Veruynca Williams Making The World A Better Place For Young People
In this issue, Veruynca Williams who is a long time active member of this community is the fifth local resident being honored in the GR Times Community That Cares series. The series highlights individuals who through the years have demonstrated that they do what they do for the benefit of the community and that they do what they do from the heart. The following is a GR Times interview with Mrs. Williams.
GRT: For those who don't know you, were you born in Grand Rapids?
Williams: I was born in Indianapolis, Indiana and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. My father was a Baptist pastor and was very involved in church and in his community. GRT: Did you get you start volunteering at church? Williams: Since my father was a pastor, whatever we did, we had to excell. Their wasn't a lot of community for a child but they didn't have janitors back then, so we would have to help clean up the church. We didn't have the media so when there was a revival, my father would get in the car with a bullhorn, ride around town and tell everyone about the upcoming revival. The guest pastor would always stay with us.
GRT:
Williams: Out of five brothers, three of them were clergy and pastors. One thing that we learned to do is not to reject God because of the packaging. We were taught to be born again, learn the word and then become active. None of my brothers smoke or drink, because it was a lifestyle of holiness that was instilled in us. We were taught to be real and that your word was your bond and to let people see that we were Christians instead of telling them that you are a Christian. I have learned that in some instances, ministry has become a business.
GRT: When did you learn to play the piano?
Williams: I started playing the piano at the age of nine and it developed from there. Our church was quite diverse. We sang hymns and gospel songs. I took piano lesson so I learned how to read music, symbols and the fingering on the piano. If you learned the piano, then you could transition to other instruments. When I came to Grand Rapids in 1968, the style of the church that I was a member of was different because they didn't really sing hymns. The choirs were the dominant music.
GRT: When did you get started working with young people?
Williams: The first choir that was assigned to me was a children's choir. I started by teaching them harmony because that is what I was taught. When you think about spirituals, it was always done in harmony. Words simple with harmony. At one time we had a choir of 86 kids strong with kids under twelve years old. At the Baptist Fellowship back when JV Williams asked Alma Perry and I to cover the music. I taught Sunday school at Pilgrim Rest, the children's choir and then the senior choir. So I had the youngest and the most mature.
GRT: What has been the biggest challenge for you when working with young people?
Williams: I think today that it is respect and having patience, because you have to consider that some people do things because they seem attractive to them and some kids are placed in positions because it is what the parents want. If you get a child who doesn't have the heart to do whatever the task is, then it becomes a conflict. I don't only work with music. I started a children's ministry called Word Alive that met on Wednesdays. I started it becomes I believe that you have to know the basics. Sometimes it is not taught at church so you maximize them when they get to church. We taught them the things that we were taught at home such as praying over our food, saying The Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments and how to act in public.
GRT: How did Blessing of The Students
Williams: Twenty-seven years ago, my youngest son was graduating from Creston High School in1993. There were a bunch of us parents shoes our kids were connected through programs at school. HBCU was a strong influences and a lot of our kids decided to attend historically Black colleges. My son chose to go to Hampton University, 800 miles away so I would pretty much only see him on Christmas. So before they went off to their different schools, we wanted to take the time to pray for their safety and for their academic success. We prayed God's protection over them. Giving them safe travel, the ability to have self control when there parents were not around. The next year we were approached by kids asking if we were going to pray for them but we didn't want our kids to lose their faith. My greatest goal is to do the will of the Father and to make a difference in the kingdom of God.
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