Following A New Path
Jackson County is bidding farewell to its esteemed VOAD president, who is leaving her position to embark on an exciting new journey. Pastor Kelli Williamson, the 2023 Chair of the Jackson County Voluntary Organizations Active in Natural Disasters (VOAD), has been at the forefront of disaster response and community engagement since 2019. Her departure signals a promising new chapter for her unwavering commitment to serving others.
Pastor Kelli has dedicated countless hours to the betterment of Jackson County and its surrounding areas. Having served as Secretary for the organization since 2019, she assumed the role of President in January 2021. For Pastor Kelli, the joy of serving the community and helping them prepare and mitigate the impact of disasters has been a deeply fulfilling experience.
However, her involvement in disaster response was not the only role Pastor Kelli embraced within the community. Over the last five years, she has held the position of Pastor at First United Methodist Church Edna, a role she found deeply meaningful. Her journey as a pastor spans an impressive 16 years, with 15 of them being full-time commitments. Her ministry has taken her to various communities, including Edna, Port Lavaca, Ingleside, Seadrift/Austwell, and Austin, where she embarked on an internship.
Pastor Kelli’s dedication to community service extended beyond her pastoral duties. Since 2018, she has been a volunteer Chaplain and firefighter with the fire department of Emergency Service District (ESD) #3 in Edna. Prior to that, she had served as a Chaplain and firefighter in Port Lavaca and Ingleside.
When asked about her decision to pursue a new venture, Pastor Kelli’s response reveals the divine path she believes she is meant to follow. While contemplating military chaplaincy during her seminary years, she ultimately chose the civilian pastor route. Nevertheless, she remained open to God’s calling and took small steps towards that direction, starting with joining the Fire Department. Last summer, Pastor Kelli sensed a renewed calling to military chaplaincy, solidifying her decision to embark on this new chapter.
Pastor Kelli has undergone a series of meticulous preparations to prepare for her transition. Already equipped with a Master of Divinity degree and a minimum of two years of pastoring, she has embarked on a journey that involves extensive paperwork, interviews, endorsements, medical checks, and an extensive background check. As part of the process, she has scheduled MRIs to address her previous surgery, ensuring that she meets the necessary health requirements for military service.
While bidding farewell to the people and routines she has come to cherish, Pastor Kelli embraces this new adventure with a sense of anticipation. She acknowledges the lessons of patience and faith she is learning throughout the process of becoming an Air Force Chaplain. Pastor Kelli is eager to witness how her faith will guide her in blessing others through her new role.
As Pastor Kelli takes her leave as the President of Jackson County’s VOAD, the community she leaves behind expresses deep gratitude for her selfless dedication and unwavering commitment to their well-being.