Senior Pastor

Floyd and Ruth Williams had been married nearly 20 years, hoping for a child without success. Like Hannah, Ruth began to pray and she promised God that if He would entrust them with a child, they would dedicate that child to Him for His purposes. God answered her prayer and little “Bobby” was born in the tiny coal mining town of Elkhorn, West Virginia, on March 31, 1939. At the age of three, the family moved to Princeton, WV. Seven years after his birth, Floyd and Ruth were blessed with another son, Floyd. It was not surprising that Rev. Williams, Sr. began preaching at the age of 14 and was licensed to ministry at the Shiloh Baptist Church, Princeton, West Virginia.

Rev. Williams, Sr. is a graduate of Park Central High School in Bluefield, West Virginia. He served in the United States Army for seven years and has studied at various colleges and universities in the Washington, District of Columbia area and in Virginia. He earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Divinity Degrees from Virginia College and Seminary (now Virginia University) of Lynchburg, Virginia, and went on to earn the Doctor of Ministry Degree from the Howard University School of Divinity.

He was installed as the 16th pastor of the St. Paul Church, located in Bladensburg, Maryland on October 06, 1968. During his tenure, the church has seen continuous growth from less than 50 members to more than 1,000. After 100 years in the Bladensburg church building, the church relocated to Boulevard Heights, Maryland in 1973. This began a series of relocations continuing to spiral the membership growth curve:

Boulevard Heights: April 1973 - April 1988; Andrew Jackson Middle School: April 1988 - April 1993; 6611 Walker Mill Road, Capitol Heights, MD: April 1993 - April 2016; 9700 Old Allentown Road (second location) 2002; St Paul Towne Centre – Marlboro Pike, District Heights: April 2017. Throughout this growth, Pastor Williams has been an advocate for change and has served in many civic and community affair positions.

Rev. Robert Williams, Jr. was installed as the 17th pastor in November 2013. The two serve to co-pastor the St. Paul Church, and the church is continuing to grow under their leadership.

Pastor Williams, Sr. met and married the former Lillie Rodgers in June 1962. Together, they are the parents of three children – Robert Jr., Carl, and Ruth, the grandparents of twelve and the great grandparents of three.