Takes the helm of a small country congregation with big dreams
By Meliqueica Meadows
Of the St. Louis American
Just last year Jason Williams released his debut CD The Testimony of a Young Preacher, and now the young minister has been tapped to head his first congregation. During a special ceremony on September 10, Williams will be installed as the new pastor of Zion Circle MB Church in Alorton, IL.
“The pastor that was there, the Rev. Goliath Chambers Jr., passed away in 2005,” Williams said. “And the church remained vacant and the Lord placed it on my heart to go over and to help this church. The Bible says, ‘How can they hear except they have a preacher. And how can he preach lest he be sent.’
Williams added, “He brought the church there some 30 years ago. When he passed, he left the church in sterling condition. I was the last preacher to preach for him before he died.”
Just a few months ago, his single “His Hand” was voted one of Gospel 1600’s most requested songs in 2005. Now just shy of a year after his musical success, Williams is taking to the pulpit.
Williams said, “I’m so excited. This is my first pastoral appointment. There’s a lot I don’t know but I know the Lord’s going to teach me.”
A native of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Williams said his father was pastor of a small church there. He said the rural surroundings of Zion Circle remind him of his father’s church and he’s hoping the same kind of ministry and blessings follow him to Alorton, IL which is about a 15-minute drive from downtown.
“Zion Circle has about 20 members. It’s like the church in the country,” he said. “It reminds me of the church my father used to pastor in Arkansas.
He added that the area “is not the suburbs. It’s a really rural community and an impoverished area.”
Williams said one of his goals is to try to get some grants to help rebuild the neighborhood, but his first priority is reaching the community.
“My first official thing will be continuing outreach in the neighborhood to boost people’s awareness that we’re there. I’m thinking about having a neighborhood social like a picnic where we can just meet and fellowship.”
He said he and his wife, Paulean, are hoping for “healing and deliverance because the congregation is believing and fasting together.”
“The anointing of God is resting in that place,” Williams said. “It’s a small church but we’re growing and I’m excited about what the Lord is going to do.”
Zion Circle is located at 3618 Walnut Ave. in Alorton, IL. The Testimony of a Young Preacher is available at www.youngpreachermusic.com.
The Gospel Scene
Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis is celebrating “Two Decades of Grantmaking” on Sunday, September 10, at the Savvis Center. The free event will kick off at 3 p.m. with local jazz vocalist Erin Bode. The Foundation has contributed more than $60 million to 430-plus nonprofit health and human service agencies in the metropolitan area since its inception in 1986. Guests are encouraged to consider making a gift to any one of the agencies Lutheran Foundation supports. Any gift will be matched by the foundation. Pre-register at www.lutheranfoundation.org.
The United Church Men of Greater St. Louis is having a fish fry Friday, Sept. 8 from 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. at Memorial Boulevard Christian Church, 3000 N. Kingshighway at Labadie. The group was formed in 1957 during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. At the time, they were considered radicals because they held an event in which thousands of black and white men not only worshiped and had communion together, but afterwards actually sat with each other and shared breakfast on the most segregated day of the week, Sunday. Their current activities include providing chaplains at local Boy Scout camps and honoring Scout recipients of the God and Country award. Call (314) 367-5767.