Elder Dr. Willie W. Duvall is the Senior Pastor of Word of God Community Church, in service for more than 30 years. He is a dynamic and anointed teacher/preacher and an accomplished musician and musical educator.
A native of St. Louis, Missouri, and a proud product of its school system, Pastor Duvall attended St. Louis School of Music (now known as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Music Academy), Post Graduate School of Practical Nursing, Chicago IL, and Western Baptist Seminary, St. Louis. Upon relocating to the Washington Metropolitan area in 1971 he also attended Northern Virginia Community College and George Washington University. Pastor Duvall was also blessed to be honored with an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the Rhema Bible College of Bishops in Silver Spring, MD.
Moving to the Washington Metro brought rich leadership and working experience.
Pastor Duvall established the Duvall Academy of Music, serving as its director. During this time, he also became a member of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, under the encouragement of the late Dr. Henry H. Sink and the Rev. Arthur Walls, Sr., Pastor of the Lomax AME Zion Church (Arlington, VA). Elder Duvall served the Lomax congregation as Minister of Music, Director of the Gospel Chorus, and Associate Minister.
During this time, he spent nearly a decade in local government with DC Village as a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist and Music Therapist until the Lord called him into full-time ministry with Full Gospel AME Zion Church (Temple Hills, MD) under the pastoral leadership of the late Rev. Dr. John A. Cherry, Sr.
He served the Full Gospel congregation as Director of the Sick and Shut-In Ministry, Director of the Chancel Choir, Minister to the Senior Adult Ministry, and served as Minister of Music until 1991.
In 1991, the Lord called Elder Duvall into the Pastorate. The path to aligning with God’s will was an emotional one, complete with crying, praying, and a bit of fighting himself. In June of the same year, the Word of God AME Zion Church was founded by God, and organized by Pastor Duvall. Later, the church would come to be known as the Word of God Community Church
Pastor Duvall continues to carry God’s Word wherever he may go, unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He loves the people of God and tries hard to welcome potential new believers into the body of Christ. He remains steadfast in his desire to help anyone, within reason, in their pursuit to glorify God.
Outside of Word of God CC, Pastor Duvall’s pastoral community services include time as a member of the Upper PG County Ministerial Association, the Bladensburg Pastoral Lay Council, the NAACP, The Gideon’s International, committees within the National Association Council of Community Churches of America and Elsewhere, Inc., and the Town of Bladensburg, where the church is located.
As a member of the local community, Pastor Duvall served as Co-Chairman of the Port-Towns Health Partnership, and the Ecumenical Health Council, and has been a Prince George’s Health Department Community Transformation Grant Initiative Leadership Team Member.
Pastor Duvall’s favorite scripture is Psalm 119:66-67, “Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I trust your commands. Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I obey your word (NKJV).“ His favorite hymn is ”My Jesus, I love Thee.”
Pastor Duvall is married to a wonderful and lovely lady, Linda Smith Duvall, and they cherish together three sons, two daughters, fourteen grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and many God-sons and God-daughters.