WELCOME TO THE EAST SECOND STREET FIRST CHURCH OF GOD IN XENIA OHIO,
THE FRIENDLY CHURCH WHERE THE BIBLE IS OUR ONLY RECOGNIZED CREED,
AND WHERE MEMBERSHIP IS BASED UPON FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD, HIS WORD AND HIS PEOPLE.
Services
Sunday School 9:30 A.M.
Morning Worship 11:00 A.M.
(937) 372-3171
About our Church and its Ministry
We are just ordinary people who come from many different backgrounds and cities who have discovered a meaningful relationship in Jesus Christ.
We are excited about what God has done for us. Most of our lives have been changed drastically by Him. We have discovered that all needed forgiveness and that Jesus Christ died to forgive us all. We rejoice in the new life He has given us.
We do not apologize for being a little different. We have experienced a wonderful new way of life as we have applied the principles of God's Word to our daily lives.
We place great emphasis upon the home and family and the relationships of its members with each other.
We are:
A Christ-centered Church - Proclaiming His Lordship, His love, His death in our place, His resurrection, His imminent return, and His sufficiency.
A Bible Church - Believing in all the Word of God as being divinely inspired, to be rightly divided and fully proclaimed as our guide in knowing Him, doing His will, and living life as he intended.
A Praying Church - believing wholeheartedly in the power of prayer to not only change things, but people as well. We believe in serving others by bringing their needs to Him; coming to God in adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.
A Friendly Church - With a sincere interest in all people, regardless of race, color, or creed.
A Caring Church - Serving others in mutual love, encouragement, and ministry; meeting occasionally in home, showing love and sharing with one another.
An Educational Church - With emphasis on academic excellence as well as spiritual - providing college scholarships for our children and funds for our members to attend seminars, workshops, conferences, clinics, etc. in the line of their Christian work. We also emphasize competent teachers leading in the Bible classes for children, youth, and adults.
A Worshipping Church - With a music industry and special emphasis on singing as a means of praising and glorifying God; to be accepted, we believe that God is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). We extend a warm invitation to all people to attend our services - to enjoy the benefits of Christian fellowship, and to find an opportunity to share with others the joy of salvation. when you come to our services, you will not only feel the warmth of God's love and hear the truth of His word, but we trust that you will also feel the touch of God's hand.
A Mission-minded Church - With special emphasis on mission at home as well as abroad. As an Evangelical, Holy, interracial, non-denominational, Spirit-filled New Testament Church, we are concerned about you... your hurts, your problems, your concerns, your needs, your interests, your aspirations, your children, your loved ones, your soul!
Rev Dr. J. Douglas Walls
Pastor
Pastor James Douglas Walls is a native of Washington, D. C. He attended Washington Bible College and - as a means of continuing education - has taken many courses and has attended and participated in numerous ministerial clinics, conferences, seminars, workshops, etc. He served as Associate Minister of the Third Street Church of God, Washington, D.C., from 1954-1962. He was ordained June 12, 1960. After moving to Columbus, Ohio, in 1962, he served as Minister of Youth at the Wayne Ave. Church of God for six years. In 1968, he accepted the pastorate of the Church of God in Xenia, Ohio, where he is presently serving.
Pastor Walls has been the recipient of numerous plaques, certificates, citations and awards such as:
Who's Who in Religion Award, Third Edition, October, 1985; the Key of Distinguished' Leadership Award for Extraordinary Christian Leadership and Service, awarded by the American Biographical Institute in November, 1986. In addition, he also received the Raymond S. Jackson Distinguished Christian Service Award in Ministry, August 2000 from the National Association of the Church of God. In September 2005 Pastor Walls was honored by “Gospel Today”, America’s leading Christian lifestyle magazine, as one of the world’s most loved pastors. Most recently, Pastor Walls was honored by Marquis Who’s Who as a Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient 2019.
Saturday, May 12, 1990, he was the recipient of an honorary Doctorate of Divinity degree from the Faith Evangelistic Christian Schools, Detroit Extension. Sunday, June 2, 1991, he was the recipient of a second honorary Doctorate of Divinity degree from Southern California School of Ministry, Los Angeles, CA. Sunday, November 24, 1991, he was the recipient of a third honorary degree; Doctor of Humanities, from Faith Evangelistic Christian Schools, Theological Seminary Division, Anderson, S.C.
