OPINION —
“P raise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp… let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:3, 6)
Before it ever housed a pulpit or organ, Trinity Presbyterian Church at 1010 India Road in Opelika, Alabama, had a different rhythm. A yellowed newspaper clipping from the 1970s tells the story. Known as Club Shallamar, it was a teenage hangout filled with flashing lights, a dance floor and the sounds of rock-and-roll music. But in 1973, a young congregation purchased the property and began a transformation. The dance floor gave way to pews. The black lights softened to chandeliers. What once pulsed with weekend noise began to echo with reverent hymns.
It was a fitting beginning, because not long after the building was remade for worship, the Lord provided a man who would help fill it with praise. In 1976, William Wayne Johnson answered a classified ad in The Opelika News for a church organist. The church was small. The setting was unlikely. But William was not looking for prominence. He was looking for a place to serve. Fifty years later, he is still serving.
William grew up in Abbeville, Alabama, where he began playing piano and organ at First Baptist Church at the age of 13. He went on to study music performance at Howard College (now Samford University) before switching to accounting, though the church remained central to his life. During his college years, he played at Norwood Baptist in Birmingham, quietly cultivating his skill. By the time he and his late wife, Judy, moved to Opelika in 1973, that pattern was firmly established. He served briefly at Pepperell Baptist in Opelika and Parkway Baptist in Auburn. But when the opportunity came in 1976 to serve at Trinity Opelika, he stepped into what would become a half-century of ministry in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).
This milestone is also, for me, deeply personal. I married William’s daughter, Kelli. That means the man who has faithfully led our congregation in worship for half a century is also my father-in-law. That is a rare and humbling reality I have never taken for granted.
When William first took his place at the organ bench at Trinity Presbyterian Church, his daughter Kelli was just six weeks old. She was baptized from a small bowl used in those early days of the church. Kelli became my wife. I became the pastor of the church. Years later, I baptized our daughters, Georgia and Clara, from that same bowl. Remarkably, that bowl survived the devastating fire of 2013 and remains in use today. Now, I am beginning to officiate weddings for children I once baptized from it. It’s hard to write that without tearing up. That small, tangible reminder of God’s faithfulness stretching across generations is priceless.
For five decades, William has led the people of God at Trinity in song. In a congregation committed to reverent worship, historic liturgy and the rich musical heritage of the church, his role has been foundational. The organ does the heavy lifting of congregational song. It strengthens and supports the voices of the people as they sing praise to God. And William does this with remarkable skill and steadiness.
Sunday after Sunday, year after year, through seasons of joy and sorrow, growth and challenge, he has been there. He has played for hundreds of weddings and funerals, ministering in those sacred moments when music must carry what words cannot. He has accompanied choirs, congregations and children learning the hymns of the faith for the first time.
He has his favorites: “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” and “Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners.” Hymns that are rich in theology and warm in devotion. Hymns that remind us that worship is not performance but the proclamation of truth sung by the people of God. Psalm 150 calls upon God’s people to praise him with a full symphony of sound with trumpet, harp, strings and cymbals. It is a vision of worship that is both ordered and exuberant. But behind every instrument is a person. Behind every note is a life offered to God. William Johnson’s life is one such offering.
Most of his ministry has been hidden in plain sight. While the congregation sings and the preacher proclaims, William sits at the organ bench — steady, faithful and unassuming. Yet, his influence has been profound.
“William is a dedicated and exceptionally talented Christian who has served our church tirelessly at the organ and piano, not to mention serving as treasurer and deacon for decades,” His close friend, Elder Tom Rickles said. “He is such a blessing.”
As a pastor, I have served Trinity since 2000. In more than a quarter century in the pastorate, I can say without hesitation that I have never encountered another church organist who has served continuously in one congregation for 50 years. It is simply extraordinary.
Over the years, William and I have shared a quiet, ongoing joke regarding those occasional weddings or funerals where the honorarium for the pastor or organist is forgotten. We laugh about it. But beneath the humor lies a deeper truth: William has never served for compensation or acclaim. His decades of ministry have been driven by a consistent desire to offer his gifts to please the Lord. In the home, as in the church, William is the same man: steady, faithful, devoted to his family, devoted to his church, devoted to Christ.
In a world that prizes visibility and contemporaneity, his life points us to a better way. It is not flashy or loud. It is simply enduring. Fifty years of showing up. Fifty years of preparing the way for the people of God to sing. Fifty years of offering praise — not from the spotlight, but from the organ bench.
And perhaps that is the most fitting full circle of all. A building once known as Club Shallamar, once filled with passing youth and fleeting rhythms, has, for more than half a century, now been filled with the enduring praise of God’s people. Week after week, hymn after hymn, even rebuilding after fire, our church is an object lesson in redemption.
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6).
For 50 years, William Johnson has helped our congregation do just that. In doing so, he has helped transform not just a former dance hall, but a church of thousands of people over the decades, into a place of praise. I sure do love my father-in-law. On Sunday, July 12, Trinity plans to honor William for his half-century of service to our church.
Chris Duncan is a Minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is pastor of Trinity PCA Opelika.
