I enjoy observing the things people have in their offices, such as books, pictures of people and places of significance, framed documents, inspirational verses or sayings, even collected items, such as Bro. Billy Williams’ m
any hats! A significant document displayed on Bro. Billy’s wall is a framed musical composition, a choral anthem “To Worship God.” The caption indicates, “Written to honor Billy K. Williams at the completion of his Doctoral Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary — Commissioned by Leslie Williams and the Worship Choir of Clarke Venable Baptist Church, Decatur, Mississippi.”
Billy Keith Williams was born Jan. 26, 1969, in Channelview, Texas. His maternal grandparents’ home was a “safe haven” for Billy, and when he was 11, these grandparents, Louis Bernard and Edith Faye Wilkerson Bemont, adopted him. A few years later, they adopted his half-sister, Brandie, who was five years younger than Billy.
Bro. Billy and his sister share a spiritual day of birth, as they were both saved on the same day. When he was 14 in 1983, the family lived in Winnfield, La. He was in the balcony of the First Baptist Church one day when he saw his grandmother go to the front of the church and shake the pastor’s hand. He asked her about it. The following Tuesday, he returned home from school to find the pastor and the revival evangelist there.
As the pastor, Rev. Calvin Phelps, sat between Billy and his sister, he shared God’s plan of salvation with them and answered their questions. He asked them to respond in a unique way, saying, “My hands are right here. While I’m praying, if you want to accept Jesus, put your hands in mine.” Billy did so first, then Brandie. The children were baptized soon after their decisions.
Billy’s parental situation was complicated and complex, and I could easily relate, as my maternal grandparents had also adopted me when I was a baby because of the brokenness of my home. Allen Ray Williams’ name is on his birth certificate, as this man gave him his name when he was born. Later, it became evident that his biological father was William Beri Smith. This man is also a Christian. Thankfully, he and Bro. Billy have been able to have a good relationship and even share the experience of giving their testimonies together of how the Lord can bring reconciliation.
Bro. Billy described his youth minister, Allen Jackson, as a “very strong youth minister” who “really discipled me.” Speaking of him and his wife Judi, he said, “They very positively affected my life. Through their ministry, and the encouragement of other people in the church there in Winnfield, I began to think there was a possibility God was leading me to ministry.” When he was 17, as a junior, he surrendered to the ministry.
Billy’s parents had retired to Winnfield in 1981, and he finished high school there, graduating from Winnfield Senior High School in 1987. He had attended Northeast Louisiana University’s band camps every summer since the seventh grade and had gotten to know and respect the band director, Jack White, who was also a Christian. Billy’s choral experience was in church, as he sang in choirs, from seventh grade youth choir on through Sanct
uary choir in his sophomore year. It was evident his future lay in the field of music, and he chose NLU to prepare himself for music ministry.
In August 1988, during the pre-band week rehearsals at Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe, La., Billy Keith Williams met Leslie Carol Smith of Pine Bluff, Ark., after Sunday church at Wendy’s. Leslie was a first-year member of “The Sound of Today” Marching Band at NLU, Billy was in his second year, and they experienced “an immediate attraction.”
Leslie was preparing for pharmacy school, but all the slots were filled at NLU, causing her to move back to Arkansas to continue her education. Bro. Billy quoted the old adage, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” They were married Dec. 21, 1991. He graduated in May 1993, with a B.A. in Music, and Leslie graduated in December 1993, from NLU, as she had been able to enter the pharmacy school there and finish. Leslie has been a Walmart pharmacist ever since, with the last six years being at Newton Walmart. Billy explained how Walmart has been very cooperative in assigning her positions every time they have moved.
Their first son, Micah Henry Williams, was born in 1997, with his brother, Luke Bemont Williams, joining the family in 2001. Micah is now a student at William Carey University, and Luke is a junior at Newton County High School.
Bro. Billy was licensed in 1987 and ordained in 1992 at his home church, First Baptist Church, in Winnfield. In 1992, his first position was as minister of music at Liberty Baptist Church in Linville, Louisiana, with Leslie serving as pianist. They moved to Springhill, La., in 1993, and Billy commuted across the state line to teach school in Taylor, Ark., where he was the band director, choir director, and general classroom music teacher during the 1993-94 school year at Taylor High School and Taylor Elementary School.
Since 1992, he served on staff at Baptist churches in Louisiana, after which they went to his first full-time position at First Baptist in Malvern, Ark., from 1994-1999.
The Lord made provision for them to be near Leslie’s family, serving at Central Baptist Church of Pine Bluff, Ark., beginning in March of 1999. They were there for almost 12 years. During this time he earned his M.A. in Christian Education in 2006 from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
Leslie’s parents’ health declined. Her father died in 2002, and in 2009 her mother passed away two weeks after their pastor of 10 years had died from complications during surgery. Bro. Billy said, “God used the separation of key relationships through death to get us ready to go anywhere.”
They felt in November 2010 that God was moving them somewhere, and when Leslie attended the National Women’s Ministry Forum at Ridgecrest, N.C., she met Janine Vincent. As they say, “The rest is history.” These wise women agreed that their husbands needed to meet each other. Billy sent his resume to Bro. Mark, and he later discovered that the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary had also sent him his resume.
Williams explained that his educational efforts were “not to get a better job, but to do my job better.” He thought he was done with school but realized that he wanted training in biblical worship. He discovered a doctoral program with a Worship Ministry specialization at the New Orleans seminary, and, after prayer, he began the program, finishing in December 2015.
When I asked Mrs. Charlotte Smith, a pianist at the church, of her experience in working with Bro. Billy, she had this to say. “I am glad we have this dedicated, humble servant of God on staff at Clarke-Venable. He does an excellent job in leading the congregation in worship each Sunday and in preparing their hearts for the ministry of the Word.”
We almost forgot another important aspect of Bro. Billy’s service here in Decatur. This fall will be his sixth football season as the “Voice of the Cougars.” He ended our conversation with words of gratitude, “We are really thankful to be in Newton County. We are thankful the boys have been in the Newton County schools, and we have felt very well accepted. As we serve the Lord, we also want to serve our community.”
You may contact me at lagnesrussell@gmail.com or 601-635-3282.
