By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware

Overview: Roger and Deleana Fooks turned a lifelong, faith-filled love story into a sold-out Gospel play, “Judge Me Not, Only God Can.” The Maryland ministry leaders share how divine timing, respect, and perseverance shaped both their marriage and a stage production designed to inspire couples to keep God at the center of their relationships.

Roger and Deleana Fooks’ love story — decades in the making and rooted in faith, friendship, and a belief that God was guiding their paths long before they realized it — unfolds from childhood encounters in the same community to adulthood reunions shaped by marriages, divorce, ministry work, and personal growth, culminating in a God-centered partnership that now fuels their leadership at The Hill church in Jessup, Maryland, as well as their new collaborative book, When God Says Yes Before I Do, a hybrid testimony and couples’ workbook designed to help partners navigate conflict, build respect, and keep faith at the center of their relationship.
Roger and Deleana Fooks’ love story — decades in the making and rooted in faith, friendship, and a belief that God was guiding their paths long before they realized it — unfolds from childhood encounters in the same community to adulthood reunions shaped by marriages, divorce, ministry work, and personal growth, culminating in a God-centered partnership that now fuels their leadership at The Hill church in Jessup, Maryland, as well as their new collaborative book, When God Says Yes Before I Do, a hybrid testimony and couples’ workbook designed to help partners navigate conflict, build respect, and keep faith at the center of their relationship. Credit: Photo courtesy of Roger and Deleana Fooks

(WIB) – Roger and Deleana Fooks have been married for 10 years, but their story began decades ago, when they were children in the same community. 

“I first met her at my Aunt Pat’s house, and I remember being drawn to her in that simple, innocent way only a child can be,” says Roger Fooks. 

“I didn’t know what to call it then, but I liked her,” Roger says in their upcoming book, “When God Says ‘Yes’ Before ‘I Do.’” “Like any little boy trying to get attention, I teased her. I showed up just to be around her.” 

“She would laugh, shake her head and tell me, ‘Go home, Roger — go home!’” he continued. “Her words weren’t harsh, but playful and filled with laughter.”

Then, life took them in different directions: jobs, marriage, children, divorce. Good times, hard times, still harder times. Yet their paths continued to intersect, from adulthood into midlife. They ran into one another, from time to time, seemingly at random: at a community gathering; at the funeral of a mutual friend. Once, they happened to run into one another at the same restaurant while on dates with other people. 

It’s about God lining up our path and bringing us together as one even through marriage counseling and our ups and downs. But if you put God at the center of your life. – Deleana Fooks

Faithful churchgoers, the couple got the message: God wanted them to be together. So they became a couple. 

While Roger Fooks is retired and Deleana Fooks works as a patient services representative, they are ministry leaders at The Hill, a church in Jessup, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. 

Roger eventually shared with Deleana his dream to write a book. Though Deleana insisted it was a play, Roger kept writing — until she woke up from an intense dream, realizing she’d been onstage, performing in Roger’s play. Convinced, Roger changed course, and the book became a play, “Judge Me Not, Only God Can.” 

Performed to several sold-out shows, the Gospel play encouraged the audience to surrender their lives, and themselves, to the Lord.

Deleana and Roger Fooks shared their story with Word In Black. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. 

Word in Black: Tell us about your new book.

Roger Fooks: Okay. It’s a married couple’s book, basically about our life and things we enjoyed and how God kept us in spite of us and actually even before we got married. 

Deleana Fooks: It’s about how God will line you up with a person and you never even know you’re actually being lined up with this person. That’s how it was with Raj and me. We met when we were little kids. I was eight and he was seven, but our paths kept crossing. It’s about God lining up our path and bringing us together as one even through marriage counseling and our ups and downs. But only if you put God at the center of your life. 

WB: Tell me about one of those encounters during the years before your marriage.

Roger Fooks: I was singing at lunch time during a ministry outreach in Cherry Hill with my church, Created for So Much More. I saw Deleana in the food court and stopped singing in the middle of the song. I told the group I’d be right back and rushed over to speak to her. It had been years. I was about 35 by then and hadn’t seen her since we were kids. I found out she was married so that was the end of that then. Then.

Word in Black: What do you think makes your marriage unique?

Deleana Fooks: The uniqueness is that all the trials and tribulations that we went through, we never disrespected one another. You know they say pressure even bursts pipes. And we don’t always agree with each other. Sometimes we have to agree to disagree.

Roger Fooks: I would never talk down to her or anything like that. It’s the key of respect and the thing is keeping God first.

Word in Black: What’s in the book in addition to your personal story?

Deleana Fooks: It’s like a workbook and a journal. It can be used in marriage counseling. Couples can read through it, discuss it and answer the questions at the end of each chapter. It helps with problem resolution.