Some know him as Pastor Fred, others as Rev. Fred Weimert, the Baptist minister with the handle bar mustache, or simply as Fred. No matter. He's the man who has provided 36 years of dedicated service at Towson's Calvary Baptist Church, inspiring, providing leadership, teaching, and often going far beyond the call of duty to help the disadvantaged and disenfranchised when no one else would or could. Unfortunately now for many of us, Fred is retiring.
He joined the church first in 1977 as minister of educational services and was named its pastor in 1981. Active in the Towson Ministerial Association (TAMA), Fred helped lead the way to the establishment of a centralized place for providing aid to transients, street people and the needy, which opened in December 1985 as the Assistance Center of Towson Churches. The building, now in the throes of being expanded and remodeled, stood on the church's property. (I know it well, because I was there for the ribbon cutting.)
In addition, under his leadership, the church has assisted refugee families, opened a day care center and provided space for AA meetings. A good cook, he makes the suppers he serves on Wednesdays for the homeless and often whipped up the nutritious meals he delivered to the cold weather shelters. He has prevented many more than the two troubled people I know of from freezing to death and is always willing to lend a listening ear.
Will "Pastor Fred," "Rev. Fred Weimert," "the Baptist minister with the handle bar mustache" or simply "Fred" be missed? You betcha.
