Services to Be Held Tuesday for Church Founder

Funeral services will be held Tuesday for the Rev. Tommy James (T.J.) Hollins, a popular minister who founded two of Orange County’s largest black churches and was widely known for his willingness to help others.

The services will take place at 11 a.m. at the New Spirit Baptist Church in Santa Ana, where Hollins, 76, was pastor. He died Thursday in Garden Grove Medical Center after suffering from severe stomach pains and undergoing several hours of surgery.

Hollins was the oldest active black preacher in the county, said a spokesman for the Brown Colonial Mortuary in Santa Ana.

Vinnie Bethune, a longtime friend of the minister and his family, described him as a thoughtful and gregarious man who spread the gospel with sensitivity and understanding. “He had a great sense of humor and wisdom,” she said. “He talked to us in parables reminiscent of what Jesus did in the Bible. He would relate (Bible lessons) to our everyday life.”

Bethune said the preacher had limitless energy and often directed it toward reaching those in need.

“He would help anybody, and people knew that,” she said. “It didn’t matter if you were a church member or not. His reputation in the community was that if you talk to Rev. Hollins, he will help you.”

Hollins came to Orange County in 1960 and founded First Mission Baptist Church in Santa Ana later that year. In 1976 he founded and built New Spirit Baptist Church, which has about 700 members.

Hollins was born in Gilmer, Tex., in 1915. He grew up in a religious family, the eighth of 14 children. As a young adult, Hollins spent several years singing in church choirs and later in a gospel quartet. He had been in the ministry for 45 years and was one of Orange County’s first black ministers.

Bethune said Hollins--a past president of the Orange County Black Ministerial Alliance--was often called “Father” by many of the county’s most respected preachers. She said the minister was a community leader with a sense of vision that helped him connect with youths and adults alike.

Hollins is survived by his wife, Marsie, and son Tommy L. Hollins, both of Santa Ana; three sisters, all in Texas; 5 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Visitation is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Monday at New Spirit Baptist Church, 701 S. Sullivan St. Interment will follow funeral services at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cypress.