Born
in Texas City to a United Methodist family, Rev. D. Fred
Willis was raised in Pearland, Texas, where he graduated
High School. He received his undergraduate degree from the U
of H Architecture School where he was awarded a B.S. in
Environmental Design and a minor in Construction
Management. During his undergraduate work, he accepted his
call into full time ministry while attending a Walk to
Emmaus (College Chrysalis) and eventually was accepted to
Perkins School of Theology, where he received a Master’s of
Divinity.
He
has since expanded his education by attending both a
Clinical Pastoral Education program (hospital chaplaincy)
and a Pastoral Care Specialist Program, receiving
certification through the Kriss Samaritan Counseling Center.
Currently he is expanding his learning by focusing on the
webinars and writings of Patrick Lencioni and the Table
Group, finding many practical applications for the local
church and ministry.
Fred met
and married his wife, Sarah Willis, in 1999 as she worked as
a school teacher in Seabrook, Texas. Sarah is an artist and
has a several small businesses/interests on the side such as
painting children’s furniture and murals.
Sarah
and Fred adopted their first child from China when in August
2005, they took a two week trip to Beijing and then to
Nanchang in the Jiangxi province. They adopted a beautiful
9-month old girl and named her Selah Anne Willis. Selah was
born November 8, 2004.
After
trying for several years to adopt a second child, the
Willis’ opted on seeking out a donor and trying IVF route.
Since the choice was there to be made, and out of respect
for their already blended family, the Willis’ decided to go
with a Chinese donor for the child. The first time in, Sarah
became pregnant, and on February 22, 2010, Judah Waits
Willis was brought into the expanding tribe of Willis. As
would be expected, Selah has approached her new role as big
sister with gusto!
During his life, Rev. Willis has developed a myriad of
interests and hobbies. He is an avid movie fan as well as
reading books. His tastes runs the gambit from Fantasy to
Theological, from Science Fiction to Psychology, and
everything in between. Together, Sarah and Fred enjoy
cooking all sorts of new dishes, shopping for relaxation,
attending the Renaissance Faire each year, and even playing
video games together.
League City United Methodist
Church – Associate Pastor
San
Augustine First United Methodist Church – Pastor
First
United Methodist Church of Texas City – Pastor