Reverend Charles E. Thomas Jr., is the newly elected Senior Pastor of Mt. Carmel Community Baptist in Steubenville, OH.  In addition to his pastoral duties, Reverend Thomas is the Director of Family Services at Macedonia Family and Community Enrichment Center (a non-profit organization of Macedonia Church) located in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and adjunct assistant professor of Homiletics at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.  Reverend Thomas and his wife Chantel also provide pre-marital and marital counseling for couples.

Pastor Thomas was reared in Houston, Pennsylvania and graduated from Chartiers-Houston High School.  Pastor Thomas possesses a Bachelor of Science Degree in Community Ministry from Geneva College and a Master of Divinity with emphasis in Urban Ministry, Homiletics and Pastoral Care from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary where he was awarded the Michael Wilson Keith Memorial Prize in Homiletics and the John W. Meister Award in Pastoral Ministry for outstanding preaching and pastoral care abilities.  Pastor Thomas’ commitment to education has led him to seek further studies in the PhD Department of Communications and Rhetoric at Duquesne University.

Prior to his appointment at Mt. Carmel, Pastor Thomas has held positions such as: the Pastor of Communal Life at Macedonia Baptist Church; the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Pitt Gas; Associate Minister at Mt. Olive Baptist Church; Office Manager for the Metro-Urban Institute of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary; Youth Counselor at Mel Blount Boys Home; a Steelworker/millwright for 10 years and served in the United States Army for over 5 years. 

He is married to the former Chantel Penn of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania and they are the proud parents of four beautiful children: Carra, Keirsten, Tierra, and Andrew.