The Life-Changing Testimony of Ward Gillett
“The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it.” – Proverbs 10:22
I was born on July 3, 1963, in Rome, New York. My early life was marked by heartbreak—my father battled cancer and passed away in 1965, and my mother abandoned us. I was placed in foster care and, by God’s grace, was adopted by Herbert and Gladys Gillette, a Christian couple who faithfully served the Lord. Though they could not have children of their own, they lovingly raised me and my sister Bonnie in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Looking back, I see clearly that God's hand was on me—even then.
I grew up in the small hamlet of Lee Center, NY, graduated from Rome Free Academy in 1982, and enlisted in the U.S. Army while still in high school. I was shipped to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and later stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. But even in uniform, I carried unresolved anger and deep emotional pain. That inner turmoil led me down a dark path of rebellion, addiction, and destruction. Though I had been taught the truth, I was far from God—blinded by selfishness, resentment, jealousy, and pride.
The years that followed were filled with sin and sorrow—addiction to drugs and alcohol, promiscuity, DUIs, time in jail, and chasing fulfillment in all the wrong places. I was lost, miserable, and without hope. I knew about Jesus, but I had never surrendered to Him. I was drowning in darkness—until God intervened.
In October 1993, everything changed. After losing my job in Bakersfield, California, I left everything behind and hitchhiked east, hoping to make it home to New York. Along the way, a truck driver picked me up and shared how Jesus had saved and transformed his life. He invited me to church. That Sunday night, I went—and for the first time, I truly met Jesus. I called on Him, trusted Him, and received His gift of eternal life. That night became my true spiritual birthday.
Even after my salvation, I struggled. For years, I wandered—never grounded, never fully surrendered. But God never gave up on me. He lovingly disciplined me, drawing me back to Himself. Through deep grief—the deaths of my adoptive parents and the tragic loss of my fiancée, Gloria—I felt crushed, yet God sustained me. His Word, especially the Psalms, became my anchor.
In 1999, desperate for food, I went to a church service where the gospel was preached. I repented again, recognizing how far I had drifted. The Spirit of God began refining me—breaking me, humbling me, and preparing me for His purpose.
In 2005, I entered the Richmond Outreach Center and completed their men’s program. In 2007, I reached my lowest point, living in a one-room flop house in Wilson, NC. I was broken. Then came a knock at the door—it was Brother and Sister Beckles. They prayed with me, and I called my pastor, Leon Lucas. He told me about the Durham Rescue Mission.
That October, I entered the Victory Program at the Durham Rescue Mission. I surrendered to the authority of God’s Word and committed to letting Him rebuild my life. Seventeen months later, I graduated with 20 others, walking in true victory. That place, those people, and the Lord Jesus Christ transformed my life. Hallelujah—my God is real, and He is alive!
I returned to Wilson, NC, and began serving at Bethel Baptist Church. In 2013, God called me to preach. I enrolled at Tabernacle Baptist College in Greenville, SC, and graduated in 2018 with a degree in Theology. Over the past 12 years, I’ve served Christ through radio ministry, street preaching, and teaching in churches and nursing homes.
In November 2023, God called me to plant a church and serve as a missionary in Holbrook, Arizona. I was ordained into the gospel ministry in December and began deputation in January.
I stand amazed at what God has done. He broke me so that He could use me for His glory. Today, my burden is for souls. I count it a privilege to labor in His harvest field. I wouldn’t trade this life for anything in the world. Jesus satisfies completely. I praise Him for His mercy, grace, and the regenerating power of the Holy Ghost.
Jesus Christ died for your sins, rose again, and offers you eternal life. Call on Him today. He changed me. He can change you.
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." – Romans 10:13
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally and plenarily inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. The Scriptures should be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning. We believe the King James Bible is the preserved Word of God for English speaking people and is the only translation that we use.
We believe in the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit all equally part of the God-head. God is the Sovereign creator and ruler of the universe.
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through the shedding of His blood and death on the cross, and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. He ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God. He now fulfils the ministry of representative, intercessor and advocate. (John 1:1-2, 14; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4,5; Philippians 2:5-8; Romans 3:24; 1 Peter1:3-5; Hebrews 7:25, 9:24)
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; and that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, indwelling and sealing all believers unto the day of redemption. He is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit.(John 16:8-11; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 1 John 2:20,27)
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. All redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus eternally secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40; 1Corinthians 1:4-8)
The local church, which is the body and espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born again, baptized believers. The establishment and continuance of the local church is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. We believe in the autonomy of the local church, free of any external authority or control. (1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 1Timothy 3:1-13; Acts 13:1-4)
Water baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper are the two Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church. (Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the fall of Man. Satan is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and, that he shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire. (Isaiah 1:6-7; 14:12-17; Revelation 20:10)
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life in heaven, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment in hell. The souls of the redeemed at death are absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection. The souls of unbelievers after death remain in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection when they shall appear at the Great White throne judgment, and be cast into the lake of fire.(Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:4-15)
We believe in that “blessed hope”, the personal imminent return of Christ Who will rapture His church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. (1 Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-6)
At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return, with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the Nation of Israel. (1 Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-6)
The Lord has given the Church a Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe the boundaries of the mission field lie at the thresh hold of our church doors. As ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means to go to the lost and not wait for them to come to us.
All believers should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations, including homosexuality, lesbianism, adultery, etc. is commanded of God in His Word. (Romans 12:1-2, 14:13; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-5)
This movement is the attempt to unite in cooperation the unity of all believers of different faiths. We believe this movement contradicts true unity of believers according to the Bible based on sound doctrine. We reject all cooperation with this movement. (i.e. The World Council of Churches, freemasons, Promise Keepers) (Romans 16:17; Galatians 1:6-8; 1Timothy 1:3, 6:3-5)
The Charismatic are characterized many times by emotions, experiences, dreams, signs, speaking in tongues, healers, miracles, and gifts of prophecy. The Charismatic (Pentecostal) Movement is a false doctrine and teaching that has lead to such blatant erroneous beliefs as “God wants you to be rich”, Holy laughter, “name it and claim it beliefs, and many others. We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healings were temporary. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that the ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing. (1 Corinthians 1:22, 13:8, 14:21-22; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Peter 1:20; Revelation 22:18)
In general Neo-Evangelicalism is described as individuals that have taken a “lower view” of Scriptures and have developed a more open and inclusive spirit toward liberalism. We completely reject Neo-Evangelicalism (NAE, Campus Crusade for Christ, Billy Graham ministries). It is a “watered-down” view of the fundamentals of the faith. This movement was born out of compromise. We firmly stand on the fundamentals and sufficiency of the Word of God regardless of social acceptance, science of man, or worldly religious views.
This term for the most part refers to “modern contemporary theology” or liberal theology. It holds that the Bible is a fallible human book and that, experiences with God is what makes the Scriptures real. We reject all aspects of the Neo-Orthodoxy. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life.
This belief is that the church has replaced the nation of Israel. It teaches that after Israel rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah, that God transferred the covenants promises to the church and that Israel no longer has a distinct role in God’s future plans. We reject replacement theology, we believe God still has a future plan for Israel, the covenant promises are yet to be fulfilled literally. The church and Israel are distinct in God’s future plans. (Romans chapters 9 through 11)