AJ Williams celebrates 20 years of ministry
AJ Williams (LCA Class of 2013) was born during church, quite literally. At 10:31 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 1, 1995, AJ entered this world — six to seven days late no less — and began his journey.
AJ might not have been born inside the confines of a church building, but the timing of his birth is symbolic for the call God placed on his life.
Fast forward to present day and AJ is now 20 years into preaching. On Feb. 27, 2005, a 10-year old AJ stood behind the pulpit at New Jerusalem Church in Snellville on a Youth Day and delivered a sermon on Psalm 46:10.
He spoke for 13 minutes on the subject, “Be Still and know that I am God.”
That sermon is more real to AJ now than it was 20 years ago.
“I would say to learn not to compare,” AJ said. “Learning to let my hair down and enjoy the ride, essentially not be too stressed. Just remember that, in everything I do, glorifying God is the key.”
“The grand display of what it means to be a follower of Christ, a disciple is something that I think I would take away from my time at LCA...””
AJ felt the calling on his life at 3 years old, which came to fruition that February morning in 2005. Now, he’s the Youth Administrator at Friendship Community Church-Atlanta where AJ has served for over two years.
Fulfilling his calling at a young age, much less staying committed to it, would not have been possible without the support of his family. His parents would drive him wherever he was asked to preach, no matter if it was in Albany, Augusta or even North Carolina.
One act that AJ’s dad performed, though, signified his family’s support. His dad built him a wooden pulpit from scratch and painted it when AJ was 7.
“So, it was kind of them saying, ‘OK. If this is where the Lord has called you to or where God is leading you, we'll support you and just make sure you follow the Lord,’” AJ said.
In AJ’s current capacity, he is the staff support for the middle and high school ministries. AJ is hands on with coordinating Sunday services, activities, trips, and college tours for the youth to partake in. He also helps with setting an annual budget for the ministries.
This is the fourth church AJ has been involved with in different roles.
As much as his life centers around church and ministry, AJ is enthralled with other activities. He and his wife, Lanessa, enjoy traveling. In fact, they’re going on a trip to the Dominican Republic this year.
They also like trying new restaurants and watching an assortment of television shows, such as Found, Suits, and more. AJ has his own digital marketing business he operates, too.
Not only does AJ credit his family’s support with what he’s accomplished, but the support he gained during his two years as an LCA Lion as well.
When asked how LCA prepared him for life after high school, AJ highlighted how teachers and staff demonstrated the love of Christ every day.
“The grand display of what it means to be a follower of Christ, a disciple is something that I think I would take away from my time at LCA,” AJ said. “Especially with the support from staff, leadership, parents, Booster Club. When it comes down to, ‘OK, this is where God can take you. The sky's the limit. Follow where God leads you.’”
A foreshadowing moment transpired for AJ while on the Pridelands.
In the second semester of Mr. Dwain Dorsey’s class, AJ and his classmates were tasked with planning a wedding from scratch. Who was tabbed as the officiant? AJ Williams.
“We did everything short of making it a legal ceremony,” AJ recalled. “And we did it in the library and we had the arch and people reading scripture and decorations and all that stuff. I still have that officiant script somewhere in a binder at my parents' house.”
Other key individuals from LCA who AJ mentioned are, founders Doug and Christy Monda, Coach King, Mrs. Corrente, and Mr. Snow, just to name a few.
Overall, AJ is grateful for his time as an LCA Lion. And he urges current and future LCA students to take full advantage of this experience.
AJ’s biggest piece of advice is, “Don’t set limitations for yourself.”
“And why I say that is because some of the things I do now, I never would have imagined it, and I probably would have limited myself from even reaching those goals, simply because a lot of times we operate by sight and not by faith,” AJ said. “My senior superlative was most likely to preach a tent revival. Shamefully, I have not done that. So as long as I have a goal, I haven't cut myself short, and I still have a lot more life to live.”
