I was born in 1939 in North Carolina. I have two brothers, one older and one younger. Our parents raised us in the Baptist church and put “God-fearing” in us while we were young. At the age of twelve, I joined the church. I thought I was born again because I had prayed the “Sinner’s Prayer.” I found out eighteen years later when I was born again, what it meant to be truly born again . The keeping power of God has been so great on my life. I graduated from high school, and then went to college to become a math teacher, not knowing that God had another plan for my life.

I met Sam, my precious husband, in 1962 and later that year we were married. I insisted we go to church. Since he was raised Methodist, we went to the Methodist church. He was a businessman at that time. I was a school teacher for six years until our daughter Robin was born. I quit teaching to stay home to raise Robin. During this time, we moved several places because Sam was transferred with his job. Every place we lived, I found a Methodist church for us to attend. Then God moved us to Florence, South Carolina and put us in a Presbyterian church. This church was experiencing a move of God. We both were born again at that time. We got involved in “lay-renewal ministry” going to other churches giving our testimonies. Three years later, Sam’s job transferred him to my hometown, Forest City, North Carolina. Shortly after moving, God spoke to Sam that He had called him into the ministry. Sam went to American Christian College and a Bible training center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Later, we moved back to North Carolina and began pastoring a church in Spindale. During this time, Sam traveled overseas extensively while I pastored the church. At first, it was very difficult for me to receive the call of God on my life since I had always been taught that women cannot be in the ministry, especially as pastors. God spoke to Sam saying, “Jane is the pastor.” He came to me and told me what God had said while others were saying the same thing.  When I finally went to God myself,  He said the same thing to me. I was crying out to Jesus, “Not my will, but Your will for my life.” He truly put a willing heart in me. Over the past four decades, I truly have learned how to live by John 5:30: I am able to do nothing from Myself [independently, of My own accord–but only as I am taught by God and as I get His orders]. Even as I hear, I judge [I decide as I am bidden to decide. As the voice comes to Me, so I give a decision], and My judgment is right (just, righteous), because I do not seek or consult My own will [I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, My own aim, My own purpose] but only the will and pleasure of the Father Who sent Me.

In 1979, God spoke to us to start the Word of Faith Fellowship. A group of fifty people who were sincere and hungry for God joined with us. We gave ourselves to much prayer and crying out to God to know Him and His will. The Word of Faith Fellowship began to grow. A short time after this, God moved us back to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Sam became the Dean of Missions for a Bible training center and taught in the Bible school, and I began to have prayer meetings and Friday night church meetings. We saw God move mightily in our lives and in the lives of those we ministered to during that time. In 1985, God spoke to Sam to come back to the church we started in North Carolina.  The church was without a pastor and greatly struggling . We obeyed. Twenty-two people from Tulsa came with us. Again, we gave ourselves to prayer daily. Deliverance began to come to God’s people in a mighty way. People came from many different states and nations for deliverance. Sam continued to travel overseas, and I occasionally went with him. We had so many desperate people coming for help; I felt that I could not leave them. I wanted to see them set free so they could serve Jesus and fulfill God’s call on their lives.

We have ministered in many overseas churches. God led us to start a church in Togo which ended up moving into Ghana. We also apostle two other churches in Brazil. All three churches have Christian schools. It is such a blessing to flow as one church and one family. Our vision is the same; our hearts’ cry is to help and reach out to the poor and needy, dysfunctional families, drug addicts, alcoholics, those needing deliverance, and anyone with great needs. People from all over began to come wanting deliverance, wanting to know Jesus, wanting to live godly and holy lives. Our church doors and our hearts were open wide to all of those who came to our churches.

God has blessed us with so many wonderful people. Our young people love Jesus and excel in every area of their lives, and so do our children. God blessed Sam and I with a grandson. When he was three years old, I began to go to school with him and teach his class. I love being in our school; it is such a joy. Our grandson just turned 13, and is in the 10th grade, taking college courses in addition to the school curriculum. He and his classmates have excelled beyond their age because they love Jesus, and they want to live godly and holy, fulfilling the call of God on their lives. They love to preach, teach, and sing; they love to share Jesus with each other. This is just one example of how all of our children are in our christian school. God continues to bless each of us daily.

God has blessed us with so many precious ministers. In 2002, during our greatest persecution, God sent to us our associate pastors Gerald and Linda Southerland. They have the same vision as Sam and I, and it has truly been a blessing to work with them throughout the years.

We believe and teach very strongly that Christians are to live a godly, holy lifestyle; and they will, if they are truly born again. Jesus promised in the Scriptures that if you live godly, you will be faced with persecution. We have been strongly persecuted. But He also says in Matthew 5:10-11: Blessed and happy and enviably fortunate and spiritually prosperous (in the state in which the born-again child of God enjoys and finds satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of his outward conditions) are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake (for being and doing right), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven! Blessed (happy,to be envied, and spiritually prosperous — with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of your outward conditions) are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on My account. God has truly proven Himself to be more than faithful to us over the years. Psalm. 34: 19: Many evils confront the [consistently] righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.  God has delivered us from every false allegation, vindicating us and bringing us closer to Jesus. Every affliction made our faith in God grow stronger and brought us to Jesus. During this period of time when men were speaking all manner of evil against us, God taught us that love never fails and love covers a multitude of sins. (I Corinthians 13:8;   I Peter 4:8). Truly God has worked His love in our hearts towards all those who spoke evil against us. Our church is filled with God’s love. We have truly learned how to love. When you come to our services, our people will show you the love of God.