Our Senior Pastors
Apostle 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. Apostle Willie’s passion for the study of the Word was enhanced by his receiving his Bachelors of Arts degree in Biblical Studies from Maranatha Bible College in 2006. In 2006 Apostle married Melinda Willie giving him and Obedience to The Word the balance they needed. To that union two families were combined with wonderful children and joyous grandchildren.
Apostle Willie and Pastor Melinda are the under- shepherds of OTTW and they are constantly developing a team of mature and spiritual 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.
The mission of OTTW is to allow the “Presence of the Lord to Govern Everything We Do.” In twenty 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.
_edited_edited_e.png)
Pastor Melinda Willie
Over the years, there were numerous blessings and additions that God saw fit to give to Obedience to the Word, but none as significant 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.
Pastor Melinda Willie, is a native of New Castle, Pennsylvania. She is the fifth child of seven children born to Mr. Roosevelt Currie and Ruth Currie Adams. She graduated from Brookfield High School in Brookfield, Ohio. She is a mother of two and the grandmother (MeMe) of five grandchildren.
Her love for hurting women and the body of Christ as a whole is an innate part of her character that travels with her wherever she goes and to whomever she meets.
Pastor Melinda was raised up in the Church of God In Christ. She knew there was a call on her life at an early age. In 1999, she moved to Durham, NC, where she met her husband, Apostle James W. Willie, III. It was in 2007 when she accepted the call to the ministry. Pastor Melinda Willie served as a minister for five years before accepting the call to be the associate pastor to Apostle Willie at Obedience to the Word Full Gospel Church.
Purposing to become grounded in the Word, she attended Maranatha Christian College, were she received numerous certificates in Biblical Studies. Pastor Melinda also received certificates for prophetic praise and worship.
With those achievements coupled with the intensity to search out the secret things that belong to the Lord, her purpose is to endeavor to become the voice that God is calling forth for a time such as now. The objective is for advancing his kingdom to the place of prophetic destiny.
Not only does she serve as a Pastor but also she operates in the prophetic for the body of Christ. With her gift as an authentic intercessor, she can often be found petitioning for the heavens to open over the lives of the people of God so that they can have easier access to the fulfilled promises. As the question was asked by David shall I pursue and the answer was PURSUE. For her the answer was the same and she has said yes LORD I will PURSUE.
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
(Ephesians 4:11-12)