Are, Thomas
ARE, Sr., Rev. Dr. Thomas L. Rev. Dr. Thomas L. Are, Sr., died October 7, 2020, under hospice care at home. Born December 5, 1932, in Charleston, SC, to Ward William Are and Lorraine McClary Are, Tom dedicated his life and ministry to racial and economic justice, including peace with justice for the Palestinian people. Tom pursued his love for sacred music at Westminster Choir College, earning a Bachelor of Science. He earned his Master of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary and his Doctor of Ministry from McCormick Seminary. Tom was active as a PC(USA) minister for 43 years. He preached the good news of God's unlimited, unqualified grace to five congregations, including Shallowford Presbyterian Church from 1971-1992. Tom's work as an Interim Pastor guided eight congregations in his final eleven years of ministry. Tom is survived by his spouse, Jean Are, his children, Thomas L. Are, Jr., (Carol), Gene Are, Martha Are, and Jim Are (Angel), his stepdaughters, Jody Reedy Andrade (Billy) and Betsy Sawyer (Ryan), niece Kathy Are Parker (Kenneth) and nephews, Ward William Are III (Robin) and David Are, and nine grandchildren. Tom was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Ward William Are, Jr. Due to COVID restrictions, a family-only service will be held at North Decatur Presbyterian Church, Saturday, October 17 at 11 AM. To view the service live on Zoom, please go to www.ndpc.org/memorial/. A private interment will follow at Shallowford Presbyterian Church. Memorial gifts may be made in Tom's name to Evergreen Life Services (els.givecloud.co), a ministry which serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities including Tom's son, Gene Are, and Jewish Voice for Peace (jewishvoiceforpeace.org/giving/).
