HOUSTON (ABP) — Willie Scott, a Baptist deacon who turned his experiences as a crack addict and convict into tools for his ministry, was shot and killed July 10 at his clothing and shoe business in Houston.
Police are still searching for the shooters, who had attempted to rob the 42-year-old Scott.
A deacon at the Rose of Sharon Baptist Church, Scott founded Jails to Jobs, a nonprofit organization that trains ex-offenders to do construction work. Friends remember him as a “spiritual leader” who had helped get many former inmates on the road to a new life.
Elmo Johnson, pastor of Rose of Sharon Baptist Church, said Scott had attended a meeting July 9 where 35 pastors discussed how to help small churches get on their feet and how to help former inmates find work. Leaving the gathering late that night, Johnson said he told Scott, “See you tomorrow.” But the next day, Johnson received a call about the shooting.
He called Scott a “pillar of the community” who had earned the respect of those around him. “He came out of the drug scene and prison … and never faltered,” Johnson said.
Ira Antoine, a congregational strategist for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, called the apparent murder “a tragedy.”
“God was doing phenomenal work in his life,” Antoine said. “After his release from incarceration, he helped individuals in the community so they wouldn't return back to a life of crime.”
Funeral services are set for 11 a.m. July 21 at Bible Way Fellowship Baptist Church in Houston.
Scott is survived by his wife and two-year-old son.
-30-