“What Satan meant for misery, God turned into ministry,” says Bill Randall.
Randall, who lives in Buffalo, was caught up in a life of drugs, immorality and corruption that led to a stint in federal prison. His marriage was destroyed, and his daughter was alienated from him. But while he was in prison, things changed. He came to know Jesus Christ, and today he operates his own crisis ministry.
Growing up poor, he was determined never to be poor again. He earned a degree in marketing and got a job in the Union County Tax Assessor’s Office working as a tax appraiser. He later became the assessor.
“I wanted to buy what I wanted to buy and go where I wanted to go,” Randall said. “I got to the point where I felt entitled. I started making a lot of money through illegal drug deals and taking kickbacks.”
He then started using drugs. “I didn’t want to get old,” he said. “The drugs made me feel young … great. It was all about me.” He went from using drugs to selling drugs. “I got into the party scene and started having affairs.”
In 2006 his wife divorced him. In 2008 “the FBI came to town.” While waiting for his trial, Randall said he “felt exposed, embarrassed, ashamed, humiliated, scared and hurt.”
“I reached out to a pastor friend I had grown up with, Brad Goodale, and told him I was in trouble.”
Goodale, pastor of Philippi Baptist Church in Union, listened to Randall’s story and said, “I love you, but you’ve got some hard times ahead. You’ve got to do the right thing. You need people to hold you accountable, and the first step is coming to church.”
Randall said Goodale spent time with him, prayed with him, and helped him with Bible study. “After a season of prayer and Bible study, I presented myself for membership at Philippi,” he said. “I told the church I was guilty and bowed my head. Then, about 400 people stood and clapped.”
At Randall’s trial, Goodale told the court that he was “proud of my friend for taking responsibility for the things he had done.”
On Jan. 14, 2010, Randall pled guilty to conspiracy, extortion, soliciting and accepting bribes and kickbacks, money laundering, structuring financial transactions to evade federal reporting requirements, and knowingly allowing the Union County Tax Assessor’s Office to be used as a “stash house” for the storage and distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine. He was sentenced to a 57-month prison term and four years of supervised release. The judge also ordered him to pay restitution to Union County.
Randall married again in March of 2010 and began serving his sentence at the Federal Corrections Institute in Ashland, Ky., in September of the same year. His wife, Heather, continued to support him during his incarceration.“She is such a blessing to me and our ministry,” he said.
After serving two years, Randall was accepted into a residential drug program at the Federal Corrections Institute in Edgefield, S.C., which led to a reduction of his sentence by 18 months, with a further reduction for good behavior.
Randall was released from prison in October 2013. Heather had invited family and friends to their home to welcome him back. His daughter, Connor, whom he said he had neglected during his time of “criminal conduct,” was invited. Even though they had been estranged, she came. The two had communicated very little since she was 9 years old. When she saw her dad, she said, “All I want is to have my daddy back.” Connor is 18 now. “Today she is in my life every day,” he said. “God restored our relationship.”
Randall and Goodale plan to begin hosting “Nite Line,” a television program on WGGS TV 16 in Greenville, on a weekly basis. The two-hour segment will focus on addiction, prison ministry, and people in crisis. The motto for the ministry is “Never give up.”
Randall is serving as the interim minister (he does not call himself a pastor) at Beulah Baptist Church in Buffalo. He preaches at a local nursing home on Sunday mornings before preaching at the church, and he conducts a Bible study on Mondays at the Buffalo Volunteer Fire Department.
“I am a different man now,” he said. “I do things differently. I do things in the name of Jesus.”
Randall has felt the misery of sinful bondage and now experiences the challenge and joy of ministry. He is emphatic in his belief that “Jesus is the way out of that lifestyle.”
Randall continues to tell his story and preach in churches, prisons, evangelistic services and other gatherings. He can be contacted at billrandallministries@gmail.com or at 864-466-7622.