Our Pastor

Pastor William King, Jr. - Greater Life COOLJC of The Apostolic Faith

Pastor King was filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gave utterance on December 13th, 1980 in Detroit, Michigan at the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ (now called Solomons Temple) pastored by Bishop William L. Bonner.

While sleeping in his bed, then, Brother King saw a vision; an angel standing at the foot of his bed. Suddenly a bright light filled the entire bedroom and out of the light Jesus Christ spoke “preach my word, feed my sheep”. Brother King went to Pastor Bonner and told him of the vision. On April of 1981 Brother King preached his first sermon and became Minister King.

Minister King began his studies at the Church of Christ Bible College at Solomons Temple, but his greatest lessons came as he begin to go through trials and tribulations. It was through his tests and trials a relationship with Christ was developed. During his hard times minister King learned to listen and lean on Jesus Christ.

Pastor King testifies, “Telling my story was difficult. Difficult because my story isn’t like most men. As I look over my (life’s) record (as a person and a minister) and compare my record with my fellow clergy, I cry out to the Lord and wonder. My record at first glance looks incomplete. Some could say I’m unstable. I’m as a puppet in the Masters hand.
It does seem that I’d start, stop and restart again. That’s what people saw from the outside, but they didn’t know the struggles going on inside. Jesus Christ wanted something from me and I wouldn’t give it to him. So when he uprooted what I was doing, I’d move elsewhere and try again. I never gave up, that part wasn’t difficult to do. I tried hard to be like everyone else. I wanted my church services to be like this person and I wanted a bible school, but Christ would not let me be like everyone else. My life was being forced in a different direction than others. I had no choice and at the time I didn’t know why.

All my fellow preachers seem to have clean historical records, but mine is full of problems and difficulties. I was different and labeled an outcast. I found myself overlooked and rejected by the clergy. They said I was too deep. They, like me were called to preach the word, but what was I to do different? As a young preacher all I could do is stand and watch as they prospered, got good jobs and married; meanwhile I suffered. They were licensed and I couldn’t afford to pay for my credentials. They started churches and I was living on the streets homeless. While they were having it good, I was fighting the powers of darkness.

I wanted out, but Jesus Christ would not let me out. So I turned to books. I tried reading positive thinking books and self help books, going to free seminars and anything that help me get out. The words from the books and the training didn’t work for me, but only for others who called on me for advice. Nothing worked for me but prayer and that seem to be the only thing that comforted me; staying on my knees and talking with Jesus Christ.

Young Pastor King Teaching at True Vine COOLJC

I was young in the Lord when I was called to preach. Because I was looking at everyone else, my call to the ministry was filled with confusion, I did not know why I was going through so much hell and they were not. I’ve fought demon possession, chase out demon spirits, speak a word against the powers of darkness, bind the flesh in order to free a persons spirit so that they could reach God.

I’ve lived without money in my pockets for years and there were times I had no food for weeks at a time. I walked everywhere I went, so much that I had holes in my shoes, one pair of pants, two shirts and a hand me down coat for the cold winter months.

I’ve been homeless three times. The last time I was homeless the Lord yelled at me something fierce. It was dark and cold, I think it was around November. I wandered the streets of downtown Detroit trying to find some place to sleep. I was angry at the Lord and trying to hide any evidence that I was saved. While I sat on a park bench a white man came up to me and said “Your a preacher aren’t you?”. I don’t remember what I said to him, but I do remember complaining to the Lord about my situation. I complained so much that the Lord got mad at me.

There is an area downtown called Hart Plaza an outdoor cement concert area . There were bums laying all over the place. Some had cardboard boxes wrapped around. The smell in that area was so bad, that I could not get comfortable. I cried to the Lord and turned toward one guy who was laying on the ground and said to the Lord, “I’m a child of God, I shouldn’t be going through this.

I pointed to the bum laying on the ground and said I’m better than this. And the Lord spoke to me in anger and said, NO YOUR NOT, EVERYTHING THAT YOU HAVE IN THIS LIFE I GAVE TO YOU, EVEN THE HOPE THAT IS IN YOUR HEART, I CAN TAKE IT OUT AND PUT IT IN THAT MAN AND HE WILL GET UP, CLEAN HIMSELF, GET A JOB, MARRY AND HAVE CHILDREN AND YOU WILL TAKE HIS PLACE. I got quiet, got myself together and left that place never to return.

That day I discovered something extremely important. None of us came by what we have. Although we labor or get lazy, sweat, cry, grow weak or strong it is the Lord who chooses us and not we him.

Despite the things I’ve gone through and continue to suffer in my life, Jesus Christ has never left me and has never given up on me. I don’t fight him as much these days, and for that I am blessed. I don’t struggle like the people I watched years ago. Yes, it looked good to me then, but I am more blessed than they. That period of suffering lasted from 1981 until 1988. I married in 1989.

Pastor William & Sis. Cherie King

In 1994, while living in Tacoma Washington and Pastoring Loving Way Temple Church, the devil attacked my body. I felt that he was trying to take me out of here, make me into a liar or wanted me to suffer. Because of my past experiences I held that Jesus Christ is a healer. I preached it and lived it by no choice of mine. It came with the package. I was willing to take what I believed to my grave and the devil wanted me to give up on preaching healing. I became so sick I could not get on my knees to pray. I could bend my knees but I couldn’t think, I couldn’t get my thoughts together to talk to the Lord, so I would just cry.

That devil had this body so wrapped up and hyper that I couldn’t pray like I was accustomed to praying. I was sick with Thyroid Disease from 1996 until the Lord healed me in 2004. I was sick for 7 1/2 years waiting until my change come.

