Apostle Edwin Favors remembered as a staple of Wilmer

WILMER – Sometimes you only know a person on social media these days, thus was my acquaintance with Apostle Edwin Favors. Little bleeps that remind you of a person, but you don’t really know them that well.

That was how I knew Apostle Edwin Earl Favors who passed away on April 5 an active member in the Wilmer community since 2002.

After reading his successes and his beautiful life, I wish I had known him much better.

In fact, he made such an impact that the city of Wilmer issued a proclamation naming April 10, Apostle Edwin Earl Favors Day.

A senior pastor at Praise Fellowship Church, Favors was most giving of his time and energy to serve the community.  According to highlights of Favor’s life he started young at his successes and never stopped achieving his goals and dreams.

“Starting at the age of 13, Pastor Edwin E. Favors began the ministry of teaching at the Faithful Missionary Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas under the leadership of his pastor and father in the ministry, Rev. N.C. Sargent,” his life highlights read.
Favors taught the Young People’s Sunday school class as well as the Youth Baptist Training Union Class. He was also a member of the H.L. William Singers, the N.C. Sargent Choir, and Judah Praise Team.

Graduating in 1993 from Lancaster Elsie Robertson High School to pursue higher education from Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas Favors preached his first official gospel message at Faithful Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday, June 1, 1997.  He completed his degree in December 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies and an emphasis in Music Education.  

Favors will not only be remembered for his pastoral services, but he was also a radio disc jockey for 99.3 FM The ROCK (Christian Radio), Worship pastor for Greater Faith Community Church and Living Word Church, Brownwood Intermediate School music and choral director for grades 5 and 6, Youth, Education, and Senior Associate Pastor for Greater Faith Community Church – and he sang with the Howard Payne A Cappella Choir, Chamber Singers, and the Heritage Singers.  

“While with the Heritage Singers and A Cappella Choir, he traveled to 30 states and five countries ministering the gospel of Jesus Christ,” the reflections of his life read.

When he returned to Dallas, he once again served at his home church for a time and taught music, choir and 7th Grade Reading for the Desoto ISD. 

Favors became a full-time minister for two years and taught music from 2006-2007 at Clay Academy, the private school for The Potter’s House of Dallas.

His teaching career continued around the Best Southwest and in April 2002 he became founder and senior pastor of Praise Fellowship Church, which met at The Duncanville Senior Center, the Lancaster Community House, the Friendship West Youth Center, the “Storefront on I-35,” the Desoto Lions Club, and on I-45 in Wilmer.

In 2009, he completed his Masters degree in Educational Administration, and in 2015 he completed the Doctorate in Organizational Leadership with emphasis in Instructional Leadership from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. 

The theme of Pastor Favors’ life, “this is the Lord’s doing and it’s marvelous in my eyes,” and he will be remembered by many students, residents, members of his church ministry, and those who his kindness made an impression on that he didn’t even know.  

Most of all however, there is his wife, Pastor Ellyn Nicole Neal Favors.

Favors was a resident of Lancaster, but loved his parishioners in Wilmer.

“Celebrate the fact that Apostle Favors embraced all life offered and took great pride in his family, friends, ministries and community,” Wilmer Mayor Sheila Petta said. “His beautiful spirit of kindness and love always prevailed.”