1 week ago
Remembering Tom Bradford: A Christ-like Life Well Lived
This week, we said goodbye to one of the most faithful friends and board members our mission has ever known.
THOMAS E. BRADFORD entered the presence of the Lord peacefully at home, joining his beloved Mary Anne just weeks after she went ahead of him. As their daughter Peggy shared so tenderly, “My sweet Daddy has joined my sweet Momma in the presence of their Lord.”
Silk and I are traveling to Birmingham to attend the memorial service at Briarwood Presbyterian Church and to be with the Bradford family and that remarkable church community that meant so much to Tom and Mary Anne.
Our hearts are full of gratitude for a life so well lived.
A Faithful Servant
Tom played a pivotal role in the life of our mission. He chaired the search committee that invited me to serve with Asian Access (now A3), and he later served as the master of ceremonies at my installation service. From the beginning, Tom demonstrated the steady wisdom and Christ-like character that would shape our board for years.
The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 4:2:
“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”
Tom Bradford was faithful—faithful to Christ, faithful to his family, faithful to his church, and faithful to the mission of God.
David Bennett, who also served alongside Tom on the LIFE Ministries–Asian Access–A3 board, captured this beautifully when he wrote:
“Here is a man who finished well. May the Lord give grace to each of us to do the same.”
Indeed, Tom’s life reminds us of the old song: “May those who come behind us find us faithful.”
A Heart for the Mission of God
Many in the A3 community experienced Tom’s extraordinary commitment firsthand.
Our dear friend Toshio Maehara once reflected on Tom’s dedication:
“Tom Bradford was a very unique person… strongly dedicated to his faith in Christ and acting upon his beliefs. When he hosted a board meeting almost twenty years ago at his home in Birmingham, I realized how far he had traveled to attend meetings in Los Angeles. I had to pass through three airports just to get to his home… How many times did he travel that distance during his tenure? Amazing, committed, sacrificial.”
Tom didn’t make much of the sacrifices he made. He simply showed up—again and again—serving faithfully behind the scenes.
That kind of quiet faithfulness builds ministries that last.
Southern Hospitality and Kingdom Vision
Silk and I had the privilege of staying in Tom and Mary Anne’s home several times over the years. Their hospitality was unforgettable.
Mary Anne was an exceptional chef, bringing out the best of Southern charm and culinary delights. Tom would often invite friends to join us around their table, and he would ask me to share about what God was doing through A3 in Japan and around the world.
On one such evening, I shared about the work God was doing in Japan through leadership development and church multiplication. Afterward, Briarwood’s missions pastor, Tom Cheely, told me that his wife had been deeply inspired by what she heard.
That moment eventually led to the largest year-end missions gift Briarwood Presbyterian Church had ever given to A3.
The next day Tom called me, clearly delighted.
“Joe,” he said, “our church has never given a gift that large for our year-end giving. Praise the Lord!”
Tom loved seeing the church participate in God’s mission.
Wisdom That Endures
Former A3 president Doug Birdsall once described Tom this way:
“He was exceptionally bright, but his brilliance was exceeded by his wisdom, and his wisdom was characterized by straightforwardness and grace.”
Those of us who served alongside him saw that wisdom again and again. Tom had a remarkable ability to see through complex challenges and discern the right path forward.
His counsel helped guide our mission through important seasons of growth and renewal, and his influence will endure on our board for generations.
Doug also shared a wonderful story about how their friendship began during a missions conference at Briarwood in 1991. After Doug complimented Tom’s sport coat, a package arrived days later with the exact same coat—this time in Doug’s size.That simple act captured Tom perfectly: thoughtful, generous, and quietly kind.
A Glimpse of Eternity
About a year ago, when Tom’s health seemed uncertain, Silk and I sent a short video tribute that Peggy later told us the family treasured.
In that message we shared something that still feels true today.
We told Tom that Jesus must surely be smiling on him—because of the countless people whose lives he helped influence for eternity. Through his leadership at Briarwood and through his faithful service with A3, Tom played a part in the spiritual journey of believers around the world.
I am convinced that one day in heaven we will meet people from Japan and many other nations whose lives were touched because Tom Bradford faithfully supported the work of the gospel.
That reminds me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:21:
“Well done, good and faithful servant… Enter into the joy of your master.”
The Hope We Share
Tom’s passing also reminds us of the hope we share in Christ.
As Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–14:
“We do not grieve as others do who have no hope… For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”
Tom and Mary Anne are now reunited in the presence of our Savior.
What a reunion that must have been.
Until We Meet Again
Tom Bradford lived the kind of life many of us aspire to live—faithful service to Christ, deep love for family, generous hospitality, wise leadership, and humble devotion to the mission of God.
Phil Foxwell, current board chairman, expressed it well when he wrote:
“We give thanksgiving to the Lord for a Christ-like life well lived.”
We miss Tom deeply. Yet we also rejoice in the promise that we will see him again—together with Mary Anne—in the presence of our Lord.
Silk and I ask the A3 community to join us in praying for Peggy, Jim, Bill, and their families—and for the Briarwood Presbyterian Church family—as they celebrate Tom’s life and legacy.
Until that day when we are reunited in eternity, we give thanks for Tom Bradford:
a faithful servant,
a wise counselor,
a generous friend,
and a man whose life pointed many toward Christ.
Grace and peace,
Rev. Joseph W. Handley, Jr., Ph.D.
CEO, A3
@jwhandley
@jwhandley
@JosephWHandleyJr
@jwhandley
jhandley@a3.email
More Information
The memorial service for Thomas E. Bradford will be held:
Celebration of Life
Monday, March 9, 2026
2:00 p.m.
Briarwood Presbyterian Church
2200 Briarwood Way, Birmingham, AL
(A3) Remembering Tom Bradford: A Christ-like Life Well Lived: This week, we said goodbye to one of the most faithful friends and board members our mission has ever known.
THOMAS E. BRADFORD entered the presence of the Lord peacefully at home, joining his… #A3Leaders #JoeHandley #leadership
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