William Oatman III

William Oatman III is a man of many accomplishments, among them a 40-year career in education. Though he currently holds the status of Adjunct Professor at Essex County College, he began his teaching career in New Jersey's public school system after receiving a Bachelor's degree in Education from Kean University. Matching his passion for teaching is his strong faith, which fueled his endeavor to complete the Masters of Theology at Christian Lighthouse College. William, known as Billy to those close to him, has dedicated an equivalent time to ministry as he has to teaching - earning distinctions and awards over 40 years in both fields.

As a teacher he has never shied away from difficulty; working with special needs and Autistic children while teaching Humanities and Fine Arts. He has also done the same in his faith-based career; using his professional training to organize workshops and teach at the Charles Harrison Mason Bible Institute where he accepted the title of Jurisdictional Dean for the Youth Department. Helping others is such an integral part of William's life it's not surprising that he founded the Living Water Family Bible Center after serving as the Assistant Pastor for the Holy Temple Church of God in Christ, which his father founded in 1947. Following in his father's footsteps his organization continues in a tradition of aide through counseling, community health fairs, and food services to those in need. With all these things he still makes time to develop his skill as a photographer, achieving a professional level with his pictures as he does with every task he takes on. He shares this lifelong work with his wife Rosemary - a fellow Evangelist, their 6 children, and 12 grandchildren.

William's dedication to excellence and his strong work ethic has been recognized many times, but most notably in 2003 with a State of New Jersey Senate Resolution by Senator Nia Gill and again in 2011 with the Borough of Carteret's Mayoral Commendation for the community service of his Living Water Family Outreach Centre. He has shared his experience and expertise in his first published book "First Things First: I’ll Encourage Myself and Then I’ll Encourage You" and will continue to do so in the upcoming publication “20/20 Vision".