Thomas M. Boles, 33°, Grand Cross
1761 East Woodcrest Avenue, La Habra, California 90631–3260

It all began in the middle of the night, shortly after my 69th birthday. I was awakened by a voice telling me I had to go back to school and finish my education. I had not sat in a classroom for 50 years and was retired from business. My avocations were playing golf and writing a monthly "Where Do Your Do Your Shopping?" article for the Scottish Rite Journal. The articles, about our Order's Childhood Language Disorders Program, show how to contribute to this philanthropy while financially helping yourself, your wife, and family. The numerous inquiries I received at that time from these articles became a six-hour-a-day commitment. But the work brought many miracles on my vines of life as Brother after Brother, responding to the articles, suddenly appeared to lend assistance to our great Scottish Rite outreach to America's children.

Of course, I argued with the voice. For a man of my age to sit in a classroom was ridiculous, but the voice was persistent, even to the point of telling me where I should go without delay, a place called Fuller Theological Seminary. Yielding, I looked up the school's number and found it was located in Pasadena, only 35 miles from where I live. Without noticing, I had passed it many times, but now I was suddenly dialing its office of admissions where a very nice lady explained I did not qualify for admission. Fuller is a post-graduate school. After getting out of the Navy and surviving WW II, I had attended Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio, but for only one year. Then I moved to the "Golden State" and graduated from the California College of Mortuary Science. This was truly a challenging course, nearly as difficult as medical school, and I practiced for a few years before entering the business world. The latter included counseling for corporate mergers and acquisitions, advising the Republic of Indonesia on economic matters, and owning several manufacturing companies.

Although it had been decades since I was in the classroom, I went to the Fuller Theological Seminary to speak to someone in person and to see if there was not some way for me to attend—and there was! I could be classified as a "special student" in a program designed for people with little formal academic training but a world of practical experience. After all, I had 55 years in business, even serving as a corporate president. I was in! But only provisionally until I had successfully completed 20 units. Everything was working out. Classes would begin in two weeks, and I could even park free, I discovered, in the lot of the Pasadena Scottish Rite Valley which just happens to be right across the street from Fuller's campus where parking is almost impossible. In college at 69 and with free parking—two new miracles on my vines of life!

It didn't take long for me to understand why one should really have a bachelor's degree before going to Fuller. The lectures were often over my head, the readings difficult and voluminous. By learning speed reading and adding a Trinity Theological Seminary correspondence course to my academic load, earning a Bachelors of Divinity Degree, I somehow managed to survive past my probationary period. Another miracle on my vines of life!

About a year into Fuller, a Chaplain friend of mine asked if I would become his assistant at a very large hospital in Los Angeles. Making arrangements at school for extra unit credits for such work, I happily agreed. Money couldn't buy the experience and pleasure one gets from working side by side with medical professionals. It was a gift from heaven. This work opened an opportunity to serve as the Assistant Chaplain in another major hospital. This one was closer to my home and allowed me to take the weekend duty and so relieve the Head Chaplain. Two more miracles on my vines of life!

During my second year in seminary, another new and wonderful opportunity presented itself. I was asked to be the Grand Orator for the Grand Lodge of Freemasons in California, an honor far beyond my wildest dreams. That was one of the most memorable years of my Masonic career. Another miracle!

Nearly four years later—after still working at both hospitals, studying some 252 textbooks, and completing hundreds of book reports, term papers, and exams—I was finally ready, at the ripe age of 73, to graduate with a Master of Arts in Theology Degree from one of the top seminaries in the world. Talk about a miracle on my vines of life!

But the Lord was not through with me. I began to get a strong urge to do something for the poor and homeless in, of all places, downtown Los Angeles. I had been studying about missions around the world, but my gut feeling was to do something here at home. I began to focus on pastoral counseling and working with the disadvantaged. This passion grew stronger and stronger, until I had to do something about it.

I suddenly realized I knew a great deal about the Midnight Mission, located right in the heart of skid row in downtown Los Angeles. Freemasons sat on the Board, three being Past Grand Masters and close personal friends of mine. Also, the President of the Mission was another great Freemason and friend. I liked the Mission's 75-year-old policy focused only on feeding, clothing and housing the needy, without the necessity of each person listening to a sermon before receiving any benefits. Last year, the Mission fed approximately 600,000, sheltered 54,000, clothed 70,000, and provided 8,000 nights of lodging for families along with 1,100 hours of family counseling. All this, with no financial assistance from government sources or other social service agencies. What was God trying to tell me?

