Al Nelson

Al Nelson, the pastor of GCI’s church in Montpelier, Vermont, says that he feels close to God when he does something he knows he could not have done on his own, “like being a pastor.” “My feeling close to God does not come and go with daily events or where I am at any given time. It is more like a continuum. As my knowledge of God increases I feel closer and closer to him. I feel closer to God now than at any time in my life.”

Al and his wife Arlene (pictured above) have been married for 35 years. Al has two children from a previous marriage, Ella and Eric, along with five grandchildren and one great grandson.

Born on a little hill country farm in Vermont, Al was the third of five boys. “I spent the first eight years of schooling in a two-room schoolhouse—one teacher for the first four grades and one for the last four grades. I went on to graduate in 1954 from a small academy in a class of 18.”

Al has had several careers over the years. “People think of me as a window cleaner, which I have done for over 32 years. But I have done other things before I started my window business. I had my own trucking business for over ten years. I worked as a general contractor for a few years and was building houses for the FHA in the early seventies.”

Al became interested in the church when he was a teenager. “I started listening to Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong around 1950 on WWVA Wheeling, West Virginia. After reading The Plain Truth and taking the Bible Correspondence Course for a few years, Al wanted to become part of the church. “I started attending WCG in summer 1966, was baptized in February 1967, made a deacon in 1988 and ordained a local elder in June 1993. Following intense training, in 1997 I became the pastor of the GCI congregations in Montpelier, Vermont and Plattsburgh, New York. Highlights of those years included weekly services, Bible studies, 22 years in Spokesman Club under six different directors and three years of Graduate Club.”

Al said he learned a lot from his grandfather, who lived with the family until he died, when Al was 18. “He was the one real mentor in my life. I had (and still have) an insatiable curiosity. I would pester my grandfather with questions until he would tell me, ‘I will give you a nickel if you will be quiet for five minutes.’ From him I got my sense of humor, my personality and my patience. I never in 18 years saw my grandfather angry. I have people today who have known me for a long time ask me, ‘Al, do you ever get angry?’ (Of course I do—just not very often.) I have learned many things from many people, but I think what I learned from my grandfather influenced everything others have taught me since.”

Asked about being a pastor, Al said, “I enjoy being pastor most when I have helped someone understand the gospel and realize they have listened to me because I am a pastor.” Being pastor ties in with Al’s passion, which is the search for truth. “This is the driving force behind my reading. Many of my books (about 750 the last time I counted) are, of course, on biblical matters. But there are many on other subjects. I got this from my grandfather too. He read a lot and very little of it was fiction. Another thought from my grandfather: He would tell me just because I thought something was true did not make it true; truth stands on its own. I never forget that.”

When asked about his most memorable moment as a pastor, Al shares the “moment” started before he became a pastor: “Children have provided memorable moments for all who have been blessed with them, and I am no exception. When my son, Eric, was about to come into the world, his mother and I decided to have him born at home. We found a doctor who said he would be there. All we had to do was call him. When the time came, I called him and he said take her to the hospital. We decided if he would not come, we would deliver him ourselves. A little later I cut the umbilical cord, put on his diaper, wrapped him in a blanket and all was well. Fast forward a few years – I am now a local elder and Eric asked me to baptize him. A few months later he and his bride-to-be asked me to perform their wedding ceremony. Any one of these events would be considered memorable moments; and I was blessed with all three. I realize only the last was performed as a pastor, but the first two made the last even more memorable.”

Al shares a final thought about being part of GCI: “I grew up spiritually in WCG/GCI. Just as my physical family is special to me, so is my spiritual family. I am excited about GCI’s understanding of both the Old and New Testaments and the gospel message. I am enjoying speaking it every chance I get.”