WS Chronicle

Whole Man Ministries Church has been in existence for just over a decade. In that time, they have made a tremendous impact in the community. They recently celebrated their 13th anniversary with a weekend of worship and remembrance.

The weekend included special services on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning that welcomed guest speakers, dancers, singing, and to remember the work the church has done over the last 13 years.

“We are just going to talk about the history of the church and how it got started, what we did and who we are,” said Bishop Barry Washington, senior pastor of Whole Man Ministries. “Part of the celebration I don’t know what’s going to happen, because they put it together, so I am sure there will be some surprises.  I am just happy to be here to celebrate this.”

Bishop Washington says part of the reason the church was created was to make a difference in the community.  

“I called it Whole Man Ministries, plural, because I knew that God would call us to do a number of things for the community,” said Washington. “When you look at whole man, you’re looking at body, soul and spirit, so what we want to do is be able to minister to the whole man. A lot of times a person gets saved, but is not ministered to afterwards.”

One of the biggest projects the church has undertaken was renovating dilapidated housing and turning it into permanent housing for homeless veterans. Washington says the idea came to them when he was playing chess at Samaritan Ministries and realized how many veterans were there.

“We would volunteer there around Thanksgiving and Christmas and I was sitting there playing chess and it seemed like every person I played chess with was a veteran,” he said. “They would tell their story about what happened and I thought to myself that there has to be something we could do.”

The church is currently working on the finishing touches on yet another home to help more veterans. Washington says his hope is to have the home finished by June. This project has been in the works for nearly two years, so Washington is excited to see the finished product.

When he sits back and thinks about the 13 years at the church, Washington says, “It feels just like yesterday.

“When you are doing the work, sometimes you don’t realize that you’re doing the work, because you see the satisfaction of those being taken care of,” he said. “That’s greater than any salary, when you see the benefit that someone else has experience as a result of your work or labor.

“The time has gone by pretty fast. When you are doing something you love and doing the work of God, you don’t realize how much time has passed.”

Washington says he is excited when he thinks about where the church can go in the next 13 years. He realizes that the work is just beginning and has more plans to further impact the community, along with his congregation.

Camilla Washington, pastor and first lady of Whole Man Ministries, says when she thinks about the 13 years, she thinks about how good God has been to them. Mrs. Washington has begun a new ministry where she holds a platform summit to allow women of different races to engage in conversations to help eliminate negative stereotypes.

“We have had some good days and we have had some bad days, but through it all, we give God the glory and the praise,” she said. “This is a good day, a day to celebrate. God never promised us a rose garden, but he did say all things would work together for our good, so that’s what I look at after 13 years and I am excited to see what the next 13 years has in store.”