Today we’d like to introduce you to DeVon Johnson.
Hi DeVon, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story really begins in my childhood. I was raised by my grandmother, who was not only a Christian but a scholar of the Word. Like most kids of my generation, I was in church 3-4 times a week. That’s where I was introduced to God and the beauty of the gospel. But somewhere in my teens, my grandmother (who by this time had actually adopted me) was going to school for her doctorate in theology. The university she was attending, however, was in England. It was a school called Greenwich University. This particular time was before the internet was a thing, so her version of “virtual school” involved her having to type all her assignments and papers and then mail them to the school. My grandmother wasn’t very good at typing, so she would just talk her thoughts out and have me type them out on a word processor. In the process of her studying for her degree, I had the chance to ask questions and get deep into the Bible. Before I knew it, I was hooked. I wanted to know the mysteries of the Word. I tried to understand the nuances of apologetics and get the answers to things people weren’t thinking of. I remember spending hours at my high school answering Bible questions for my friends, then going home and getting filled with more knowledge as I typed out my grandmother’s papers.
Fast forward to college, I ran into two pastors, Charles and Andrea Humphrey. They had a flourishing church that held a Bible study on the campus of Cal State Northridge. Somehow, someway, they trusted me to be a college pastor while I was still in college! I led a group of students called Hope Fellowship and spent years serving that campus. Soon after, I eventually became the assistant pastor at the main campus, Hopes House, and my life was never the same. We then got a call from a ministry to come out to Houston to serve, and we made the move in an act of faith. Little did we know that God was orchestrating a bigger plan than we could have ever imagined. After about a year or so, we felt the call to launch Worship Encounter Church, and we just recently had our first Sunday Worship Service this November.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely hasn’t been smooth. Honestly, I’d be scared if we DIDN’T have some struggles along the way. When we got the call to come to Houston, we arrived in the city the day before Hurricane Harvey. That was probably the first big struggle. But we also learned so much about the city during that time. We learned how amazing and incredible Houston’s people are and immediately knew we were in the right place. For the sake of respect, I won’t go too much into other hardships we endured in our first few years here, but anyone who has served in ministry can attest that hardships and difficulties are sort of “baked in” to the assignment.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am the lead pastor of Worship Encounter Church. My heart and passion is to help see the broken receive the wholeness that God desires for them! I believe that God has given us all incredible gifts, abilities, and passions that help to bring Heaven down to Earth. But I also believe that many people have been thrown to the side, forgotten, abused, and discouraged from achieving their very best thru God. So it’s my life’s mission to help encourage the discouraged and push them towards a future that is far greater than their past!
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory has to be Christmas time at our house. Every year, the entire family would fly and/or drive to our house for the whole Christmas break. The place would be packed, but the amount of love and fun we had during those times were some of the greatest memories to this day. In actuality, it’s one of the reasons I love serving in the church. Worship services feel like those Christmas breaks when all the family comes in to have an experience with one another.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wechurchhouston.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/devonjson
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/wechurchhouston
- Twitter:www.twitter.com/devonjson
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/wechurchhouston
Image Credits
Charles Richard – Visual Culture Photography
