RHK Volunteer Spotlight: Ed Tinsley

Hi, I’m Pastor Ed Tinsley. I grew up in a little village in England called Sharnford. After school, I did a five-year apprenticeship in carpentry and joinery. I came to the USA to visit my dad in February 1991. He had lived in Rockford, Illinois since I was seven years old. Eight days later, I met my beautiful wife. We started dating a week later, and celebrated 34 years of a happy marriage on February 14 of this year. We have three children and four grandchildren, which we enjoy.

I wasn’t a Christian when I met my wife, and I told her I’d never step foot in church. When my dad and step-mom started attending a Christian church, I told him he belonged to a cult. At the time, my dad and I did not get along. It didn’t stop my wife, dad, and all the people in the church from praying for me and on Sunday January 5th, 2003, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

Because God has a sense of humor, He called me to preach his Word two years later. In April, 2022, I became the pastor of LIFE815 Church, formally known as Calvary Memorial Church. As the pastor, I wanted the church to make an impact in our city, so we looked for a local organization we could plug into. They set up a tour with Dee at Rock House Kids and I remember her talking about Christmas at RHK. When she told us all the kids get Christmas presents and they put them in a black garbage bag, tears welled up in my eyes. When I was growing up, my Christmas presents were put at the end of my bed in a black garbage bag.

I’ve been volunteering as a teen mentor for two years. The reason is not only because of those black garbage bags, but most importantly, I grew up without a father in the house to mentor me and I wish there were a Rock House Kids in my village when I was a child, so I could have learned about Jesus and had role models that I could look up to in my life.

The reason I keep coming back is because you build relationships with these teens and other volunteers and they become part of your family. It’s so cool when you get a fist bump, or a hug, or even if they just say “hi”.

There's a need for more volunteers, and I will tell you, it's not easy - but it's SO worth it. If you feel God tugging on your heart, show up, try it out. What's the worst thing that can happen?