JOHN REESE, the current President of World Bible School, has an
international background and a deep love for God and His Word.
John was born August 10, 1951 in Harare, Zimbabwe. He attended Prince
Edward High School in Harare. At age 18 he visited America for the
first time and worked in a tool factory in Rockford, Illinois to earn
money for college. While there, John was baptized into Christ.
John began studies in 1970 at Harding College in Searcy, Arkansas. In
1972, John married a fellow-student, Beth Paden from Texas. John
received from Harding College the Bachelor of Arts degree in Bible and
French in 1974, and a Masters degree in Education in 1975.
The Reeses returned to Zimbabwe to share God’s word (‘75-’78). They
then moved for the same purpose to South Africa (‘78-‘91). During a
break, when John served as a visiting professor at Harding University
(‘84-’85), they invited their American friends to form an international
teamwork with them for Southern Africa. The Reeses advertised free
World Bible School courses in South Africa. Their American friends did
the correspondence teaching, and the Reeses provided help for any
students who requested personal attention.
The Reeses’ experience led the President of WBS, Tex Williams, to invite
them to help develop WBS at its central office in Texas. In 1991, they
joined Tex in Austin, Texas. John produced the new WBS curriculum,
helped Tex with Action newspaper, WBS workshops, campaigns and other
aspects of WBS. Beth likewise has been involved in numerous facets,
including the layout of WBS courses.
In March 2006, Tex retired and John was appointed President of WBS. He
is also a shepherd at a local congregation.
The Reeses have four children and five grandchildren. The Reese
children and their spouses are also involved in spreading God’s Word
(Papua New Guinea, Italy, Angola and America). John’s interests include
travel, writing, nature photography and art.
