Apostle H. Daniel Wilson, Pastor of the 5,000-member Chicago church, Valley Kingdom Ministries International (VKMI) for 37 years, has announced a year-long transition that will bring Windy City native, Pastor Ray Bady (currently based in Houston, TX), back home as the church’s new leader in the summer of 2022. The ministry is known locally for its many community service endeavors such as feeding over a million people through its food pantry over the last thirty years and for recently serving as an outlet for COVID-19 vaccinations. It’s known globally as the birthplace of the worship music ensemble, Shekinah Glory Ministry. For the last 20 years, they have been hailed as pioneers of urban worship music with five R.I.A.A. gold and platinum certifications for projects featuring songs such as “Praise is What I Do,” “Jesus,” and “Yes.”
“I am not retiring,” Apostle Wilson says emphatically. “So many only see two paths for pastors, either dying or retiring. Neither of these are on my radar just now. I will not take these gifts of God to the grave… This is not my end. I’m just getting started. Through Kingdom Entertainment Group, I will be creating positive film and entertainment projects. There are more books to write [he’s written ten], more nations to minister in, and more revelations to release to the world.”
In what Apostle Wilson calls #TheProcess (a blueprint based on the last three years of Jesus Christ’s ministry), the leadership transfer will take place in three phases that he believes can serve as a succession template for other ministries. “Over the next year, I will talk, teach and impart everything that God has blessed me with over the past 37 years,” Wilson says. “The first four months will be observational as Ray watches what we do. The next four months will be participatory as he joins in, and the final months will be implementation as he takes the reins.”
A preacher’s son, Pastor Bady began his career as a drummer for a who’s who in gospel music, ranging from Yolanda Adams to Kirk Franklin. “Ray was born and raised in the inner-city of Chicago on the west side,” Apostle Wilson says. “He understands the negative plight of the Chicagoland. With 16 years as the youth pastor at a megachurch in Texas, I believe he has fresh vision to deal with the complex problems facing us now. He’s also inheriting a ministry that already has a major outreach that feeds the hungry, raises money for higher education, and helps people adjust to life after incarceration.”
Pastor Bady is also inheriting a church that has been actively encouraging community COVID-19 vaccinations. Both, he, and Apostle Wilson, have received Pfizer shots. “At the beginning of this pandemic, we bought 50,000 masks,” Apostle Wilson says. “We distributed them to hospitals, nursing homes, police departments, and fire stations. We also donated essential items such as gloves, sanitizer, food, and prayer to help our neighbors get through this pandemic.”
The Cook County Department of Public Health will host a COVID vaccination drive at the church on Saturday, August 28, 2021 @ 9 AM-12 PM.
Valley Kingdom Ministries, Int.
Saturday, August 28, 2021 @ 9 AM-12 PM
151st Street, Oak Forest, IL 60452
Call office at (312) 321-1500
“Most of my life, I’ve been on assignment to help build the Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven,” Pastor Bady says. “ I left Chicago a sweet 16 years ago. Apostle Wilson laid hands on me, to give me the Apostolic GO to do the work I’ve been blessed to do for these 16 years. It is now time for my `next’ assignment and that assignment is to come back to the city that raised me and live out what Jesus told Peter in the book of Luke, `Help strengthen my brothers.’”
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