My mind was made up. I called Bro. Larry L. Adamson, 32°, K.C.C.H., Valley of Los Angeles, President of the Mission, and he said as long as I did not try to push a religious counseling service, he certainly had no objection to my presence or my holding a weekly non-denominational worship service following the last meal on Sunday evening. I began working at the Mission the day after graduation from Fuller. Another miracle on my vines of life!

I knew we needed music, and after I had officiated at the funeral of a dear Scottish Rite friend, his wife asked, without prompting, "By any chance could you use Wilbur's big two-manual electric organ?" Another miracle!

Also, I needed Bibles badly and started searching all over the country for affordable copies, whether new or old, but I couldn't find any. Then on the Friday before my initial Sunday service, we now call it "The Mission Hour," I took my wife's car to the dealer for repair and service. It was going to be an all-day job. Rather than have me and several other customers hanging around all that time, the company offered a van to take us to our homes or offices. As you would expect, since I lived the closest, I was among the last delivered.

All the other passengers had been dropped off except for a man behind me. At this point, I leaned over to tell the driver I was happy to be getting closer to home, because I had a sermon to write before Sunday. At that point, the man behind me, hearing my comment, touched me on the shoulder and said, "Are you a minister?" I confessed that I was really a new pastor and would be holding my first service on Sunday at the Midnight Mission.

He said without hesitation, "By any chance, do you need Bibles?" I answered warmly in the affirmative, and he said, "How many?" I explained the Mission's meeting place would only hold about 120, and if I could get maybe one Bible for every four or five people, I would be extremely grateful. Instantly, he said: "Why don't we give you 150 Bibles to start with?" To my great surprise, I discovered he was the State Treasurer for Gideons International. Within minutes, he agreed to give the Mission all the Bibles and New Testaments it could use, enough for every person to have his or her own copy. Plus, we arranged for me to pick up 100 Bibles and 150 New Testaments (25 in Spanish) immediately, so that I would have them for my first "Mission Hour" meeting. Miracles upon miracles!

Sunday night came, and so did about 20 people. It looked like a stadium full to me! We had a great time together that first night, and I knew more miracles were in the offing. One of the residents never played an organ in his life, but he sure made Wilbur's electric organ sound like the largest pipe organ in the country. Then, immediately after our service, two men approached me and asked, "Pastor Tom, would you mind if my friend and I started a choir?" The very next Sunday, the choir was in place and, to my ears, sounded just great. Another miracle on my vines of life!

Well, three wonderful weeks went by, and the attendance grew to about 50, when I received a call from Ill. Earl E. Ihle, Jr., 33°, in Washington, D.C. Earl is a dear friend, and together we write the "Where Do You Do Your Shopping?" article in each Journal. Brother Earl asked how the Mission was financed. I explained we had a donor base of about 15,000, not nearly adequate for a charity this size. "Tom," he said: "I have a friend who will call you next week and arrange to share a data base designed for institutions like your Mission." We have begun a dialogue that is sure to bear fruit. Another miracle on my vines of life!

Any Sunday you are in the Los Angeles area, come to "The Mission Hour," sit next to one of God's children, and watch a miracle grow on your vines of life!

Thomas M. Boles has served Freemasonry in the following capacities: Worshipful Master, Grand Orator of Grand Lodge, Trustee of California Masonic Foundation, and several California Grand Lodge Committees; Potentate, Director General, Board Member and Treasurer of Shrine Hospital and Regional Chairman of EWG Committee; Scottish Rite Director of Development for the Supreme Council, 33°, Personal Representative for S.G.I.G., consultant to N.M.J., S.R.; Executive Officer, Order of DeMolay; Puissant Sovereign, Red Cross of Constantine; and Sovereign Master, Allies Masonic Degrees. Ill. Boles is a 33°,Grand Cross, receiving such additional Masonic honors as Hiram Award, Supreme Council Certificate of Honor, Adult Leadership Medal, Distinguished Service Award, DeMolay Honorary Legion of Honor, Red Branch of Eri, and Purple Cross.