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A Man of God
by Adam Mahmoud | April 2011
Reverend Todd Willard Associate Minister, loving husband, caring father, friend, son, you name it-
he is a man of many identities, but the one he finds the most fulfilling is that of a child of God.
WETHERSFIELD, CONNECTICUT- I was fortunate enough to meet him during an enlightening experience of my
own- I had recently begun my walk with Christ in order to seek something much more meaningful in my life.
I had originally met Todd online via Facebook through some mutual friends, and we began talking to one
another and eventually met during various Church youth groups in which we shared parts of our Testimonies
but more importantly, we shared friendship and we shared love. We are brothers in Christ and he is very
much an idol to me, and I found it a wonderful opportunity to interview him.
Before you had intentions of pursuing the Ministering field, what career paths were you interested in?
“In college I had studied Social Work. I spent a few years working at a residential for children and teens
who were dealing with psychological problems, had been abused, had made serious attempts at hurting
themselves, or had been abandoned by their families. I've always had a desire to work in some field where
I get to engage with those who are struggling and come alongside them in an effort to help. I had thought
I might want to work in the community development side of social work as well, simply because I love
watching the power of a group of individuals coming together to enact social change.”
At what moment in your life did you stop and think “Wow, God is real, I can see myself devoting my life
to Him?” “My first significant encounter with God happened when I was a high school student (age 15).
Although I had grown up in the church I had never experienced the real presence of God. From that point
on my faith has always expressed itself through reaching out to others with the message of Jesus. I've
been involved in ministry since that time whether that was as a volunteer or a paid staff person. I
love seeing others "get it" when they first realize that Jesus is real and that he wants to be present
in our lives in a way that transforms us and through us transforms others.”
As a child growing up, how big a part did God and Religion play in your household? “Growing up my
family attended church regularly more out of tradition than out of devotion to Jesus. Probably around
the same time I came to faith my parents were going through a big transformation in their own
understanding of who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him. I think the fact that we were all going
through this around the same time enabled us to feed off of, and encourage, one another. All of us have
been involved in ministry since that time. My mom, sadly, passed away about five years ago from cancer
but God had used her in some incredible ways up until that time.”
Explain how post high school graduation came about- where were you at in your life, what did you want
out of it, where did you see yourself headed? “I actually graduated High School a semester early. By
the time of my senior year I was really ready to be done. I think I've always been a little bit impatient
to move onto the next thing (not always a good attitude to have). I worked full time for about six
months in a factory in the north end of Hartford (family business). That was a really important
experience for me learning to appreciate the value of hard work, building relationships with my
coworkers who had grown up in very different backgrounds from myself. I think this time gave me some
really good perspective on life as I prepared to head off to college in the fall. At that point I saw
myself heading into ministry, although halfway through college I switched my major to social work.
A big reason, looking back, for that switch had to do with my own struggles with dating relationships.
I had a hard time feeling content without being involved in one and a made a lot of decisions in those
relationships that conflicted with the ministry lifestyle. I think I struggled a lot with feelings of
guilt which caused me to turn away from the path God had set before me. I have a tendency to be a bit
stubborn and it took me a while to learn to listen.”
How and when did you meet your wife, and how has that affected your relationship with God? “My wife and
I met the summer before I headed off to college. We were both involved in an organization that sent teens
on summer mission trips. We met at the training camp for the organization and became fast friends. We
had a very brief long distance relationship that fall and then things fizzled out. A year later she
decided to go to school in Boston too and we reconnected. We kept in touch as friends throughout
college and my senior year we started dating. Our relationship has a huge impact on my relationship
with God. She is my greatest source of encouragement and support. She holds me accountable on a number
of levels. At the same time our relationship requires more "work" than any other relationship I've been
in. I think that we guys have a natural urge to resist intimacy even though we need it just as much as
women do. I've had to teach myself how to be more vulnerable with her and in turn that teaches me how
to be more open in my relationship with Jesus. Raising our two sons together has been huge too. We want
them to know Jesus but we don't want them to live sheltered lives and trying to figure out that balance
will require a lot of faith and trust.”
You are a youth group leader, so you work with younger kids, what reeled you into or motivated you to
work with them? “The thing I love most about working with students is that when they feel safe and are
willing to share, they are really honest. They see so many things that adults assume to be true from a
different perspective. I think they have the ability to see through the stories we tell ourselves in
order to make ourselves feel okay and that is very refreshing. They have a lot of energy and when it
can be directed toward positive outlets they have a huge impact on their world. Their creativity is
awesome to watch and participate in. At the same time they're a really challenging group. They have so
many fears, mostly social that it can be tough to break in. I love the challenge they present but at
times it can become discouraging.”
What would you say is one profound and emotional experience that you went through that has made you
the person you are today? “One of the biggest experiences in my life was the death of my mother. She
and I were very close. She died about five years ago from Leukemia. There was a year between her
diagnosis and her death and we had some really meaningful time together during that time. For some
people those family tragedies push them further away from God, either because of their anger or sadness.
I definitely felt both and still do but I've come to realize just how big God is. That his story is
so much bigger than my mom's illness and death which means that her life is bigger than what I can
see before my eyes. The resurrection of Jesus took on a whole new meaning for me because I recognize
in that story that death is not the end it's only another beginning.”
Other than God, who is another major role model and influence in your life? “I've had a lot of role
models and influences in my life. Some that I knew personally some that I met through books. I could
give you a huge list but I'll pick one of the many. When I was growing up at First Church there was
an older man named Ed Kenyon. He was one of the most gentle and gracious men I had ever met. I first
got to know Ed when we worked in an inner city ministry together in Hartford. He was the kind of older
gentleman that I want to be when I grow older. He was dedicated to Jesus. He wasn't afraid of anything.
I remember hearing the story of how he sat by his dying wife's bedside for days at end just holding her
hand. I remember walking through the projects with him as we went door to door to minister to people.
Some years after he died I learned that he was an attorney involved in the Nuremberg trials after World
War II. He was such a humble man that I never knew he had been involved in such a major global event.”
If there was one message that you could broadcast to the world, what would it be and why? “It would be
the message of Jesus. That he is who he says he is despite the ways that we as the church have muddied
and distorted his message. I would want people to see that the world can be different if we can
collectively learn to surrender our wants for the sake of others needs. I would want people to know
that God heals and with his healing comes everything we've been looking for.”
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