User:VRoper/sandbox

As the pastor of Christ Temple Pentecostal Church from 1967 to 1990, Bishop Tolbert had significant influence on his congregation. In 1970, the former Beth Shalom Synagogue, 3400 the Paseo, was put up for sale for $750,000. Tolbert wrote a letter offering $125,000 for the building. He received a letter saying, “No, thank you.” The next month he sent the same letter and received the same response. The next month he tried again and, this time, negotiations began. The church bought the building for $175,000, moving the congregation from a building that seated 175 to one that seated 1,200. The church put down a $100,000 deposit and made an agreement that it would not pay interest on a loan for a year. When the year finished, Tolbert announced that the church would pay off the remaining amount. By asking church members to pledge $5 in addition to their normal weekly offerings, Tolbert was able to get a new church without ever paying interest. His daughter, Carol Fowler, said that her father was the type of person who was so committed that people respected him and wanted to please him. “Dad was a man of few words, but even without doing a lot of talking, he had a great influence with people. Just his demeanor was enough to demand respect,” she said. One with the land: One of the things Tolbert loved most was his big garden. A busy man, he found any spare moment he could to do a little gardening. His daughter, Vivian Roper, said she could remember always seeing her father working outside in his suit. Christmas fun: One Christmas is especially memorable for the six Tolbert children. That year the family Christmas tree was decorated on Christmas Eve, and in the morning their first puppy burst out of a box to greet them. What the children didn’t know, until recently, was that it was also one of the hardest holiday seasons for their father. Before Tolbert became a pastor at Christ Temple, he was unemployed. To keep his children from knowing that the family was short on money, he waited until a tree salesman sold to the last customer and then Tolbert was given a tree that was left. That night he also visited the dog pound to pick out the newest member of the family. Roper said it was a perfect example of what a devoted father he was. He was able to take a situation that would have been hard and make it into something fun. Survivors include: His wife, six children, 17 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. The last word: “He was a man full of energy, love and compassion. We are just trying to figure out how we can keep that alive. Those are tough shoes to fill,” Roper said.