Apostle Ernestine Williams Day — August 21, 2026 · Office of the Mayor Proclamation
Apostle Ernestine Williams Day
On August 21, 2026, Mayor Freddie O'Connell and the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County proclaimed August 21, 2026 as Apostle Ernestine Williams Day — recognizing her 80th birthday and 31st pastoral anniversary.
The proclamation recognizes over three decades of pastoral leadership at New People's Deliverance Temple in West Nashville, years of service as a chaplain with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, and a lifetime of extending ministry beyond the walls of a church and into a community.
Apostle Ernestine Williams Day — Office of the Mayor Proclamation, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, August 21, 2026
Apostle Ernestine Williams with her son, Raymond Williams, co-founder of Voice Up — Nashville, August 2026
The Full Proclamation
Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County · Office of the Mayor
Click the image above to read the official proclamation
Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County
Office of the Mayor
Proclamation
WHEREAS, Apostle Ernestine Williams has devoted more than three decades of faithful service to the Nashville community as the Senior Pastor of New People's Deliverance Temple in West Nashville, Tennessee;
WHEREAS, Apostle Williams has been a vital and respected figure within the Nashville community, extending her ministry beyond the walls of her church to address the needs and challenges faced by people throughout our city;
WHEREAS, Apostle Williams previously served for many years as a chaplain with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, providing spiritual support, wisdom, compassion, and guidance to officers and others who encountered difficult circumstances in the course of their service;
WHEREAS, even after her retirement as a police chaplain, Apostle Williams has continued to pour into the lives of others, offering counseling, spiritual guidance, and encouragement to those navigating life's challenges;
WHEREAS, Apostle Williams' 31 years of pastoral leadership represent a remarkable legacy of faithfulness, perseverance, service, and dedication to the people she has been called to serve;
WHEREAS, as she celebrates the extraordinary milestone of her 80th birthday, Nashville joins with her family, congregation, fellow pastors, community leaders, friends, and loved ones in expressing gratitude for the countless lives she has touched and the lasting difference she has made in our community;
WHEREAS, the city of Nashville recognizes and honors citizens whose lives exemplify service, leadership, faith, and compassion, and Apostle Ernestine Williams is indeed deserving of such recognition for her many years of ministry and community service.
NOW, THEREFORE I, Freddie O'Connell, tenth Mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County do hereby proclaim August 21, 2026 as
Apostle Ernestine Williams Day
in Nashville, Tennessee, and urge all Nashvillians to join me in this observance on the occasion of her 80th Birthday and 31st Pastoral Anniversary.
I have hereunto set my hand on this 21st day of August 2026
Freddie O'Connell
Mayor
A Fellowship About What a Life of Service Can Become
This Voice Up fellowship takes the principles recognized in that proclamation and asks a new generation a simple question:
"What would it look like to build your own life around service to others?"
This is not a fellowship about becoming a pastor. It is not limited to religion, ministry, or any particular profession. It is an opportunity for students from virtually any academic discipline or career path to study the principles associated with enduring community leadership — and then put those principles into practice.
Participation Options
Paid Special Projects
Selected participants complete special projects at $20–$30/hour for up to 10 hours per month.
Academic Credit
Participate for internship, practicum, field-placement, independent-study, or other academic credit at your college or university.
Combined Participation
Some students may receive academic credit while also completing separately assigned paid special projects.
The Core Principles
Drawn directly from the Nashville proclamation
Service
The proclamation repeatedly describes a person whose leadership centered on serving people. Fellows will identify a population, organization, neighborhood, profession, or cause where their talents could make a meaningful contribution.
"Who are you prepared to serve?"
Leadership
Leadership does not necessarily begin with a title. Students will examine leadership as something demonstrated through consistency, responsibility, relationships, and the ability to positively influence the lives of other people.
"What difference do I want my leadership to make?"
Compassion
Fellows will explore how empathy and compassion can become practical leadership behaviors — listening carefully, recognizing unmet needs, and developing solutions with rather than simply for communities.
"How can empathy become action?"
Perseverance
Thirty-one years of pastoral leadership illustrates something that cannot be produced through a short-term project: sustained commitment. Students will examine the difference between temporary enthusiasm and enduring purpose.
"What does commitment look like over years rather than weeks?"
Wisdom & Guidance
Fellows will consider mentorship from both directions — who has guided you, and equally important, who you might someday guide. The proclamation specifically recognizes the provision of wisdom to people encountering difficult circumstances.
"Who might someday benefit from what you have learned?"
Purpose Beyond the Walls
One of the proclamation's most important ideas is that Apostle Williams's ministry extended beyond the walls of her church and into a community. Students will be encouraged to think beyond conventional boundaries — beyond a classroom, job description, campus, or discipline.
"Where does your purpose need to reach?"
Who We Are Recruiting
This fellowship is intentionally interdisciplinary. Undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, medical, and professional students may participate. The major is not the most important qualification.
The model emphasizes curiosity, careful listening, collaboration, research before reaching conclusions, respect for different perspectives, and using one's talents in service of something larger than oneself.
What Could You Create?
Every fellow will work toward something tangible. There is deliberately no single required product.
Document the life of an overlooked community leader.
Develop a community wellness initiative.
Study the role of chaplains and mentors supporting first responders.
Conduct oral histories with elders whose contributions have never been documented.
Create a resource connecting people with community support.
Design an intergenerational mentoring initiative.
Build a new community-serving organization or digital platform.
Create work preserving the history of a community.
The Eight-Week Experience
A structured journey from discovery to action
From Recognition to Responsibility
A civic proclamation often comes near the culmination of decades of work. This fellowship begins at the opposite end. Many participants will be at the beginning of their professional lives — and that is precisely why this experience matters.
"Purpose is not simply something people discover. Purpose is something people can put into action."
— Voice Up
Voice Up
Built through service. Strengthened through leadership.
Sustained through perseverance. Grounded in compassion.
Connected through purpose.
Voice Up · Remote / Virtual · info@ellingtonbooks.com