Pastor's Page
Rev. Ben Wills
He is also the Pastor at Lewis Memorial UMC
Newsletter: July 30, 2025
Subject: A Pastoral Note to the Congregations of Marvin and Lewis Memorial UMC
Dear Church Family,
I want to take a moment to share with you something deeply important and full of hope for our shared future.
Over the summer, members of leadership from both Lewis Memorial and Marvin UMC gathered for a series of joint discernment sessions. These sessions were filled with prayer, honest dialogue, and a deep desire to listen to where the Spirit might be leading us.
Together, your leadership teams affirmed a powerful, Spirit-led call: “Believing we are better together, we are called to unite as one parish, honoring our shared faith and unique histories to boldly serve our community.”
This call reflects who we already are and who we believe God is calling us to become. Do we have a comprehensive plan in place? No. Do we have all the answers or every detail figured out? No. But here’s what we do have: A shared conviction that the Spirit is leading us to more intentional, faithful collaboration because we are truly better and stronger together. And we have committed, prayerful, thoughtful leadership ready to guide us forward step by step. It’s important to note that for now, the leadership teams plan to retain both properties as we explore how best to worship together, serve our community, and support shared ministry. Decisions will have to be made carefully, prayerfully, and with open communication.
This Sunday in worship, I’ll be preaching on this theme, and I’ll share more about the vision that has emerged. Please come. It matters that we move forward together. In the coming weeks, we’ll be inviting you to participate in small group gatherings and conversations to ask questions, share your hopes, and hear more about the steps our leadership teams are taking to help make this vision a reality. As always, you can also reach out to me, and I'd love to discuss this further with you.
We will move forward missionally, prayerfully, and with transparency. We feel called to follow the Holy Spirit’s lead in this pursuit because we believe this is not just a good idea—it’s a God-idea.
We need your prayers, your support, and your trust as our leadership teams lead us through this transition. I am so grateful for each of you and so hopeful for what God is preparing to do through this partnership in the days ahead.
Remember how much I love you…
It’s an honor to be your pastor!
Pastor Ben
I want to take a moment to share with you something deeply important and full of hope for our shared future.
Over the summer, members of leadership from both Lewis Memorial and Marvin UMC gathered for a series of joint discernment sessions. These sessions were filled with prayer, honest dialogue, and a deep desire to listen to where the Spirit might be leading us.
Together, your leadership teams affirmed a powerful, Spirit-led call: “Believing we are better together, we are called to unite as one parish, honoring our shared faith and unique histories to boldly serve our community.”
This call reflects who we already are and who we believe God is calling us to become. Do we have a comprehensive plan in place? No. Do we have all the answers or every detail figured out? No. But here’s what we do have: A shared conviction that the Spirit is leading us to more intentional, faithful collaboration because we are truly better and stronger together. And we have committed, prayerful, thoughtful leadership ready to guide us forward step by step. It’s important to note that for now, the leadership teams plan to retain both properties as we explore how best to worship together, serve our community, and support shared ministry. Decisions will have to be made carefully, prayerfully, and with open communication.
This Sunday in worship, I’ll be preaching on this theme, and I’ll share more about the vision that has emerged. Please come. It matters that we move forward together. In the coming weeks, we’ll be inviting you to participate in small group gatherings and conversations to ask questions, share your hopes, and hear more about the steps our leadership teams are taking to help make this vision a reality. As always, you can also reach out to me, and I'd love to discuss this further with you.
We will move forward missionally, prayerfully, and with transparency. We feel called to follow the Holy Spirit’s lead in this pursuit because we believe this is not just a good idea—it’s a God-idea.
We need your prayers, your support, and your trust as our leadership teams lead us through this transition. I am so grateful for each of you and so hopeful for what God is preparing to do through this partnership in the days ahead.
Remember how much I love you…
It’s an honor to be your pastor!
Pastor Ben
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Rev. Ben Wills is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Georgia, where he majored in Psychology with minors in vocal performance and religion. He began his career in ministry as a youth pastor at Washington First United Methodist Church in Washington, Georgia, and was a small group leader at the UGA Wesley Foundation. While attending seminary, Ben served as pastor in charge at Pleasant Valley UMC in Monroe, Georgia. In 2019, Ben graduated with honors, receiving his Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University and was commissioned as a provisional Elder in the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. During his time at Candler, he received two awards for pastoral and academic excellence and was the chosen third-year student preacher for Teaching-Parish Day in Chapel. After Seminary, Ben spent three years serving as the Senior Associate Minister at LaGrange First United Methodist Church and was named to the LaGrange Daily News “Twenty under Forty” in 2020.
For fun, Ben loves spending time with his wife and son, consuming all things sports (especially UGA football), playing golf and tennis, singing, hanging out with his family and friends, and playing with his beloved miniature dachshund, Copper. Ben’s wife, Sammi, is also a UGA grad and works as a registered nurse in Piedmont Columbus’s women’s services department. For fun, Sammi loves keeping up with college football, baking sweet treats, reading books, and spending time with Ben, Reid, and Copper. In October of 2021, Ben and Sammi welcomed their first child, Reid, who is the light of their lives and a true blessing! Ben was appointed as the Pastor in Charge at Marvin United Methodist and Lewis Memorial United Methodist in July of 2022. He can’t wait to get connected with the Columbia County Community and is so excited to be serving at Lewis Memorial and Marvin! |
Marvin United Methodist Church 4400 Wheeler Road Martinez, GA 30907 706-863-0510 A United Methodist Family of Faith