William David Hendrix, 58, of West Point, Georgia, passed away Monday morning,  November 14, 2011. He was born on Palm Sunday, March 29, 1953, in Columbus,  Georgia, to John LeRoy Hendrix and Ruth Rader Hendrix.

He attended  Reidsville High School in Reidsville, Georgia, and continued his education at  LaGrange College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Religion in 1975. He  received a Master’s Degree in Divinity from Emory University in 1978, and  attained a Doctorate of Ministry degree from Vanderbilt University in  1981. He was called to ministry and acquired his license to preach from  the United Methodist Church, becoming an ordained minister at the age of 19 and  began serving his first church, Hopewell United Methodist Church in Fairfax,  Alabama, shortly thereafter. He served several pastorates in the South Georgia  Conference from 1978 until 1984. He also served Adams United Methodist Church in  Adams, Tennessee, and Anna Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Anna,  Illinois. He began his ministry with the Association of Vineyard Churches  in 1985, a relationship that lasted nearly 27 years. He gave his live  passionately to helping to bring the Kingdom of God by equipping his church in  worship, evangelism, healing, ministry to the poor and fellowship amongst  believers. An active church planter, he helped to form churches in Nashville,  Memphis, Fort Lauderdale and Atlanta and served the Lanett Vineyard of Lanett,  Alabama, since 1995. He taught with several universities and colleges  including Beacon University in Columbus, Georgia, and Trinity College and  Seminary in Newburgh, Indiana, where he was a professor for sixteen years,  serving as head of the Preaching Department and interim Dean of the Pastoral  Ministry Department in his tenure. He developed courses for the Vineyard Bible  Institute and taught internationally at New Life Bible College in Moscow,  Russia. Most recently, he taught ethics courses for Chattahoochee Valley  Community College. He was a published author of several books, including  Guarding the Truth, Psalms for Life, and Prophetic Activism as well as  additional curriculum resources for the United Methodist Publishing House.   He  was co-founder of Chaplains to the City, a ministry for Atlanta Police Officers  and their families. He was passionate about serving orphans through  Shepherd’s Purse, a ministry founded to help raise awareness and provide aid to  at-risk children, teens and young adults in former Soviet Union countries. He  and his wife, Nanci, served as board members and Directors of Shepherd’s Purse  South Region and the PORT (Post Orphanage Resource Teams) Program, an initiative  designed specifically toward graduates of orphanages. Through his involvement  with Shepherd’s Purse, he traveled to Russia, Ukraine, and Haiti. An avid  Braves fan, he coached baseball and softball teams, as well as basketball,  football, soccer and other sports.

He is survived by his wife of 34 years,  Nanci Nix Hendrix of West Point, his children, Sally Hendrix of West Point and  Mark Hendrix and his wife Mary Alexander Hendrix and granddaughter Evelyn  Hendrix of LaGrange. He is also survived by his sister Pamela Hendrix Crovatt  and her husband Frank Crovatt, Jr. of Pooler, Georgia, and his brother John  LeRoy Hendrix, Jr. and his wife Dawn Welch Hendrix of Palm Harbor, Florida, and  several nieces and great-nieces and great-nephews. He was preceded in  death by his father, his mother and his mother-in-law, Dorothy Davidson  Nix.