James William Wardlow's Obituary
Pastor James was born to loving parents, Elder James W Wardlow Sr and Naomi Ruth Wardlow on February 19, 1945 in Chicago. He was the eldest and only son of 3 children from this union and later was blessed with another sister from his mother’s second marriage.
James was an exceptional athlete, receiving honors in track and football during his high school years at Manual Arts High school in Los Angeles. He was an active member of the youth department at 114th & Wilmington COGIC, under the tutelage of Elder Robert Boykin. Pastor James has often said that the Lord called him into the ministry at the young age of 12. His bishop allowed him to speak his first message at this early age at that time with a terrible stutter and with shaky knees.
Pastor James was inducted into the US Army in 1965 and was shipped to Vietnam working as a gunner on fighter helicopters. One of the mothers sent with him a cut-out of her bible. The scripture was Psalms 91. Aircraft all around him would be shot down, but the Lord allowed no bullets to hit any craft that he was on.
After serving his country, James worked at an Aircraft Manufacturing Company in San Diego. Shortly thereafter he met his future wife, Beverly Williams at the Greater Jackson Memorial COGIC and began a wonderful courtship. They married on September 5, 1971 and had three children, James III (Bill), Katina and Maria out of this union.
James loved learning and went to San Diego State University, alongside his future wife at the time. He also desired the office of an elder and was tested and tried at the Elders Board in LA, receiving his Elders License in 1970. After marriage, James went into the construction industry and moved his family to Alaska, then a job brought them to the state of Washington, where they joined the Seed of Abraham. Elder James worked with the Sunday School. Everyone that knew him knew that he was not a cook, but the Lord had him cooking breakfast for several years at the Seed in order to incite the saints to come to Sunday School.
James still longed to be at a higher level in understanding and interpreting the Word, so he enrolled at the Bishop A.L. Hardy Academy of Theology and after receiving the following, was offered the position of professor at the Academy of Theology and worked for many years teaching first year theology.
Degrees earned: Bachelor of Theology in Religious Education, Bachelor of Biblical Family Counseling, Master of Theology, Th.M., Doctorate of Theology, Th.D., Doctorate of Ministry, Teaching Certification
He now felt qualified to begin the ministry which God had called him to. The church Lampstand Family Ministries was officially birthed and installed on September 8, 1996 by Pastor Bass of the Seed of Abraham. Pastor Wardlow and his wife first began the ministry with families coming to them for help in their marriages in their home and it grew from there.
The church moved from Seattle to Puyallup in 2002 , with the same theme that the Lord gave them, “Building Strong Families, God’s Way”. Those who were ministered to by Pastor Wardlow universally described him by the same trait: that he had a “Father’s heart” for the fatherless and he was able to reach those who had absent fathers on such a tender level and was gifted to mentor them in maturity and wisdom.
In 2015, James and his wife embarked on a business that they had long dreamed about which was to flip homes together. When his health suddenly began to fail, they were several weeks from completion of the last home when God sent unlikely help to come in and complete the construction for him. We are so grateful to God that he met our needs when Pastor didn’t have the strength to finish on his own.
Pastor Wardlow was called from earthly labor to eternal rest on August 31, 2016. He leaves to cherish his memory his loving wife of 45 years, Beverly Wardlow, three children, Bill Wardlow (Sharion), Katina Lackey (George), and Maria Wardlow; two sisters, Lucrezia Gilliam and Nicki Spears; seven grand-children, Mariay “Gingerbread” Wardlow, Anthony Lackey, Kaylen Wardlow, Tiffany Wardlow, Blake Wardlow, Kai Lackey, and Olivia Wardlow, Lampstand Family Ministries and a host of great friends and spiritual family.
A Funeral Service will be held 10 am Friday, September 9, 2016 at Praise Chapel COGIC,
519 3rd St. NE, Puyallup, WA.
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