Pastor Ed Bowman

Hoyle E. (Ed) Bowman, Jr. was born in Elizabethton in 1955. Since December 2006 he has served as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Waskom Texas, an Evangelical Presbyterian Church located on the Texas-Louisiana boarder in east Texas near Shreveport on Interstate 20.

He grew up, was educated and married in Elizabethton and loves to tell folk that at Memorial Church he was "baptized, catechized and often severely chastised" in their care. He became a communicant member at about age eleven, sang in the youth choir and participated in youth activities and God's public worship.

The gospel message of God's grace saved Ed at age 17 applying all he had before been exposed to at Memorial. He served in the U.S. Army for three years as a chaplain's assistant during which time he married Pamela Cable, daughter of James Howard and Mary Dugger Cable of Elizabethton. That union has produced three sons and three grandchildren after them. Ed and Pam served Memorial as Sunday school teachers for several years and helped in the youth program. Ed also served as a deacon when Rev. Joe Rightmyer pastored this flock.

After more than 20 years in secular employment in sales and fund's development, Ed and Pam packed up, while living in Houston Texas, and moved to Jackson Mississippi in 2000 where Ed pursued a master of divinity degree. While studying at Reformed Theological Seminary, Ed worked as the missions and outreach intern for First Presbyterian Church (PCA) of Jackson. He co-taught Evangelism Explosion, facilitated and co-taught the Inquirers' Sunday School Class and co-led several mission trips to East Asia.

While studying at RTS Ed endured three surgeries and two rather harsh battles with throat cancer yet the Lord has sustained him thus far. At the end of his second cancer battle, Ed was examined and sustained by the central south presbytery of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This last March, Ed was ordained by that presbytery and installed as the pastor for First Presbyterian Church of Waskom, which has been in testimony of Jesus Christ since its particularization in 1888.

Pam and Ed reside now in Waskom. Their oldest son, Josh, lives in Seattle, WA while their youngest son, Beau, lives in Jackson MS. Their middle son, Michael Aaron, has resided these past 3 years in Baghdad, Iraq (his wife and son live in La Grange, KY) under contract.