Pastor Marvin R. Wamble
is a product of a mixed household. Growing up in the San
Francisco Bay Area, his father attended Taylor United
Methodist Church, where he was the lay leader for more
than 20 years. His mother, on the other hand, was
Pentecostal, a life-long member of Ephesians Church of
God In Christ, where she taught Sunday School for more
than 40 years.
Growing up in the two
denominations gave Pastor Wamble a strong foundation in
the Lord. He accepted Christ in 1974 while attending a
retreat with Campus Crusade for Christ. He spent the
next quarter century running and hiding from his
calling. He finally answered his call to ministry seven
years ago. His preaching and teaching has been
influenced by the many Pentecostal ministers he
experienced during his youth and the five years he spent
at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, TX, under the
pastoral leadership of Dr. Tony Evans. He has matured in
his knowledge and understanding of the Lord under the
spiritual guidance of Rev. Conrad Parker and Rev. Dr.
Diana Parker, pastors of Grace United Methodist Church
in Fort Washington. He has been on the ministerial staff
at Grace UMC for the past three years and served as the
chairperson of the Church Council for four years. Pastor
Wamble previously served as the District Lay Leader for
the Washington-East District of the Baltimore-Washington
Conference of the for five years.
Pastor Wamble is an avid
sports enthusiast and an award-winning journal 1st He
recently published his first book, “From Tee to
Green: Seeing God in the Middle of the Fairway.” He
is also a playwright whose most recent effort, “We
‘ye Come This Far By Faith, “will be performed at
the Baltimore Washington Conference’s Annual Conference
and in regions throughout the conference beginning in
September. He has just completed his next play, “It‘s
Still In You, “written for men searching to find
their Godly purpose in life.
Pastor Wamble has been
married to the former Anita Patterson for 21 years. They
met at
Ephesians Church when she was 4-years old. They are the
parents of two
— Julian, 17, a
gifted singer, and Jenise, 13 a gifted dancer. They are
also the Godparents of Alicia
Williams, 32, (who they consider their oldest child) and
her 8-year-old son, Jayvious.
Minister Anita is an integral part of the pastoral team.
She is a certified lay speaker and a
gifted and anointed teacher and preacher who accepted
her call to the ministry in 1994.
Over the past 13 years, she has taught Sunday school,
led the Education Ministry at Grace UMC, preached to
hundreds and led numerous workshops and seminars.
Her passion is reading, studying and challenging
Christians to do more than they ever thought they could.
Her ministry is not a surprise considering she hails
from a family that has 22 active ministers in various
denominations ranging in offices from local pastors to
Bishops.
Several years ago,
Minister Anita got frustrated seeing people struggle
with simple issues of everyday life. They struggled not
because they didn’t believe in the word of God, but
because they didn’t know how to apply it to their lives.
In 1999 she began writing “It ‘c Still Relative The
Word of God for Today World.” “It Still Relative”
was written for the every person who has ever read the
Bible and walked away saying, “I don’t get it.”
As family, the Wambles lean on, rely on and trust in the
unlimited power that comes from the Word of God. Each
day, Pastor Wamble recites the words of
Psalms
25:4-5, which says “Show me your ways
and teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and
teach me for you are my Lord and my savior and my hope
is in You all the day long.”
