John T Holland

COLUMBIA John Tillman Holland was born on December 24, 1927, in Wake Forest, N.C. His parents were the Rev. Charles Cyrus and Texie Bess Holland. He was a graduate of Mars Hill College, Wake Forest College, and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He came to Columbia, S.C. to be an intern for F. Clyde Helms at Shandon Baptist Church, where he was instrumental in the organization of the Broad River Baptist Church (now St. Andrews Baptist Church). In 1955, he returned to Southern Seminary to earn his Ph.D. J.T. served as pastor in Grundy, Va. and Salisbury, N.C. He enrolled in the chaplaincy training program at the North Carolina Baptist Hospital in Winston Salem. He served as a resident there, and as chaplain at the VA Hospital in Salisbury. In 1979, he became Director of Pastoral Care at the Pottstown Memorial Medical Center in Pottstown, Penn. His teaching experience included courses in pastoral care at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, supervision of divinity students at Lancaster UCC Seminary, and undergraduate courses in medical ethics at Ursinus College. His published research appeared in the Journal of Pastoral Care. In Pennsylvania, J.T. proudly donated his 0 negative blood to the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. In Virginia, he was moderator of the New Lebanon Baptist Association, and he served as moderator of the Rowan Association in N.C. He was president of the Pottstown Clergy Association and a member of the First Baptist Church of Pottstown. After retirement, J.T. served as supply minister at Dentsville, Eastside, and South Beltline Baptist Churches. He was a member of Greenlawn Baptist Church. Surviving are his wife, Alsie Blume Holland; son, John Charles Holland of Nantes, France; daughter, Catherine Alsie Holland of Arlington, Va; sisters, Elizabeth Chapman and Irene Shoemaker, both of Charlotte, N.C.; and friend, Geoffrey Swindells of Evanston, Ill. He was predeceased by a brother, Charles D. Holland of College Station, Texas. Dr. Stephen Shoemaker of Charlotte, N.C., his nephew, will conduct a private memorial service for the family. Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, is assisting the family. Memorials may be sent to the Chaplain’s Fund at the S.C. Episcopal Home at Still Hopes, 1 Still Hopes Drive, West Columbia, SC 29169.