Tim Willis said his call came at the age of 13. He didn’t know what God wanted him to do exactly, but he trusted He would show him.
After high school, he began serving as a music minister as he went to school at Lurleen B. Wallace Community College in Andalusia. Then he served bivocationally for a while as he taught music at local schools.
And then in 1981, Willis answered the call to serve as the minister of music at Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Dothan. He’s been there ever since.
And as he retires in January after 40-plus years at the church, he says he “can’t thank God enough for the privilege of getting to serve.”
“I’ve had a lot of good people around me who have really helped me to grow through the years and mature in the faith,” he said. “The Lord’s just been so good.”
Serving in that capacity at Ridgecrest has been “a wonderful time,” Willis said. “I had the chance to raise my family in one location, and my children and grandchildren, they’re all in church with us, and there’s no greater blessing than that.”
Ray Jones, Ridgecrest’s pastor, called Willis a “pillar of spiritual integrity.”
“He has humbly served our Lord and the Ridgecrest family with faithfulness and fruitfulness,” he said. “Without a doubt, he has been an instrument used by God to help lay a great foundation for our church. His love for God and love for people have impacted countless lives.”
Jones has been at the church for the past 21 years alongside Willis.
“From a personal perspective, Tim is a friend and comrade in the work of God that I greatly cherish,” he said.
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