(The Justin Journal article about James Vinzant)
Justin has a number of individuals who, over the last few decades, have shaped and molded our community’s identity. One of those is James Vinzant who has retired from full time ministry but who preached for the Justin Church of Christ for 13 years and who began the Alliance Church of Christ in 2000. I have known Pastor Vinzant for about 20 years and recently we had a chance to visit and he reminisced about his years in Justin.
James began our visit, “Dottie and our two children, Jamie and Jonathan, moved to Justin not long before discussions began between the Northwest ISD and American Airlines about the feasibility of an aircraft maintained facility being erected here. We were present when the ground was broken for Alliance Airport and later, Texas Motor Speedway. I had the opportunity of being one of the first to fly into Alliance in a single engine plane. The runway was wider than from the airstrip where I began the flight.”
The late, beloved Clara Love, a devout Methodist, once gave him the supreme compliment when she once introduced him by saying, “He is not just the Church of Christ Pastor, he is the Pastor of the whole community!”
Always a promoter of Justin, James served in every office of the then Justin Chamber of Commerce, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice-President, & President. Once, while in Jerusalem, he noticed that the City Hall there they featured a huge display on which hung “Keys to the Cities,” including London, Paris, Tokyo, etc. After visiting with our then Mayor, Virgil Eaves, Vinzant decided that it would be good for Justin to be recognized along with other cities. On his next trip to the Holy Lands, he presented the Mayor of Jerusalem with a “Key to the City of Justin, Tx.” While President of the local Chamber, Vinzant introduced a “Golden Boot Award” presented to several outstanding community leaders. He was awarded the prestigious Leo Adams Award, the premier service award given in honor of service to the Justin community.
While preaching for the church in Justin, the church grew so that several building additions and expansions had to be built to seat the growing attendance. Over the past decade, a tiny church that began in a hotel conference room has grown and can now be seen just across from the Northlake Town Hall. “It has been my privilege to preach for an old congregation that reached and surpassed 100 years during our tenure and to also preside over the birth of a congregation. We have seen old and young come to Christ and seen families reconciled. We have been truly blessed.” While preaching for the churches here Vinzant seldom had a church secretary, yet produced and mailed a weekly newsletter, preached twice each Sunday as well as taught a Sunday School Class, and a Wednesday evening class. Often he spent holidays in the office or at a hospital or funeral home. “Friendliness, integrity and conviction are words that should be said of everyone in the community,” Vinzant said.
Long recognized as a historian among the Churches of Christ, he now goes out, from time to time, and gives a series of lessons on the history of the Churches of Christ. Vinzant serves as the President of a non-profit, tax-exempt entity, Restoration Foundation.
Several things are unique about James: He was a pioneer in using the internet, he laughingly mentions that he would email his sermons around the world, and he was the only minister who had put people to sleep in every time zone. Another thing about Vinzant is that for forty years his sermons were twenty-two minutes and thirty seconds long. He has thousands of recorded sermons that prove that almost unbelievable point. He purchased a large clock for each of the churches where he preached. While he has traveled the world he often tells folks that, “Once you’ve seen the Stock Yards, the Bomber Plant, and Lake Worth, you’ve seen just about everything.”