Besides being a busy pastor, he has been very active in his area. He has served as a member of the Urban Christian Leadership Association, Columbus, Ohio. He has also served as advisor for the Columbus District of the Church of God, as a board member of W.A.I.T. (Working Against Illness Thru Treatment) and as Chairman of its Advisory Board for four (4) years. This was a drug rehabilitation program. He has served as a member of the Ohio State COG Board of Missions, and as a board member of the State of Ohio Board of Pastoral and Church Relations. He currently serves as spiritual advisor for the Ohio State COG ushers, as a member of the Xenia Area Association of Churches, and as Vice President of the Xenia Area African American Ministerial Alliance.
Pastor Walls has served the National Association of the Church of God as a member of the Program and Planning Committee and the Nominating Committee, 1983-1989; Mass Communication Board, 1987-1991 and as a member of the Church Relations and Conflict Management Board. He had served as Coordinator for the Annual Preachers' Clinic for 15 years, from 1985 through 2000, and as Chief Operations Officer of the National Association of the Church of God from 2000 through 2005.
He is the former editor of a 48-page periodical "Words of Truth" and the 100-page church periodical, the "Xenia Herald", and current editor of the revised edition of the Xenia Herald publication. In 1998 and in 2009 Pastor Walls was honored with plaques by the National Association of the Church of God Ushers for his outstanding and dedicated ministry and service. On October 14, 2010 Pastor Walls was honored by Ohio Ministries of the Church of God with a plaque and pin commemorating his 50 years as an ordained minister of the Church of God, Anderson, IN. During the course of his ministry Pastor Walls has received various awards, plaques, certificates etc. too numerous to mention. Many fill the walls of his home study and library.
For his 40th Pastoral Anniversary, March 16, 2008, Pastor Walls wrote his first book, “This Is My Story” telling of his 76 years of life, 55 years in ministry and 40 years as Pastor of one congregation. For the occasion it was combined with a 40th Anniversary souvenir journal. In March, 2015 Pastor Walls did a revised and enlarged version of “This is My Story” in book form. No comparison to the fore mentioned version combined with the 40th Pastoral Anniversary journal. In March, 2017 he wrote a booklet for his 49th Pastoral Anniversary, “An Unusual Pastor and A Unique Congregation.” Pastor Walls is currently in the process of writing and almost finished with another booklet entitled “This is Our Story” as a companion to his first book entitled “This is My Story” in regards to his 52 plus year pastorate of the East Second Street First Church of God in Xenia, Ohio. Lord willing this booklet will be followed by yet another, started but not yet finished, “The Faithfulness of God” (He did it again) in regards to his miraculous healings, of which he has had many.
As time permitted, Pastor Walls has served as evangelist, workshop leader, and convention, camp meeting, and special occasion speaker.
During his 50 year pastorate Pastor Walls has traveled extensively by land, sea and air throughout the USA and abroad, serving, educationally as well as pleasure including vacation.
On Sunday, March 18, 2018 in commemoration of his 50th Pastoral Anniversary, of his one and only congregation, Pastor Walls was given a large plaque in commemoration of the occasion, also his 27th and 28th 7-day cruise for him and First Lady. He was also given a very unique crystal pulpit trophy in commemoration of his 65 years in ministry. On Sunday, August 26 during his year long celebration he was given another MVP (Most Valuable Pastor) trophy. During October’s Clergy Appreciation Month Pastor Walls was presented with a large framed “The Ideal Pastor” pictoral framed certificate and also the unveiling of the church’s Family Life Center being named in his honor: Dr. J. Douglas Walls Family Life Center.
Pastor Walls is married to the former Donna Marie Payne of Columbus: a former school teacher and retired social worker. They are the parents of two children: Quentin Douglas Walls, Manager – Identity & Access Management at NiSource and Janice Marie (Walls) Wiggins, M.D. Pastor and Sis. Walls also have six (6) grandsons and one granddaughter.
Mission Statement
The East Second Street First Church of God is a loving, caring, sharing body of believers in Jesus Christ, whose basic purpose is:
To worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness and in spirit and truth;
To equip believers for ministry;
To evangelize the lost through the preaching of the word and through the individual witnessing (by word and life) of the saving grace and keeping power of Jesus Christ;
To disciple Christians into Christlikeness through the teaching of the Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit, thus enabling them to become well rounded individuals - mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and socially;
To become Christian role models in every aspect of life while continuing to strive for excellence in committed faithfulness and service to God and mankind.
