Nobantu Addis was the called to serve as a child. After graduating with a Bachelors of Arts in Education from Kent State University she returned to Cleveland, Ohio and taught for five years before moving to Houston, Texas and teaching there. While living in Houston Minister Addis joined Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church. Her membership at Wheeler was an integral part of her growth as a missionary. In 1982 Minister Addis was licensed to preach and was ordained. While at Wheeler as an Associate Minister she publicly announced her call to missions. She then attended Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Kansas. Before leaving Houston, Texas Minister Addis was commissioned by Rev. W. H. Lawson as the first commissioned missionary of that church. As part of her seminary training Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church sent her to the capital Port-au-Prince, Haiti as her first overseas missionary assignment.
In January of 1993 Minister Addis was commissioned as a Missionary by the American Baptist Churches USA and served in Johannesburg, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the invitation of the Western Congo Baptist Community Churches. Because of warring factions she was evacuated twice from the Congo and returned home. In 2001 Rev. Addis joined the newly established Imani Temple Ministries as a charter member. While continuing to work as a special education teacher for the Cleveland Municipal Schools she was blessed to serve as the Assistant Pastor at Imani Temple Ministries for the pass twenty-two years.
After graduating in June of 2018 from the Chaplaincy Internship Program of the On One Accord Ministry Chaplain Addis completed her Clinical Pastoral Education studies at Cleveland Clinic Hospital.
Currently she is working at University Hospitals as the chaplain for the Ahuja Medical Center. There she is the spiritual care component of the interdisciplinary Palliative Care team. As a valued member of the team, she offers spiritual support to patients and family members during difficult procedures and painful events. As chaplain she offers words of comfort and prayer to everyone. She lives to serve.
