Theron Stewart respected his minister, Tommy Jackson, so much that he became a pastor himself. As if following in his footsteps wasn’t enough, Mr. Stewart decided to honor Reverend Jackson in a very special way even before his retirement. He interviewed the Reverend, edited the interview, invited members of the congregation to include their thoughts using the Internet, and compiled it all into a hardbound book.

During the interview, Mr. Stewart spoke with the retiring minister about his early years, growing up, coming to God and his calling to preach, his marriage, his missions and his entire life. He wrote these experiences up into brief chapters of around 1 to 3 pages each.

After he finished editing the interview, Mr. Stewart then invited members of the congregation to read and contribute to the book through the web. Dozens of family members, friends and the good Reverend’s wife all contributed to the book. By the time they finished, pages 42 through 117 were solely filled with memories and photos from loved ones. The photos and memories let everyone who visited the online book take a trip down memory lane. Many people saw photos they didn’t even know or remember existed. The book became a unifying experience for the congregation.

Finally, when the book was complete, Pastor Stewart requested that an artist combine three favorite photos into a montage for the hardbound book’s cover, which added a beautiful touch to the “minister retirement gift” before retirement.

Clearly, family and close friends were interested in a copy of Theron’s book after the effort he and the community had put into it, but the great impact Reverend Jackson has had on others was even more evident when Theron Stewart had to place an order for 110 copies of the book “In My Eyes - He Stands Ten Feet Tall” to fill all the congregation’s requests for books. Not just the family, but everyone wanted a copy for their own home.

The entire community united together to celebrate Reverend Jackson’s retirement. In Theron Stewart’s own words, “the presentation of the book on Rev. Tommy Jackson went great. The church had a 35 year service in honor of him, and this is when we presented him with the book. Pastor Jackson was overwhelmed at the beauty of the book?s cover. He and his wife were just awe struck with the artwork. He has told me since, that the layout was just perfect; and the quality of the book was more than he imagined.” Reverend Jackson and his wife loved the “minister retirement gift” before retirement so much because it represented the impact they had had on their community. It’s a book that will grow more precious as the years go by, one of those rare gifts that fit a rare individual.