Associate Minister: Rev. Christella Watts

As an Associate Minister at the Thessalonia Worship Center, Bx., NY, serving under the dynamic leadership of the Reverend Dr. Shellie Sampson Jr., Rev. Watts was licensed to preach in 1990 and in 1999 was ordained by Dr. Sampson and the United Missionary Baptist Association Council of Ordination, of New York.

One of the strengths and gifts of Rev. Watts is her leadership ability.  She has consistently moved forward, the expectations and performance levels of the leaders in the Church Network Ministry at Thessalonia.  Rev. Watts presently serves as the Chairperson of the Church Leadership Network Ministry; Minister of Sick Visitation and Nursing Home Ministries; New Member Orientation instructor; Instructor in the Thessalonia Institute of Education; Co-Chairperson of the Pastor and First Lady Ministry;Member of Personnel Ministry; and a Member of Annual Leadership Retreat Planning Team.

Another of Rev. Watts’ core competencies is her teaching and facilitating gifts.  Listed below are brief outlines indicating where these gifts have been manifested.

Along with her duties at Thessalonia, she travels throughout the State preaching and teaching.  She is a much sought after facilitator for Church School Teachers and Women Conferences. Having conducted several workshops at the Mt. Pleasant B.C., Albany, NY; Retreat speaker and Institute Instructor for St. Luke Baptist Church, NYC.  Women’s Retreat Leader for the First B.C. in Stratford, CT.; Conference facilitator for The Word of God Hour B.C. held in Chesapeake, MD; Leadership Conference facilitator at Bethel Baptist Church, White Plains and Bethel B.C., Brooklyn; Church School Teacher Workshop facilitator at the Shiloh Baptist Church, NYC, Pilgrim, B.C. in Hackensack, NJ, First Baptist Church in Spring Valley; Star of Bethlehem B.C., Ossining, NY; Conference facilitator for Central Hudson Baptist Association, Congress of Christian Education, and recently completed a 10-week teachers training seminar at the Trinity B.C., Bx., NY.

Rev. Watts has traveled to the Holy Land in Israel and participated in leading worship services at several of the historical locations.  She has also in the summer of 2009, completed her third Missions trip to Ghana, West Africa, where she was an instructor for the second time for the Annual Girl’s Conference for 480 girls in Weichau, Ghana, West Africa.

Some of her former activities included: serving as Second Vice President of the Empire State Congress of Christian Education, lecturing at the Annual Retreat and substitute teaching during the Annual Congress Week.

Rev. Watts has pursued educational opportunities in the Christian Community as well as Secular Academia.  Her undergraduate work in Organizational Management was done at Nyack College and she is pursuing seminary studies.  She has received numerous awards.  One in particular from the United Missionary Baptist Association’s Christian Education Department for “Outstanding Christian Educator.  Along with certificates for areas of study such as missions, women in ministry, community leadership, etc. 

Rev. Watts was born in Prattville, Alabama and migrated to New York at a young age where she was planted in the church by her Aunt and Uncle, the late William and Mary Sheridan.

Rev. Watts’ most precious scripture is Jeremiah 29:11-13 and the hymn that speaks to her heart as she seeks to do the will of the Father is, “I Surrender All”.

Her favorite quote is from the great German theologian Dietrich Bonheoffer:

“We will never be happy or at peace until we have surrendered ourselves to the Word of God.”