Our Pastor

Elder Antonio T. Wells

Founding Pastor – Faith Walkers Church of the Cedar Valley

“O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His name: make known His deeds among the people.” – Psalm 105:1 (KJV)

Elder Antonio T. Wells, born August 24, 1999, in Davenport, Iowa, is the founding pastor of Faith Walkers Church of the Cedar Valley — a growing, Spirit-led congregation committed to holiness, evangelism, and Apostolic truth. He is the son of the late Mr. Antonio L. Wells and Mrs. Lisa A. Craig-Boddie.

His faith was nurtured from a young age at Temple Baptist Church in Davenport, where he actively participated in Sunday School and weekly Bible classes. Though his early ministry was shaped by the Baptist tradition, including service as Iowa State Jr. Layman’s President, God began drawing him toward a deeper revelation of the Oneness Apostolic faith.

A pivotal influence in his life was the ministry of his grandparents, the late Suffragan Bishop Eddie G. Richards, Jr. and Lady Marjorie A. Richards, of Hazel Crest Assembly Church of the Apostolic Faith in Country Club Hills, Illinois. Under their mentorship, Elder Wells was firmly grounded in Apostolic doctrine, with a profound understanding of the Oneness of God and the fullness of the Godhead in Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:9).

On December 22, 2017, he was baptized in Jesus’ name, and on April 15, 2018, he was filled with the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues (Acts 2:4). These moments marked his full entrance into the Apostolic experience.

A graduate of Pleasant Valley High School (2017), Elder Wells continued his education in communications at both the University of Northern Iowa and Scott Community College, where he also served as President of the Black Student Union and launched the school’s first Black History Month celebration.

In addition to his educational leadership, he has served as a community organizer with Quad Cities Interfaith and the Gamaliel Network, advocating for justice and youth empowerment. His leadership has also extended to boards including:

• The Juvenile Justice Coalition of the Quad Cities

• The Board of Directors for Quad Cities Interfaith

• The Davenport Citizens Advisory Panel

• Apostolic Archives International, Inc. (Joplin, MO)

In January 2019, he launched It Is Well Ministries, an outreach aimed at college and high school students, proclaiming salvation through repentance, baptism in Jesus’ name, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38). His personal ministry motto remains:

“We have a need for the real Jesus of the Bible and not the Jesus of our assumptions.”

On September 3, 2022, he married Lady Claire Wells, and just weeks later, he was ordained and installed as pastor of Faith Walkers Church of the Cedar Valley.

Following the passing of his beloved grandfather and mentor, Bishop Eddie G. Richards, Jr., Pastor Wells has come under the pastoral covering of Pastor Steven Skiba of Faith Covenant Bible Church in Osseo, Michigan — continuing to walk in humility, accountability, and alignment with godly leadership.

Pastor Wells continues to honor those who shaped his spiritual development, including Bishop Ira Combs Jr., Dr. LaMonte McNeese, Elder Mike Jenkins, and Dr. Marvin C. Sanguinetti among others.

Today, he is a bold preacher, strategic thinker, and servant-leader devoted to equipping this generation with Apostolic truth, leading souls into transformation through the power of the Holy Ghost, and fulfilling the vision of Faith, Family, and Fellowship.