J. R. Church
| Jerry Rolan "J. R." Church, Sr. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Born | November 17, 1938 Abilene, Taylor County Texas | ||
| Died | October 21, 2016 (aged 77) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Resting place: | ||
| Spouse | Linda Clarice Jordan Church (married 1958-2011, his death Children: | ||
| Religion | Independent Baptist clergyman and founder of television ministry, Prophecy in the News | ||
Jerry Rolan Church, Sr., known as J. R. Church (November 17, 1938 – March 22, 2011), was an American clergyman who founded the television ministry, Prophecy in the News, based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.[1]
Biography
A native of Abilene, Texas, the Reverend Church was one of four children of Henry Gant Church (1908-1998) and the former Jewel Marie Deatherage (1912-1999). An older brother was Bobby Gene Church (1931-1996). These Churches are interred at IOOF Memory Gardens Cemetery in Norman, Oklahoma.[2] His twin brother is Terry Nolan Church of Moore, Oklahoma.[1]
A native of Abilene in Taylor County, Texas, Church became a Christian at the age of seven in a home Bible study and spent his life winning others to Jesus Christ. After graduation from Lubbock High School in Lubbock, Texas,[3] he attended Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, Tennessee, from which he graduated in 1962. Earlier, on August 16, 1958, he married the former Linda Clarice Jordan (1941-2023)[4] in Lubbock. The couple had two children, Jerry, Jr., and Terri J. McInnis, and five grandchildren.[1] In 1963, Church was the founding pastor of the Wayne Avenue Baptist Church, located at 5505 Wayne Avenue in Lubbock.[1] An affiliate of the Baptist Bible Fellowship International, Wayne Avenue was originally known as the Western Hills Baptist Church.[5] From the Wayne Avenue Church, Ross Spencer in August 1973 established the nearby Bethany Baptist Church, an Independent Baptist congregation at 40th Street and Quaker Avenue.[6]
Church also founded the Western Hills Baptist Academy. He remained at the Wayne Avenue Church before relocating in 1979 to Oklahoma City, where he and his family attended First Southern Baptist Church of Del City, Oklahoma. There he launched Prophecy In The News.[1]
Church penned these books: Hidden Prophecies in the Psalms (1986, revised 1990), Guardians of the Grail: And the Men Who Plan to Rule the World (1989), They Pierced The Veil (1993), Hidden Prophecies in the Song of Moses (1999), The Mystery of the Menorah (1999, with Gary Stearman), and On the Eve of Adam: God's Ancient Plan for Lucifer's Defeat (2001).[7]
At the time of his death in Oklahoma City, Church was hailed as a "true prophetic visionary [whose] system of prophetic interpretation has led the way in understanding the astonishing growth and influence of latter day Israel and the things that lie just ahead.”[3] Church is interred at Heritage Burial Park in Oklahoma City.[8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 J. R. Church. The Oklahoman (March 24, 2011). Retrieved on January 13, 2016.
- ↑ Henry Gant Church. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on January 13, 2016.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 J. R. Church lauded as 'true prophetic visionary'. WND.com (March 24, 2011). Retrieved on January 13, 2016.
- ↑ Linda Clarice Jordan Church obituary. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on January 22, 2024.
- ↑ Church Briefly. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (March 18, 2006). Retrieved on January 13, 2016.
- ↑ Children Fete Spencer Duo. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (June 27, 1976). Retrieved on January 10, 2016.
- ↑ Who Was Who of Prophecy. raptureready.com. Retrieved on January 15, 2016.
- ↑ Dr. Jerry Rolan Church. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on January 13, 2016.
