Chaplain JOE B. WILLIAMS Chaplain Joe B. Williams served as a pastor of Baptist churches for more than thirty years.  His last pastorate was First Baptist Church, Nicoma Park, Oklahoma, on the east side of the Oklahoma City area.  From 1986 to 2000, Joe was jointly employed by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma and the North American Mission Board.  He and his late wife Dorothy were appointed Home Missionaries in 1987.  Joe’s assignment was Chaplaincy Ministries Specialist and his duties included the development of chaplaincy programs and training chaplains throughout the state. Joe has served as chaplain to the Oklahoma Division of the FBI from 1991 to present, Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office from 1987 to 1991, and Nicoma Park Police Department from 1982 to 1987.  (Joe’s chaplain service to the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI were in addition to and a segment of his being jointly employed by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma and the North American Mission Board.) In the aftermath of the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, Joe assisted in the coordination of 225 chaplains at the bombsite.  He spent 19 days at the bombsite that included three days in the basement of the Federal Building, known after the bombing as “the pit.”  In addition to assisting in the coordination of chaplains’ activities, he made regular visits to the command center that housed federal agencies and was involved in the defusing of recovery personnel and debriefing sessions for FBI agents. In February of 1996 Joe along with Chaplain Jack Poe of the Oklahoma City Police Department founded the Critical Incident Workshops and served as its director until October 2001.  These workshops were conducted monthly for over eight years providing trauma therapy for rescue and recovery personnel, victim families, and survivors of the bombing. As FBI chaplain, Joe traveled to Denver regularly during the trial and had interaction with victim families, survivors, United States Attorneys, and FBI agents who were involved in the trial proceedings for Timothy McVeigh.  He also serves as chaplain for the FBI Critical Incident Response Team for the Southeast region of the United States. Joe has received over 600 hours of specialized training in critical incident intervention including the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation of which he is a member.  He has led in-service training in the areas of crisis intervention for law enforcement agencies, hospitals, and the military throughout the United States. Certified Compassion Fatigue Specialist Certified Field Traumatologist Has taught Seminary Extension courses throughout Oklahoma Adjunct Professor at Oklahoma Baptist University Founder and Co-Director of the Oklahoma Traumatology Institute offering courses in Traumatology and Compassion Fatigue.

On March 29, 1996, Joe was presented the Meritorious Service Medal by the Oklahoma Sheriff and Peace Officer’ Association for his work in the aftermath of the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City as well as his continuing work with victim families and first responders. June 16, 1998 - Joe is the first and only chaplain to receive the FBI Director’s award for Exceptional Public Service, the highest civilian award given. July 9, 1998 - he received the John A. Price Excellency in Chaplaincy Award from the International Conference of Police Chaplains. November 10, 2006 - Joe received the Distinguished Alumni Achievement award by Oklahoma Baptist University. Joe was deployed by the FBI for two weeks after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in New York City.  After a brief time back in Oklahoma, he returned to New York City in November at the request of The North American Mission Board for sixteen months returning to Oklahoma February 25, 2003.  His duties included working with emergency responders, Disaster Relief Funding Taskforce, victim families, survivors, and the Metro New York Baptist Association of churches. Joe served on staff of First Southern Baptist Church in Del City, Oklahoma from April 1, 2003 to August 22, 2005 in the area of pastoral care as Director of Chaplaincy and Community Ministries. Joe and his wife Linda, a Grief Recovery Specialist, have been under contract to the North American Mission Board in the Gulf Coast area in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas from September 27, 2005 to present working with pastors, church staff, and their spouses as well as church congregations in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

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