My Apostle

A note from Sandy…

In 1984, I walked into a church looking for help that had eluded me for the first 24 years of my life. Although exposed to religion all of my life, I had never known Yahweh personally, and nothing in my situation indicated the Life of God in any way. As I sat there with my three baby girls waiting for the service to start, out of a door on the left side of the platform walked a man, tall, straight and dignified with white hair and piercing blue eyes. At that moment, I heard the voice of God for the first time in my life. He said to me, “Welcome home.” I did not understand all that that meant, but I knew that somehow the life and deliverance that I had always known Yahweh had made available for me through Christ could be found as I followed that man. Through these years, I have found that word to be true. My family and I have been home with that great man of God, Apostle Nolan Ball, since that day.

I have had people ask me, “Where do you go to church?” My answer is that it is not so important where I go to church, but what DOES matter is that over twenty years ago, I met a man, and through him, I found my place.

Yahweh is releasing the Spirit of Elijah in the earth today and the hearts of the fathers are being turned to the children and the children to the fathers. The earth is crying out. May the true fathers rise and take their places so that the matured sons can come forth and rule and reign in the earth.

Apostle Ball

F. Nolan Ball is an apostle to the Body of Christ. In July 1969, he and Shirley, his wife, came to the church now known as The Rock of Panama City. Up to this present time, the church continues to grow and extend its ministry–locally and internationally. The ministry is overseen by Apostle Ball, working with a Presbytery of Elders representing the five-fold ministry. In addition to these responsibilities, Apostle Ball relates to and oversees the establishing of other men and churches. He is the author of two books: ”God’s Plan for Financing the Ministry” (available in English, Russian, and Spanish) and “Quotes from a Modern Day Apostle.”

Nolan Ball was born in 1929 in Green County, Mississippi. His father was a sawmill worker. He has one sister, Johnnie Ruth. He attended schools in Avery,Mississippi; Gulf Hammock, Florida; Bronson, Florida, and Bay Minette, Alabama.

In 1951, he met and married Shirley Navello of London, England. They have three daughters and one son, and five living grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter.

Nolan served in the U.S. Air Force 1947-51, with the rank of Sergeant. Following his Air Force service, Nolan worked for a financial institution until he entered college in 1954, following his and Shirley’s conversion to Christ in 1953.

He graduated from Southeastern College in Lakeland, Florida in 1957, with honors, and from Florida Southern College in 1958, with honors. He is a member of Delta Epsilon Chi.

During the years of 1957-1986, Nolan and Shirley pastored churches of the Assemblies of God in Lakeland, Florida; Angel City, Florida; Talladega, Alabama; Tallahassee, Florida, and Panama City, Florida. He served both as a District Presbyter in the Alabama and West Florida Districts of the Assemblies of God, and as a General Council Presbyter from the West Florida District.  He has worked with national leaders in Peru, South America; Jamaica, West Indies; Kenya, East Africa, and Zaire, West Africa to establish churches.

Apostle Ball has served as the senior minister of The Rock of Panama City, formerly Dirego Park Assembly of God, since 1969. In 1986, in order to more fully pursue the purposes of Yahweh, Apostle Ball and The Rock of Panama City withdrew from the Assemblies of God with a good record and a good attitude. The primary reason for withdrawal from the denomination was to be able to raise up, send out, establish and release others whom God had called into the ministry.

Apostle Ball is a spiritual father to numerous men who have come to him and submitted themselves to him for the purpose of becoming spiritual sons. In time each man is raised up and sent out to other cities where, with apostolic oversight and financial support, that man establishes and builds his own “house.” As of summer 2010, the number of “sons” sent out is twenty-five.

(Photo by Chip Lloyd / Lloyd’s Photography, Panama City, Florida)