Dr. Martin Luther King With Rev. Dr. Bill Lawson and Houston Singer Christina Wells

Join us in honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with special guests Rev. Dr. Bill Lawson and American's Got Talent Finalist Christina Wells.

Please RSVP by Tuesday, Jan. 15. Guests are $50.

Rev. Dr. William A. “Bill” Lawson Biography

Rev. Dr. William A. “Bill” Lawson was born in St. Louis, Mo., and reared by Walter and Clarisse Lawson Cade in Kansas City, Kansas, where he graduated from Sumner High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at Tennessee A&I State University in Nashville. He returned to Kansas City to attend Central Baptist Theological Seminary, which conferred upon him the Bachelor of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees.

While in seminary, he was married to the love of his life, the late Audrey H. Lawson of St. Louis. They were married for 62 years. The Lawson’s have four children, Melanie Lawson, Cheryl Lawson, Eric Lawson, and Roxanne Lawson. Son-in-laws are John Guess and Thomas Carter. Grandchildren are Robyn Troup and Raven Troup, and grandson-in-law is Alex Koby.

Rev. Lawson came to Houston after graduation from seminary to serve as director of the Baptist Student Union and Professor of Bible at the new (eight years old) Texas Southern University. He served in that position for ten years, also becoming director of Upward Bound, a pre-college program for high school students on the TSU campus. During his years at TSU, a number of residents of the neighborhood persuaded the Lawson’s to establish a church near the university.

Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church was established in their home in June, 1962. The congregation has grown to over 5,000 members, with many outreach programs, and is much respected in the community. Since the church was born and lived its infant years during the Civil Rights Movement, Rev. Lawson has been deeply involved in advocacy activities for minorities and the poor. Rev. Lawson was a central figure in working with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to turn around the Houston community during those tumultuous years.

In 1996, the Houston community honored him with the creation of a non-profit advocacy agency called WALIPP, the William A. Lawson Institute for Peace and Prosperity. That agency has gone before public officials and bodies on behalf of the underclasses, and has now established a middle school for boys, and chartered as a public school with the Houston Independent School District so it would be accessible to low-income families. The school has recently risen to the second highest ranking among public secondary schools. WALIPP has also constructed 50 units of apartments for seniors in Houston’s Third Ward. The agency has successfully pulled together community development groups, churches, civic clubs, and local governments to redevelop the Third Ward, so that aggressive real estate development will not expel all who need affordable housing. Rev. Lawson has received honorary doctorates from Howard Payne College in Brownwood, the University of Houston, and Texas Southern University. He is the author of a book of meditations called Lawson’s Leaves of Love.

Christina Wells Biography

When Christina Wells was born, the nurses told her mother that she was “very entertaining.” Well, they didn’t know the half of it. Wells grew up in Pasadena, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Christina and her sister were raised by a single mother who experienced many financial hurdles, and Christina had very few opportunities to express her talent for performing, so she would sing anywhere she could and for anyone who would listen.

Christina was voted Best Performer by her high school, and she set her sights for the stage. Christina performed in Super Bowl LIVE presented by Verizon Wireless, and she proudly carries the title of Houston's Pride Superstar for 2016-2017. Christina was also named the FACE Awards Entertainer of the Year for 2016.

Christina put singing on the shelf while raising two amazing boys, Ethan and Ty, who help her keep her dreams alive and her fears at bay. But in 2015, she caught the singing bug once again while performing in a community theater musical. Wells has pursued singing as a career ever since. She performs in and around Houston with The Christina Wells Band, and her plan is to finally make her childhood dreams of becoming a singer come true. Christina also has a bachelor of science degree in nursing and is a registered nurse.

That's right - she sings, she dances AND she saves lives!