David Bishop

Deacon – Youth

A childhood friend first introduced me to the church while I was here in Atlanta attending Clark Atlanta University. From those visits on Sundays over a period of time, and his showing me scriptures while on campus in the dorms, I saw the need to be added to the Lord’s church.

I began working with the youth as a high school Bible class teacher. From that we started taking the class on outings to other congregations, youth conferences, and various visitations. The youth director at that time was preparing to leave West End, and I stepped in to take on some of the tasks. I ended up doing “deacon” work with the youth and that turned into my desire to serve in the capacity of a deacon. I have been a deacon at West End for approximately 14 years.

As a deacon, dealing with the membership is sometimes quite challenging. With any form of leadership, and specifically with the members at West End, I find having to make decisions that are not particularly popular with everyone to be hardest. Not everyone looks at the entire picture of a situation and how so many are impacted when a determination is made. Focusing on Kingdom business as the goal helps a great deal. I do count on William Johnson for advice and counsel with our youth challenges. I certainly make mistakes and always welcome constructive criticism and input. Our young people and their families can get into some pretty serious “stuff”, and it’s important to be ready for anything and to be prayerful for patience and wisdom. I find that being as upfront and compassionately candid as possible saves a lot of time. Philippians 4:4-9 is my inspiration because it indicates a demeanor and attitude that I work to embrace and emulate.

Contact Information: (770) 306-7462