Longtime pastor, teacher says he is stepping down

Saul’s journey to conversion came on the road to Damascus; Dennis Brooks’ came while he was asleep.

Brooks was brought up in the church, but as an adult he drifted away.

“I was one of those people who thought he was heaven,” Brooks said.

But he had started drinking and over the years was drinking more heavily and following a less than godly path.

Until that dream in 1978.

“I had a revelation from the Lord that I was going to hell,” he said. “In this vision the Lord said, ‘Depart from me.’ ”

He was confused, but got the message and changed his ways.

“I began to seek the Lord. I began to pray and read scriptures. I read 10 chapters per day for 10 months,” he said.

He asked the Lord to forgive him, and now Brooks has marked 42 years in service to Christ.

And he hasn’t had another alcoholic drink since his rebirth in Christ, he said.

In those years he has pastored churches and founded a nondenominational church and the Institute for Teaching God’s Word Theological Seminary.

He also studied at the University of New Mexico and studied marketing in San Francisco. He worked for Western Electric Co./Lucent Technology from 1965 to 1985.

But he has decided to change his pace and announced his retirement June 12 during the commencement ceremony at the Institute.

While he is retiring from regular preaching at his church, New Jerusalem Interdenominational Church, he said he will still teach classes at his institute.

“I will still be around,” he said. “I will be the senior pastor emeritus. I will do less preaching on Sundays and limit myself to one class. As the founder, I have to be around.”

Brooks grew up in Rockdale where he graduated in 1960.

It is like he has come full circle since the land the institute is on is the site of where he started school as a child.

While he is proud of founding the church, which started in his home, and institute, he is proudest of those people who have graduated from it, he said.

“From 1992 all the way to now at least 40 per class have graduated,” he said.

He is also proud that he and his wife Clara, who also teaches at the institute, have raised four boys, who were all high school and college athletes

He said his wife is a dynamic teacher and a co-developer of all he has done, he said.

The pair have traveled throughout North America and other parts of the globe, he said.

He also hopes to get Sho’ Nuff restaurant going again at some point at its former location on Mulberry Street in Rockdale.