Our Contemporary Worship Leader
Rev. William Hemphill, II
TFUMC is pleased to welcome Rev. William Hemphill, II as the contemporary worship leader for our church. He works closely with the contemporary worship service team to provide a relaxed but relevant worship experience on Sundays in our Activities Center.
Rev. Hemphill is a native of Los Angeles, California and is the son of a Baptist minister. His family moved to Georgia while he was in high school, and he attended Laster's Chapel United Methodist Church. He graduated from Georgia Tech with a B.S. in electrical engineering. While at Tech, he served as the president of The Fellowship of Christian Students campus ministry, which led to his inquiry into the ministry.
While working in corporate America, he attended seminary at the Candler School of Theology and received his Master of Divinity degree in 2003. He received his chaplaincy training at the Emory Center for Pastoral Services and has worked at the Wesley Woods, Emory University Hospital, Emory-Midtown Hospital, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Rev. Hemphill has been married to his wife Cheryl for 14 years and has three children: Tristan, Kenstan, and Zalayah.
Rev. William Hemphill, II in his own words...
One of the interesting things about me is that as a "preacher’s kid" I have always taken church seriously. Most of that has to do with the faith of my mother and my father. Growing up with my mother, I always remember two things: going to church, and the value she placed on prayer. She knew that she didn’t always know the answers to life’s challenges, but she had (and still has) a strong knowledge that God will be present with her through life’s troubles.
My father is a Baptist pastor in Los Angeles, California. He has seen God work through some difficult situations, especially in ministry. Despite not having the biggest church, he has fed thousands of people and educated tons of children throughout his ministry. This doesn’t include the untold number of people who have come to faith in Jesus Christ. This occurs despite the
numerous financial and resource challenges that a small church faces every day.
As their son, I grew up in a different generation. Thus, I see some things a little differently. One
of my differences is that I believe the "church" should be salt and light, thereby becoming an
influence in the world. Jesus did not die so that our faith could stay inside the church walls. While the worship experience is valuable in shaping our faith and trust in God, that faith should be expressed in love and deed both in and outside the walls of the sanctuary.
However, one of the lessons I do keep from my parents is the knowledge that God loves me, cares for me, and is with me during the challenges of life. I may not know all the answers to life’s problems. Sometimes it can be tough to make it through a day. But in the midst of it all, through good times and tough ones, there is an assurance inside of me, an assurance that comes from living with two God-loving parents. That assurance is that God loves me, is there for me, and will never leave or forsake me. God loves us, is present with us, and walks with us through both the good times and the storms of life.
