Dominick Weems, Sr. grew up in church life—directing choirs, playing instruments, speaking the language of worship. But he’ll tell you himself: for years he was doing church without truly knowing God.
Everything changed in a season of deep emptiness. Away from the stage, Dominick looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize the man staring back.
“I was amazed that even though I didn’t totally believe Him, God kept waking me up,” he says. In a quiet apartment with a makeshift prayer closet—a white blanket, a pillow, a little bottle of oil, and a simple prayer for God to fill the places water would go—Dominick began seeking the Lord for himself.
After spending time getting to know a woman he was dating—learning her likes, dislikes, and values—Dominick later realized God was using that relationship to teach him something deeper.
“I knelt on my pallet-wood couch and prayed, ‘God, if You’re real, talk to me.’ I heard Him say, ‘Everything you did for her—that’s what I want.’ It hit me: God wanted relationship. Not just my love for what He does, but my time, attention, and affection.”
Hear the entire conversation between Crystal Thornton and Dominick Weems, Sr. in the podcast below
That encounter sent Dominick home to Washington—a place he’d promised he’d never return. He obeyed anyway. It wasn’t glamorous. He walked through a year of homelessness and hiddenness, but also healing, reconciliation with his father and a growing clarity of call: when people meet Dominick, they should encounter God.
Birth of a Movement: Weems & Encounter
“Encounter” wasn’t just a ministry name—it became a way of life. Dominick started taking worship to places where Jesus wasn’t the topic of conversation. In Seattle and Tacoma, he and a growing team hosted gospel nights in bars.
“When someone gave their life to Christ in a bar,” he says, “it took my breath away. If God can do that there, He can do it anywhere.”
The ministry kept multiplying: street outreach, worship leadership, original music and a creative lane he calls “another doorway to the Gospel”—a fashion and bracelets line with phrases like “Good Morning” and “It’s a Whole Thing.” Each piece is a conversation starter pointing back to the One who redeemed his story.
“God is way bigger than we think. He’s everywhere. I want everything I touch to go through Him—and when I leave, I want to leave Him behind.”
Carrying a Legacy—with Integrity
Before his father, Rev. Linton Weems, Sr., went home to be with the Lord, Dominick became his caretaker and even filled in for his speaking engagements. Only then did he see the reach of his father’s ministry.
“There’s a name and a legacy I refuse to tarnish,” Dominick says. “I want to carry it with the same integrity he did.”
What’s Next
Dominick senses God leading him deeper into pastoral and apostolic ministry while continuing the creative and outreach work of Encounter. The assignment hasn’t changed—it’s just widening.
“God is real. Get to know Him. Hold on. It won’t always be easy, but keep listening—not only to what He said, but to what He’s saying along the way.”
Follow Dominick:
Facebook: D Weems & Encounter
Instagram: @experienceencounter
I’m Crystal Thornton, National News Anchor with K-LOVE—where every story points back to the One who changes everything.
For more inspiring stories, visit KLOVE.com/GodStories.