I Went from 198lbs to 135lbs in one month.

Don’t give up on him saints and he will bless you. My congregation abandoned me, my State Bishop abandoned me, everybody excepted my wife and kids who saw me in my condition believed that I had a curse put on me. My State Bishop told his people that it was because I was not following him.

When Jesus Christ has chosen you, you can’t follow nobody else. Your His and your body is his and Jesus wants his testimony living in your body and coming out of your mouth. When you refuse to give your body or your life to him and not trust in him, then you don’t have the right nor do you have the power to say it and mean it, Jesus Christ is a healer and a way maker.

Hyperthyroid disease. Took 7 years for my healing, I waited for my change and it came. No one can say that the results in my life are by my hands.

Everybody fought me, saved and unsaved folks, tried to get me to believe that Jesus will work through the hands of the doctors, and that he gave us the doctors. The devil will find a way to make sense to you. I was fought so much that there were times that it felt like I was all alone and that I should give up. What kept me going was because I wanted something from the Lord, I wanted to know the Lord in a way that when I preach, the word will change someones life.

To protect my family while I waited on God to heal me. In 1999 I left my newly built home in Tacoma Washington and packed our bags and moved back to Detroit, Michigan. I did that because I didn’t know if I had the strength to make it. My wife wasn’t aware of why I did it. But I felt it was the right thing to do. It wasn’t until 2008 that my wife discovered why I did it. Because my family and wife’s family lived in Detroit and could take care of my wife and kids for me if something happened to me. We went back to Detroit and suffered some more.”

Born Many Times Over.

In all these things that I’ve gone through I am blessed. Without opening my mouth and speaking, people can see that I am blessed by God. The results of my sufferings has bought the power and testimony of Jesus Christ in my life and there is no demon in hell that can take that from me. It is through my suffering and deliverance that I know the truth. It is the knowledge of this truth that makes you a free person. Book knowledge will not free you, it cannot free you and will not free you. Jesus Christ has to take you through something. You need a red sea testimony.”

2009 The Year of Prosperity.
Added October 14, 2009 (still being edited)

As I sit and read what I’ve written earlier in this year, I am amazed and excited because of what has happened to my life since I begin writing this letter. Although the economy is in a down turn; people have lost their jobs, homes, marriages are shattered and people hopes are gone from them, I am blessed. None of this would have happened if I didn’t turn to the Lord at a time of confusion. Let me talk about the difficulties and then the blessings and then how the Lord brought everything together through prayer.

The House of Confusion

The beginning of the year 2009 was a very difficult and confusing year for me. Greater Life Church in Olympia is located in a very difficult location. There is no foot traffic or signs directing people to the church or businesses that draw lots of people. People cannot find us. I’ve spent thousands on advertising, sleepless nights, planning and reading books, but no matter what I did the feedback was the same they cannot find us. The County doesn’t permit posting a sign off the main road, except little tiny sandwich boards. The $500.00 sign I bought almost got thrown away, but she was kind enough to call me on the phone and put the sign in her car and drive around to the church and placed it against the building. She said, “I could not bring myself to throw away such a beautiful sign that has the words, Those Who Pray Can Expect A Miracle.”

If I would describe the location in a few words it would be, THE CHURCH IS IN THE WOODS. People cannot find the church, even with a map. As a result, frustrated attendees trying to find the church either go home or stop by the church a block away, which is a mega church. In addition to that, Washington State is known to have the lowest church attendance in the Nation. So I am in a position that requires faith and I was at my wits end. The entire ministry at Greater Life Church is financed from my families budget. I spend over $1000.00 a month of my household income to keep the doors open. So you can image paying around $36,000.00 in 3 years, that’s me.
I didn’t know why the Lord told me to come here. Why would he direct me to this location. Its been 3 years now and I’m frustrated. I’ve built a computer training center and spent money on advertising for free classes. No one came. I solicited the community to use the training center for free. No one came. I’ve tried grants, business plans, Youth Mentoring programs and nothing. I have a lease that is not up until next year. I’m frustrated.

My family and I are currently having a house built. Here in is the testimony for that one. We started looking into buying earlier in the year when things were okay. We took a first time home buyers class and started looking. We found a house we wanted and started the paperwork.

My wife decided to return to the work force after 19 years and got a job in less than one week. We opened a new church in Renton Washington, service starts this Sunday, October 18th. The church joined me in morning prayer which started at 5am and moved to 4:30am everyday. As a result, a preacher moved to Washington and joined us in the ministry. A gentleman named Larry came to our church and joined us weekly. The ministry is growing from the knees.

I guess I could start with my struggles as a District Elder and Pastor to make since of everything.


Most preachers ministries, in the eyes of men, are measured by the size of their congregation. The Lord told me to go to Olympia and he will bless me. Washington State has one of the lowest church attendance in the nation. I heard Bishop Perkins describe this State as the Preachers Graveyard. He moved his church to Texas and has a large following. The same message that he preached here built a very small following. What is interesting is that this is typical throughout the State. Either you’ve figured out what the people want and give that to them, or you preach what Christ tells you to preach and you wait patiently for him to bless.

Most ministers become consumed by the beauty of the State. That and the difficulties of growing the church affects the message that they preach and their perspective of ministry. Many of the churches in this State have formed hidden or unspoken rules and doctrine amongst their congregations. Many of the people are afraid to leave the church, even if they know the ministry is shady, because of the fear tactics used by these ministers. Washington State is a very prosperous place and many people here have non-christian perspectives. If you have the drive and skills, you can make it big here, saved or unsaved.