Keith Tonkel was born in New Orleans on January 15, 1936 and was reared
in the Crescent City and in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. He has served as pastor of Wells United Methodist Church in Jackson since June, 1969.
He
was licensed as a local preacher in the Methodist church in 1954 and
ordained as an elder in 1962, after he was graduated from Millsaps
College with a BA in Philosophy and from Emory University School of
Theology. During his time at Emory, he served a psychiatric residency
at Georgia Baptist Hospital and on the staff of Northside Methodist
Church in Atlanta.
During
his tenure at Wells, a church that has maintained an active witness to
its inner-city neighborhood in transition, Keith has had the
opportunity to accept invitations to conduct revivals,
seminars and camp meetings across the continental United States and in
other countries. He leads an average of 18 revivals each year,
primarily in Mississippi and Louisiana.
He is the author of two books, “Finally The Dawn,” an account of an evangelical trip to England during his student years, and “HeartStuff,”
a volume of “stoetry” (a combination of story and poetry). A third
book, "GodStuff," is in production. Keith has written a secular
newspaper column, “Probing,” and emceed two public affairs radio shows
of that name . He currently serves as Sunday School teacher and
Ministerial Advisor of The United Methodist Hour, Time That Makes A
Difference, which is seen on television stations throughout Mississippi
and the southeast. http://www.thehour.org
During
his years at Guinn Memorial in Gulfport, Keith began serving as a
single foster parent for children under the jurisdiction of the
Harrison County Youth Court. In 1968, he acquired a partner in that
effort--and in his larger ministry--by marrying Patsy Joyce Myrick.
Their children include Shelley Tonkel Howell, Tracy Tonkel Furniss, and
Anthony Tonkel Puckett. Tracy and her husband, Jeff, are the parents of
Porter Dayton Furniss and Carson Keith Furniss. If prompted in the slightest way,
Keith will agree to tell you about Porter and Carson. Several foster
children are still active in family life.
Over
the years, he has received state and national awards for community
service and he continues to serve on the boards of several service
agencies. Some specific awards include:
• Distinguished Religious Leadership Award (2005)
• Alvis Hunt Humanitarian Award (2002)
• Humanitarian of the Year, Epilepsy Foundation (2001)
• Harry E. Denman Evangelism Award, MS Conference, UMC (1999)
• Friendship Award, Jackson 2000 (1999)
In his spare time, he enjoys helping people find good deals on cars, and
he enjoys traveling--especially in the Western United States and
overseas.
He also maintains a regular physical exercise regimen and enjoys
reading, writing and listening to books on tape.