Yolanda Powell is a seasoned wife and mother who applies the teaching principles of Soul Food & Living Water everyday.  These principles were born out of her own private search and personal study in the Holy Scriptures. For years she sought to groom a family true to its cultural heritage without compromising true devotion to Christ.  Yolanda understands the anguish and internal needs of families, like her own, who have the unique opportunity to live-out a vibrant Judeo-Christian faith, in the midst of a soulful African-American heritage. The principles outlined in Soul Food & Living Water have been expanded from a Family Enrichment Series taught primarily in a local church setting.

For nearly twenty years, Yolanda and her husband William have served in multicultural churches across the country as ordained ministers, small group leaders, financial counselors and directors of pastoral care. With great passion, she has taught women’s Bible studies, lead discipleship programs and counseled hundreds of women in their Christian faith and commitment to family life. Yolanda was recently became President of The Spoken Word International a non-profit ministry organization that focuses on Speech & Voice Training, Scriptural Arts & Drama, Youth Evangelism & Leadership, and Family & Community Empowerment.

As a writing professional, Yolanda has served as contributing editor for several magazines including: Urban Family, about…time, Fortress and A Quiet Revolution – all heralding the African-American experience. She is the co-author of From Darkness to Light: Recapturing Historical Riches – A Guide to Understanding Auctions, Collectibles & Estate Sales.

William J. Powell (Ph.D. candidate) is completing a doctorate in Public Administration with a concentration in Public Finance and Information Technology from Syracuse University’s premier Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Policy. William is a former university professor and currently serves as Senior Policy Analyst for the the District of Columbia. As a minister, he serves as Chairman of the Board for Oracles & Utterance, Incorporated and CFO of The Spoken Word International, overseeing the ministry’s financial stewardship and fiscal integrity. William and Yolanda have served the Body of Christ in an Aquilla-and-Priscilla-type-ministry for many years, opening the Holy Scriptures to explain the way of God more perfectly through creative Bible teaching and Scriptural arts.  In 2002, they were certified as Small Church Instructors for Walk Thru The Bible Ministries, Inc. Today, William leads a Men’s Accountability Group in the Maryland-DC-Virginia area and is committed to helping other men lead their families with spiritual power and godly purity.  The Powells are dedicated parents to three teenage sons: Joseph (17), Jeremy (15) and Jordan (13).  They have a family pet named Sampson, a 4 year old American Bulldog and live in rural Maryland surrounded by a host of farming relatives and their farm animals.