Sheila who finally bailed me out and brought the massive project to completion! The ultimate impact this amazing couple has had through the editing and publishing of so many spiritual materials is known but to God, but it has to be enormous.
For most of those years in Boston, we had a discipling relationship with them as well, and through this and the DPI connection, Theresa and I developed one of our most precious friendships, one that continues today in spite of living so far apart geographically. Just recently, we spent a wonderful week with them traveling through Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi on a road trip. Like so many other times, a multitude of memories were built together. Our lives and hearts are intertwined for time and eternity. May God bless them, their family, their health and their future with bounteous blessings. They deserve no less!