A native of Apopka, Florida, Delwynn Gerard Williams was called to the pastorate of St. John Missionary Baptist Church of Panama City, Florida, Wednesday, May 2, 2001 and assumed his duties as the 13th pastor of the then 77-year-old church.
He is married to the former Miss Susan C. Edwards, and they have two adult children, Brandon and Britni, as well as two energetic grandchildren, Major & Reign.
Overcoming the divorce of his parents at an early age, Pastor Williams left his home in Jacksonville, Florida and settled in Apopka, Florida where he completed his primary and secondary education. After graduating from Edgewater High School in 1984, Pastor Williams decided to continue his formal education by enrolling in the Religion and Philosophy program at Florida A&M University. He then entered the Springfield Christian Bible Seminary in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he received the Bachelor of Theology and Doctor of Divinity degrees.
Preaching an initial sermon Sunday, August 31, 1986 at the Greater Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church of Tangerine, Florida under the tutelage of the late Pastor Solomon Neal and being ordained to the Gospel Ministry Sunday, April 30, 1989 at the Greater Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church of Tallahassee, Florida by the late Pastor T. T. Jackson; Pastor Williams’ ministerial career now spans over 30 years with his most recent previous pastoral experience being that of serving as Senior Pastor of Higher Heights Christian Baptist Fellowship in Tallahassee, FL (May 3, 1998 – May 2, 2001) and Mt. Moriah First Baptist Church in Quincy, Florida (April 7, 1989 – May 3, 1998). He has served in the leadership capacity for several Christian and civic organizations and conducted countless crusades, revivals, workshops and conferences across the United States.
Pastor Williams is a member of the National Baptist Convention of America, Progressive M&E Baptist Convention of Florida (where he serves as Minister of Music & Organist), Progressive Missionary Baptist Association of West Florida (where he serves as Moderator), NAACP and SCLC (where he served as the 1st Bay County Chapter President). In July 2015, Pastor Williams was appointed by then Governor of Florida, Rick Scott, to the Board of Directors for One Church One Child of Florida (OCOCFL). He is currently serving a second 2-year term to be complete December 2024. After approximately 5 months on the OCOCFL Board, Pastor Williams was appointed to the Executive Committee of the organization. Pastor Williams is also listed in the 1996 Edition of Strathmore’s Who’s Who Among Business Leaders and the 1987 Edition of Outstanding Young Men of America.