I started preaching in Germany in 1989 at the New Jerusalem Church of God in Christ. There were two Pentecostal churches where I was stationed. After attending both, I made the decision to join New Jerusalem. When the pastor of the other church was made aware of my choice, he wasn’t happy. Both preachers were competing for members and preaching against one another. This really disturbed me, so one night I got on my knees and asked God which church I should attend. I heard the voice of the Lord say to me, “Don’t attend either one. When you get back to the U.S, I will lead you to the church you need to attend”. Not sure I heard my Father correctly; I asked the question again and got the same answer. The next day I decided to share my experience with my pastor. When I told the pastor what my Father said to me, I was accused of being led astray. After the meeting with the pastor and about 7 other associate ministers, we said our good-byes. When I returned from Germany I started attending True Vine Missionary Baptist Church; where I preached for the next 5 years. Things had gotten so spiritually dark that I went to church one Sunday and prayed for a change or I would never attend any church again. Nothing changed and I never returned to that church again.
In June of 1995 on a Monday night, I met my wife, who I am now sealed to, on the city bus I was driving. I saw her every Monday night. One night she was reading her Relief Society manual and I asked her what she was reading. When she told me, I thought she was in some kind of Masonic group. She told me she was L.D.S., and I had no idea what she was talking about. Then she said, “We are referred to as Mormons”. I said, “No way. There are no black Mormons”. She smiled and said, “Well now you have met one”. I wanted to know more about this religion that I had no idea that black people were a part of. She told me if I wanted to know more about it she had some friends that would give me all the information I wanted. Well she invited me to dinner and that was fine with me. When I arrived at her home for dinner, I met the missionaries. As we sat, they told me the story of Joseph Smith. As they taught me about his experience, the spirit was confirming that this is the church that I was promised I would be lead to when I prayed back in Germany. I could not stop the tears from rolling down my face as those two young men sat and taught me the truth from their hearts. I was baptized a member of the Lord’s church in August of 1995 and now I preach the fullness of the gospel to all who are willing to listen. Today my family and I enjoy the love and power of our Father in heaven that is shared with us through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Christ led me to his true Church. I bear witness to the truthfulness of this Church and the Gospel in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen
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From Baptist Preacher to Mormon Teacher is the story of Wain Myers, an African American man who came to recognize God’s hand in guiding him to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1995. His spiritual journey began as a young child and continues today as he struggles with the challenges of being a black man in a predominantly white church. Along this path, Myers preached in the Baptist church before he met the LDS missionaries in Ohio.
In this book, Myers speaks frankly about how he wrestled with the LDS church’s past practice of not ordaining black men to the priesthood. He also opens up about his feelings toward fellow LDS church members, his views on the state of modern Orthodox Christian churches, and how he and his wife have strived to raise their children in a white church environment. The contents of this book will cause readers to laugh, cry, disagree, and, hopefully, rejoice. In the end, it is the author’s hope that the book will strengthen, edify, and bring more souls unto Christ.