To support his family, he worked full time as a painter, a carpenter and a night maintenance worker at a downtown motel.

The congregation grew gradually in size and outreach, and Montgomery grew in status from pastor to regional bishop. A new church was built in 1978 at the same site and a $3 million youth center went up across the street in 2004.

Through it all, Montgomery stuck to his mission and vision. He taught the Bible and listened to people’s cares and concerns at Greater Christ Temple Church.

“The greatest joy I have is to see a single life changed from a wayward direction to following Jesus Christ,” he said. “It’s molding and shaping their lives to be greater citizens of this life and the world to come.”

After leading his congregation for 49 years, Montgomery is stepping down as pastor. His final service – a pastoral appreciation service – is tonight.

The 75-year-old minister will devote more time to his other duties as a regional bishop for his denomination, the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World.

About 450 people attend the church for two Sunday morning services in the well-kept, 350-seat sanctuary at 1926 S. G St.

Montgomery leads them in an exuberant worship style, including speaking in tongues – which Pentecostals believe is a sign of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

He is loved by his congregation and respected as a leader in the community.

“Whenever you hear him speak and see him interact with people, you can sense and feel the love of Christ,” said Denielle Aduba, 29. “He takes time to get to know the members personally. He can call each of us by our names.”

When Bill and Mattie Roberts need to make an important decision – even buying a car or a house – they turn to their pastor for advice.

“We always consult with him first,” said Bill Roberts, 56, chairman of the deacon board. “It hasn’t failed me yet.”

Delois Brown, another longtime member, already knows what she will miss about Montgomery.

“His kindness and compassion,” said Brown, 66. “He’s a kind man.”

Thomas Dixon, president emeritus of the Tacoma Urban League, said Montgomery has long supported civil rights, the Urban League and help for disadvantaged people.

“He’s a man you always look up to, respect and love,” said Dixon, 77. “He just makes you feel better about yourself and the world.”

The Rev. David Alger said Montgomery is one of two pastors he has admired most during his 28 years as director of Associated Ministries in Tacoma. The other is the Rev. Earnest S. Brazill, former pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church, who died in September 2000 at age 90.

Montgomery is “one of the most gracious church leaders I’ve ever met in my life,” said Alger, 63, a Presbyterian who leads an ecumenical agency.

“He’s an amazing gentleman,” Alger said. “I have never heard him say an unkind word about another human being.”

He described Montgomery as a gift to Tacoma whom many people may not know about.

Montgomery has invested in people’s lives through his counsel, prayers, Bible teaching and visits to members.

He is a demanding Bible teacher who often quotes verses from memory. He questioned students by name at the Wednesday night Bible study he taught for 49 years. Sometimes, he gave pop quizzes.

Across the street from the church, the Oasis of Hope Center stands as another testament to the pastor’s vision.

An only child, Montgomery always had a deep love and concern for youths. The center offers day care, tutoring, youth classes, games and space for community groups to meet.

The congregation borrowed $2.1 million and donated $1.1 million for the building.

Montgomery, a native of Selma, Ala., settled in Tacoma with his wife, Elinor, after being drafted into the U.S. Army. He served nearly two years, with a final stop at Fort Lewis as a medic and cook in 1954-55.

In those years in Tacoma, blacks faced discrimination in employment and housing, the bishop and his wife recalled.

Discrimination “wasn’t blatant, but it was here,” he said.

Montgomery recalled an incident in 1960 when he helped move a minister who was a member of his congregation into an apartment in downtown Tacoma. The minister was white. But those in charge of the apartments wouldn’t allow Montgomery to enter the building, he said.

For the first five years after he started the church in 1959, the congregation couldn’t afford a full-time pastor. He worked other jobs to support his family.

Montgomery shepherded his congregation through the civil rights struggles of the 1960s and the gang and drug warfare of the 1980s on the Hilltop.

He taught about the importance of equality and justice, but he didn’t take part in civil rights protests. Montgomery said he was busy building his church. He supported the work of pastors who took more public stands, including Brazill, through the predominantly black Tacoma Ministerial Alliance.

Montgomery said civil rights for blacks improved greatly over the years and Tacoma has been “an all-American city for the most part.”

“I feel blessed to be part of this community,” Montgomery said. “We’re all brothers and sisters. God made us all of the same blood.”

Elinor Montgomery, 76, has been his partner in ministry, playing organ and piano for services and directing education and women’s programs over the years. And she’s been the mother for their 10 children.

She sat in the front row last weekend when her husband led his last Sunday service as pastor. The Montgomerys will continue to attend, and he will remain chairman of the board.

“There was a sadness, but along with that we felt secure we’re not leaving here,” she said.

“It’s been a slow weaning away,” said Montgomery, who said he’s been praying about leaving the pastorate for several years.

Elinor Montgomery said her husband is a giving person of integrity who experiences a “godly indignation” when people are mistreated.

But she does have a complaint about the bishop. He often doesn’t come home until 8 p.m. after working late at the church.

“My pet peeve is being late for dinner when I’ve prepared a nice dinner,” she said.

Eight of their children – five sons and three daughters – volunteer in various roles at the church.

Two of their children have passed away. Losing them was the most difficult experience of his life, Montgomery said.

“We wouldn’t have made it without God,” Montgomery said. “He sustained us.”

Despite building a church from scratch, he said he is stepping down as pastor with one regret.

“I regret that I haven’t done more for the Lord,” he said. “I just want to do more because he gave his all for me and for all of us.”

Steve Maynard: 253-597-8647

Anniversary events

Where

: Greater Christ Temple Church in Tacoma

Tonight

: Bishop Curtis E. Montgomery will celebrate his final service as pastor at 7:30 at the church, 1926 S. G St.

Saturday

: The Rev. Prentis Johnson, 53, a longtime associate pastor, will be installed at noon as pastor during a service at the church.

Sunday

: The 49th anniversary of the church will be celebrated with one service at 11 a.m. at the Oasis of Hope Center, 1937 S. G St.

More information

: 253-272-5679, www.greaterchristtemple.org Bishop Curtis Edward Montgomery

Born: Dec. 27, 1932, in Selma, Ala.

Career: Stepping down as pastor of Greater Christ Temple Church this weekend after founding the church in October 1959. Montgomery will spend more time serving as bishop of the 17th Episcopal District of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. Montgomery was elected a bishop in 1994.

Family: Montgomery and his wife, Elinor, have been married 56 years and live in University Place. They have 10 children (two deceased), 20 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Their children, who all live in Pierce and South King counties, are: Enoch Montgomery, John Montgomery, Stephen Montgomery, Daniel Montgomery, Lynnda Escalante, Sharon Parchia, Michael Montgomery and Debra Griffin. Phillip Montgomery, 32, died in 1999 from kidney failiure and hepatitis C. David Montgomery, 44, died in October 2007 of complications from multiple sclerosis.

Steve Maynard, The News Tribune