Contributed by Randy Willis www.randywillis.org
(The above link is to the entire biography)
The Apostle to the Opelousas
The First Baptist Preacher of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ West of the Mississippi River
(see photo below)
By Randy Willis
Part One - Joseph Willis, The Apostle to the Opelousas
Part Two - Well-To-do North Carolina Planters
Part Four - My Cousin's Keeper
Part Five - Nothing but a Horse, Bridle and Saddle
Part Seven - A Baptist Through & Through
Part Eight - Mississippi Missionary
Part Nine - The First Sermon Ever Preached by an Evangelical Minister West of the Mississippi River
Part Ten - The Barefoot Preacher
Part Eleven - The Fiery Furnace
Part Twelve - Rev. Joseph Willis & The Churches
Part Thirteen - Blessed is the man who has his quiver full of them
Part Fourteen - In Service of America
Part Fifteen - Home Coming in Heaven
On January 18, 1955, just over 100 years after his death, 250 people along with 16 ministers gathered in freezing weather to unveil a monument in memory of the Rev. Joseph Willis at his grave site. The child is Aaron Willis in 1980. Aaron is the 8th generation from Rev. Willis.
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Lillie Hanks Willis – My grandmother who poured Jesus into my heart and a love of the history of Joseph Willis
and
Dr. Greene Wallace Strother – Cousin and Southern Baptist missionary emeritus to China and Malaysia who encouraged me and passed the baton of the history of Joseph Willis to me
Copyright © 2000 Randall Lee Willis. All rights reserved. This article is used here with permission from R. L. Willis, Jun 2000.
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