Charles E. Pont - Christian Ministry

Christian Ministry

Given six months to live in 1918, Pont became a born-again Christian and eventually considered the ministry his life-calling. He frequently combined his artistic training with his ministry, giving many illustrated talks. The American Artists Group referred to him as “America’s only artist-cleric”. While still studying for ordination, Pont was appointed in 1939 to his first pastorate at Gilbert Memorial Church (now Georgetown Bible Church) in Georgetown, Connecticut. During this period he was also director (1940–1942) of the Old Fashioned New England Bible Hour, a radio program broadcast from Norwalk, Connecticut. Receiving his pastoral training at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer Theological Seminary) in Pennsylvania, and Shelton College in New York City, he was ordained by the South Brooklyn Baptist Church in 1943, and moved later that year to become pastor of First Baptist Church of New Durham in North Bergen, New Jersey. Resigning that position in late 1944, he became for several years an itinerant preacher in the Eastern and Midwestern States. Unable to adequately support his family in that ministry, he returned to secular work about 1950, but remained available for the rest of his life as a guest and substitute speaker in numerous churches in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. In the course of his ministry, Pont published two books, The Tabernacle Alphabet (Loizeaux Brothers, 1946), which he also illustrated, and The World’s Collision (W.A. Wilde Co., 1956).