William R. Wilson, Jr., has been serving Stamford Community Church as its pastor since September, 1988. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, “Pastor Bill”, as he is best known, committed his heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ in 1966, at the age of 16. His high school U.S. History teacher led Bill to the Lord, building on the solid foundation laid by Bill’s Mom and in response to years of faithful prayer by his family. While still 16, Bill preached his first sermon and he has been preaching ever since! He has a passion to share Christ with people and to help them grow into mature Christians. His heart’s desire is to faithfully use his gifts to the glory of the Lord. Pastor Bill’s ministry at Stamford features practical Bible teaching delivered dynamically in the power of the Holy Spirit twice each Sunday. The messages are designed to equip the congregation to know the Lord better, to meet everyday challenges with godly wisdom, and to live victorious Christian lives. The leadership of the church believes that the Holy Spirit has gifted Pastor Bill to preach and teach and has filled him with love, warmth and compassion. The young people of the congregation look forward to the weekly children’s sermons, which have the same basic theme as the teaching for the adults. His Wednesday night lessons are intended to stimulate Christian growth in the participants in matters of knowledge and practice. With the help of the deacons, Pastor Bill does a significant portion of the visiting and counseling needed by the congregation and officiates at most of the weddings, baptisms and funerals. Pastor Bill lives in Dalton, Massachusetts with his wife Helena. He has two grown offspring, Rob and Tiffany and two grandchildren, Maisy and Sam. Until recently, he was also employed full time as the President & CEO of Berkshire Visitors Bureau, the countywide, state-recognized tourism promotion agency for all the Berkshires. Leisure interests, when time permits, include travel, biking, boating, woodworking, photography and model railroading.