Today we’d like to introduce you to Rev. Neville Billy.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My perfect world fell apart at age 10 when my dad suddenly passed away, forcing my family to relocate to another state, for a ‘change of environment’ due to the emotional and mental trauma my mom was facing as she desperately tried to ‘move on’ without my dad whom she so loved with her life and was so attached to. So as a South African born Indian, I was for the first time in my young life, suddenly submerged into a predominantly apartheid categorized ‘colored’ community and culture. Needless to say, it was a culture shock to me, having been raised in an Indian community.
However, looking back now I fully understand and appreciate those new exposures and experiences, as it provided me with unique opportunities to learn and appreciate how people in other communities and different cultures lived their lives. These unique encounters with other people’s groups helped me integrate into my new world which I later realized, was actually preparing me for my career and calling as an adult to better relate and serve the international community with talents and skills sets which I developed over the years. Fast forward, my strong work ethics and dedication to ‘do everything with excellence’ opened up doors of opportunity for me to advance in life and explore great local and global adventures in business, music and ministry.
Off course, my life’s journey was not a ride in Disneyland – my life’s journey took me along some very rough terrain and experiences that could have destroyed me, had it not been for ‘one unequivocal center piece’ consistently in my life that prevented me from going off the rails. ‘The grace filled center piece that kept me grounded was, is and will always be – God!’ The incomparable love of Jesus Christ and His prescribed way of living together with Bible-based core values from personal well-being to family, career and serving fellow human beings, have given me the humble honor of serving with World leaders, State Senators, Governors, Mayors, Military Officials, Business owners, School Principals to affect positive change, as well as serving and assisting single moms in the community, straining marriages and mentoring at-risk youth on a one-on-one basis.
That once 10-year-old boy who grew up without a father is today a founding and senior Pastor of Raise His Praise Worship Center in Roswell, Georgia and together with his co-founder wife Donnella (affectionately called ‘Pastor D’) provide leadership and oversight for Raise His Praise International Ministries in different parts of the world.
Has it been a smooth road?
No, its been a rough road! I remember having great ideas and ambitions as a young man, but no one to believe in me or recognize my potential and abilities. It just seemed like everyone was moving forward in life, but I was stuck with no visible way out. My main struggle was growing up without a father, whose presence would have provided a snapshot of what my life as a man should look like as well as a father’s wisdom and mentor-ship to advise me, guide me and help shape my choices and character as I was growing into teenager en-route to becoming an adult.
Also, not having readily available finances and access to much needed resources as a child growing up, left me feeling ill equipped and unprepared for the challenges I had to face, sometimes wondering if I will ever make it in life or fall between the cracks with no one knowing or sensing my loneliness and helplessness.
A life of ‘studying while working’ became increasingly unimaginable and with my aging mom no longer able to work, I was forced to put my personal ambitions on hold so I could provide a roof over our heads and all the necessities of a home.
My breakthrough came in stages as I began to measure my life according to God’s will and the potential He placed in every human being to succeed. I was encouraged by the Bible principle that states ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and that’s when I began to recognize my God-given potential to do just about anything – with God’s strength and that’s when the light came on – “I can do this.”
I subsequently began to realize that the ‘things that happened to be, does not mean it has to be’ – I can change that! I can change my outcome despite my little income. I started believing that ‘my faith can change my fate’ and ‘the description of my past, does not have to be the definition of my present.’
But, it became clear to me, for things to change, I had to change! That realization motivated me to reset my life’s goals higher than I initially imagined and with a ‘never going to give up’ mindset, I continued studying while empowering myself with acquired knowledge and a skill set that positioned me to succeed in the corporate world and ministry which opened several doors and platforms for me in various countries around the world.
Has it been a smooth road?
I remember having great ideas and ambition but no one believed in me or anyone who recognized my potential and abilities. It seemed like everyone was moving forward in life, but I was stuck with no visible way out.
