Tinley Park United Methodist welcomes a new part-time pastor, Dr. Stephen C. Williams, who as born in north-eastern Pennsylvania in 1951. His father, Clair Williams, had a distinguished time of service in the Army during WWII. Williams Sr. was part of the first combined Allied forces landing in North Africa and fought for over two years until being badly injured in Italy at Anzio. Williams's father and mother were both very active in their hometown church, the McConnellstown United Methodist Church in Pennsylvania. This small rural church was filled with good people who served their community in many ways, a witness to a future pastor of how faith and love can transform to service and action. Dr. Williams graduated from Huntingdon High School in 1969. His favorite memory was winning the Pennsylvania Sectional Wrestling Tournament by upsetting the #1 seed from State College by a score of 8-7! He also won his first speech contest and then got the lead in the Annual High School Play and where he got to kiss a girl! His next adventure was the University of Clarion where he was recruited to wrestle and part of the team that finished fourth in the NCAA tournament in 1972, where they had three Champions and one was Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. But wrestling quickly fell aside as Steve became involved in Campus Ministry working with Campus Crusade for Christ and Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. A small Bible Study group of two wrestlers and a baseball player grew to a campus group of over 100 college students meeting once a week for fellowship, worship, prayer and Bible Study. God then led Dr. Williams and three other Clarion graduates to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary near Boston, Massachusetts in 1974, where he met his future wife, Jamie, who was a Missions major planning to go on to the mission field in Latin America. After seminary Dr. Williams and Jamie moved to Muncy Valley, PA where Steve was the pastor of four yoked parishes. In 1983 the family of four moved to Wheaton where Steve was a stay-at-home father for three years and Jamie was Senior Pastor of Aldersgate United Methodist Church for the next 13 years. Dr. Williams returned to pastoral ministry in 1986 and then served consecutively at Downers Grove, Naperville, Franklin Park, Lombard and then finally at Libertyville. He was an ordained pastor from 1977-2017 until retiring. His one true hobby has been riding his Honda Goldwing motorcycle and is fond of saying, “Enjoy the ride.” His family and faith are the center and anchor of his life. He has three children - Nathan, Carey and Joshua. Nathan passed away in May of 2020 but his presence and love are still felt every day. Steve and Jamie also have three beautiful grandchildren - Magdalyn (Maggie), Bennet (Benn) and Claira. A fourth grandchild is on the way in June of this year! God is good. God is good! And through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we are lifted up to the heavenly places as we move forward in our earthly pilgrimage. It is through Christ that God’s Spirit fills us with hope and power as the people of hope who keep their eyes on the prize of their divine calling. As the Apostle Paul said, “This one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal, toward the prize of the heavenly call of Christ Jesus.” May it be so! May God fill us with the Spirit as we fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. May God bless us as we move forward together in the days ahead.