Meet The Pastor
Senior Pastor James W. Willie, III
In 1987, God spoke to a young man about starting a ministry that addressed the needs of lost souls. It was not a difficult ministry to begin, because he had a passion to attend to the needy due to his humble beginnings as a child in Pollocksville, North Carolina. For him, it was not a chore, but an honor to see the elderly warmed during the winter or to see a single mother and her kids with food on their table.
That young man whom God spoke to was James W. Willie, III. For years, around Durham County and surrounding areas, Obedience to the Word Ministries saw to the needs of many in a mobile capacity. That continued until the second Sunday in February of 1997. On that day, fourteen people gathered together at the Downtown Durham Public Library for the first Worship service of Obedience to the Word Full Gospel Church.
From the library, to Holloway Street, to Avondale Drive, and now Bon Air Avenue, the Lord’s hands have always been upon and within the ministry of Obedience to the Word.
The mission of OTTW is to allow the “Presence of the Lord to Govern Everything We Do.” In sixteen years of ministry, we’ve seen countless souls saved and an infinite number of lives changed. It is our ultimate desire to fulfill that mission so that God’s Word is made flesh before people.
Over the years, there were numerous blessings and additions that God saw fit to give to Obedience to the Word, but none as Pastor Melindasignificant as providing this body of citizens with the balance it needed. Given a Word of Prophecy that she would be an Esther to a King years ago in Pennsylvania, Pastor Melinda Willie has indeed been a fulfillment of that prophecy.
Speaking her initial sermon in February of 2007, Pastor Melinda gave Pastor Willie the much needed balance that He and OTTW longed for. She speaks with an unforgettable boldness and authority that can only be from God Himself. She truly has a passion to help reconcile the people of God back to Him. God speaks through Pastor Melinda prophetically, and there are many services where she cries out to the people of Zion to seek after the Lord. “Zion is Calling!” with tears of agape love streaming down her face. Pastor Melinda is a permanent fixture at the altar of OTTW, where she prays for hours for the people in the body of Christ.
Pastor Willie and Pastor Melinda are the under- shepherds of OTTW and they are constantly developing a team of dignified and qualified Leaders, Ministers, Evangelists, Elders, Deacons, Teachers and others, whom God has entrusted to lead His people just as Paul, Timothy and Silas did in the Bible. When you meet them, you will understand why the citizens of Obedience to the Word love them dearly. They are true soldiers in God’s Army and have dedicated their lives to ministry.