My main struggle was growing up without a father, whose presence would have provided a snapshot of what my life as a man should look like as well as a father’s wisdom and mentor-ship to advise me, guide me and help shape my choices and character as I was growing into teenager en-route to becoming an adult.
Also, not having readily available finances and access to much needed resources as a child growing up, left me feeling ill equipped and unprepared for the challenges I had to face, sometimes wondering if I will ever make it in life or fall between the cracks with no one knowing or understanding my sense of loneliness and helplessness.
A life of studying and working became increasingly unimaginable, knowing that my aging mom could not work forced me to put my personal ambitions on hold so I could provide a roof over our heads and all the necessities of a home.
My breakthrough came in stages as I began to measure my life according to God’s will and potential He placed in every human being to succeed. I was encouraged by the Bible principle that states ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ That’s when I began to see my God-given potential to do just about anything – with God’s strength. That’s when light came on – “I can do this”
I subsequently began to realize that the ‘things that happened to be, does not mean it has to be’ – I can change that. I can change my outcome despite my little income. I started believing that ‘my faith can change my fate’ and ‘the description of my past, does not have to be the definition of my present.’
But, it became clear to me, for things to change, I had to change.
We’d love to hear more about your organization.
My life’s work in a nutshell, is based on a simple passion to encourage, inspire and motivate as many people as I can to realize their God given innate ability to discover, pursue and develop their purpose in life and to live the fulfilled and enjoyable life that God created every person to have, inspite of any disadvantages and dispositions a person may have.
Raise His Praise Worship Center, is a place where God’s love is practical and tangible, with a passionate focus on providing a loving, caring and encouraging atmosphere for people to be informed, equipped and empowered with the necessary Godly principles and Bible-based values, with its practical applications to live a successful and fulfilled life and to share those Godly values and principles with others in their social circles – locally and globally.
In my role as the regional coordinator for the Annual National Day of Prayer since 2003, it has been my honor each year to bring Roswell Churches and the citizens of Roswell and neighboring cities together at Roswell City Hall to pray for our nation, with attendees and representatives from all sectors i.e. ‘Senators to Seniors, Mayor to Moms and Military to Media.’
Raise His Praise International Ministries is also an umbrella organization for 1Care2Share, Our Marriage Matters, Business Prayer Network, City Prayer Network, MenT2be Mentoring, Churches and International ministries.
I was appointed by the City of Roswell in 2003 as a Chaplain for the Roswell Police Department where I continue to serve our city’s Police Chief, Rusty Grant and all of the departments law enforcement officers, our Mayor, our City Councilors, Business leaders and the citizens of Roswell.
Every year I acknowledge and honor the outstanding Roswell Police Officer and the outstanding Roswell Fire Fighter of the year with the annual ‘Chaplain Neville Billy Hero Award’ with the express goal to recognize and encourage ‘good policing’ and good service amidst isolated cases of police brutality that has seemingly driven a wedge between all law enforcement and the public.
I have been honored to serve at our Georgia State Capitol, ministering and serving our elected state officials.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
The city of Roswell is always appreciative for business owners who bring outstanding services and provide employment for our citizens. The city’s sensitivity to the risk and challenges that business owners take has resulted in the formation of Roswell Inc. (a non-profit organization) that provides useful and practical information on economic development, business resources, incentives, various tax credits. http://roswellinc.org/
The Roswell Arts Fund is an independent 501c3 nonprofit corporation with a strong collaborative relationship with the City of Roswell, that provides a powerful voice and advocate for the arts community, strengthening the scope, quality and diversity of the arts and striving to fully integrate the arts into the social and economic fabric in our city.
Our organization ‘Business Prayer Network’ http://www.businessprayernetwork.org/ where ‘taking care of business’ with much needed encouragement and prayer is providedfor business owners, entrepreneurs and self-employers to continue providing their customers with the best products, services and much needed employment for our citizens.
Contact Info:
- Address: 907 Holcomb Bridge Road
- Website: www.raisehispraise.org
- Phone: 7703104502
- Email: pastor@raisehispraise.og
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/raise-his-praise-worship-center-roswell
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
