At Cherry Grove, our Pastor Dr. Marek D. Walker, DMin, is a leader, innovator, teacher, and preacher of God's Word.
Pastor Walker is a native of Memphis, TN where he was a member of the St. Jude MB Church, Pastor James S. White. In Memphis, Pastor Walker was raised by his mother Sharon Walker. He matriculated through the Memphis Public School System and was an outstanding athlete at Sheffield High School. He signed a football scholarship to Jackson State University where he became a leading wide receiver and played on the back to back JSU SWAC championship team 1995-1996. While at JSU, he was a member under watch care at the Nazareth MB Church, Pastor E.T. Davis.
A few years later he joined the Good Hope MB Church in Florence, MS, Pastor Moses Johnson, where he was licensed and ordained. Eight years later, God called Pastor Walker to preach the gospel, while playing football in Toronto Canada with the Professional Arena Football team called the Toronto Phantoms. After three years of preaching he was called to be the eighth Pastor of Cherry Grove MB Church.
Pastor Walker is married to an anointed and awesome woman of God, First Lady Michelle Walker. They have two daughters - Marita and Marleigh, a son - Marek, Jr. and a brother Arkeem.
✝ What are your favorite scriptures? - Ephesians 3:20, Matthew 5:16, Philippians 4:13, Psalm 30:5, John 1:14
✝ Who are your favorite bible characters? - David and Paul
✝ What are your favorite gospel songs? - "Trouble In My Way" & "Jesus Will Work It Out"
✝ What are your spiritual gifts? - Encouragement, helping, preaching, Pastoring, teaching, giving, and administration
✝ What is your passion? - Being a husband, pastoring, and preaching
✝ What is your favorite cartoon? - Tom & Jerry and Bugs Bunny
✝ What is your favorite T.V. Sitcom? - Martin
✝ Where is your favorite place to go and chill out? - 1) The beach 2) Memphis to see my mother and family
✝ What do you like to do to relax and have fun? Flip through the TV channels, hang out with my wife (we are great friends), and travel with my family: Michelle, Marita, Marek, Jr., Marleigh and Arkeem.
✝ What lessons in life have stuck the most so far? - 1) Treat people like you want to be treated 2) respect everybody's feelings, and 3) always remember your turn is coming (be careful to talk down other because your tough time is coming!!!)
✝ What is your favorite pet? - Dog
✝ What are some things that you do every day? - Pray, study the Word of God, preach in the shower, talk to my wife on the phone, and talk to my best friend Pastor Willie Tobias.
✝ What are some of your happiest moments? - Delivering my daughter when she was born, marrying my wife, becoming the Pastor of Cherry Grove, setting a record for leading wide receiver at Jackson State University, graduating from college, buying my first house, and purchasing my first Suburban.
✝ What are your fondest memories growing up? - Making my mama laugh all the time by doing silly stuff, back in high school at Sheffield hanging with my two best friends Darran Cato and Ventez Brooks (we are still best friends today), and playing football on Waverly at my grandmother's house all the way through high school
✝ What is something no one knows about you? - I like rap and hip hop, r&b, and gospel music. I grew up on rap and hip hop when it first started in the early 80's. Now, I hardly listen to it because of the vulgar language that's being used. I still sometimes enjoy some of the old school artists like LL Cool J, Doug E. Fresh, Eric B. & Rakeem, R. Kelly, Musiq Soulchild, and definitely Luther Vandross, Frankie Beverly & Maze, Mary J. Blige and others on that same line. I also love to drink French vanilla cappuccino when I drive out of town. I love to slow dance with my wife.
✝ What are your favorite singing groups of all time? - New Edition, Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Fred Hammond, Mississippi Mass Choir, Mary Mary, Yolanda Adams, and John P. Kee.
✝ Who was your first girlfriend? - Football
✝ What is your favorite sport? - Football, of course!
✝ What is your favorite team? - No team - I just like certain players. My favorite player of all time is Jerry Rice.
✝ If you had to do it all over again what would you have done differently? - Kept my virginity until marriage.
✝ What are you most thankful for? - My salvation, my relationship with Christ, my wife - Michelle, my daughters - Marita and Marleigh, my son - Marek, Jr., my brother - Arkeem, my Mama, all of my family in Memphis, my Dad, my family in Ohio and brothers and sister, my mother-in-law (Mama Partee), father-in-law and all my in-laws, my Cherry Grove Church family, my friends, Pastors that have personally helped and influenced me (I have to mention - Pastor James White, Pastor E.T. Davis, Pastor Moses Johnson, Pastor Willie Tobias, Pastor Big Brother Ernest Slaughter, Pastor Uncle John Armstrong, Pastor Uncle Steven Walker, Pastor Dr. Jerry Young, Pastor Tellis Chapman, Pastor Frank Ray, and Pastor Bernard Mitchell.