By Gracyne Hash, student intern, Office of University Communications
Campbellsville University will celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a chapel service Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 10 a.m. in Ransdell Chapel, 401 N. Hoskins Ave., Campbellsville, Ky.
Dr. F. Bruce Williams, senior pastor at Bates Memorial Baptist Church in Louisville, will speak at the chapel that is open to everyone.
Williams was installed as the senior pastor of Bates Memorial Baptist Church in 1986 after serving as an associate minister. Twenty-eight years later, the congregation has grown exponentially, seeing its membership increase from 100 members to over 5,000 members.
In addition, the ministries of the church have increased and now provide 58 diverse areas for people to serve and also provide, through the Bates Community Development Corporation, a number of additional, creative ministry opportunities.
Williams graduated summa cum laude from Florida A&M University and went on to obtain his Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and his Doctorate in Ministry from the United Theological Seminary.
Williams is asked frequently to serve as an instructor or guest speaker for various types of community wide events throughout the country.
Through his messages of transformation and restoration, Williams encourages people to believe that God has something greater for their lives. He strives for all people to seek for and discover their God-given purposes by introducing them to the power of the savior.
Williams strives to lead people toward God, showing them that God has a divine plan for them through a variety of worship and discipleship-based education.
He is often honored for his outstanding achievements. In 2005, he was inducted into the William H. Sheppard Excellence in the Community Hall of Fame, a distinguished honor for those who make an extreme difference in their communities. He was also nominated for the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame.
Williams was honored in 2014 as well by the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary for his excellence in pastoral leadership and service. He was also awarded the honor from Today's Woman Magazine, for Greatest Husband in Louisville in September 2011.
In addition, Williams is the author of two successful books, titled “Gideon A Hero In the Making” and “You Can Have As Far As You Can See” which are available for purchase.
Williams is the husband of Leona Michelle Smith Williams of Greensboro, Fla.; they are also the parents of two adult daughters, Imani and Nailah Cymone.
Chapel is designed to provide opportunities for corporate worship and exposure through a variety of informative speakers and presentations.
All chapels are open to the public free of charge and are televised live on WLCU (Comcast Cable channel 10 and digital channel 23.0) and are streamed live on the internet at wlcutv.com.
For information about chapel, call the Office of Campus Ministries at (270) 789-5227.
Campbellsville University is a widely-acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 13,000 students offering more than 90 programs of study including Ph.D., master, baccalaureate, associate, pre-professional and certification programs. The university has off-campus centers in Kentucky cities Louisville, Harrodsburg, Somerset, Hodgenville and Liberty with Kentucky instructional sites in Elizabethtown, Owensboro and Summersville. The university also has a full complement of online programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.