We had the good fortune of connecting with Pastor John F. White II and Rev. Maria Mallory White and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Pastor John F. White II and, what are you inspired by?
For us it’s pretty straightforward: We are inspired by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Savior.

In addition, we are inspired by historical figures such as Richard Allen, who purchased his freedom from enslavement and went on to found the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and Jarena Lee, who, in the early 1800’s, was the first woman licensed to preach in the A.M.E. Church.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As ministers of the Gospel, we are passionate about serving our community, ministering with heart, head, and hands to make a difference in the lives of others. We were called to this ministry by God, and we were trained for ministry through graduate theological education, both of us receiving master of divinity degrees, and Rev. Maria earning a master of theology degree as well. We have served on ministerial staffs, and this is the fifth church we have served as the pastoral team.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Houston has many great restaurants, and we have only just begun exploring them! We have been warmly welcomed by the great people of Wesley A.M.E. Church since our arrival in December 2023, and we are looking forward to getting to know Houston better.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We’d like to shoutout Bishop Adam J. Richardson and Supervisor Connie S. Richardson, for obeying the prompting of the Holy Spirit to ask us to consider moving from South Florida to Houston to be the pastoral team at Wesley to lead the congregation in building its new ministry and worship facility. We are grateful.

Website: wesleyamehouston.com

Instagram: wesleyamechurchhouston

Facebook: Wesley AME Church – Houston

Youtube: Wesley AME Church – Houston, Tx

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