BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

had been. How I used drugs and had mountains of debt. And how God transformed my life." When the story appeared in the newspaper, it included a picture of J.B. and carried a headline that read: "Clemmons Preacher Keeps His Congregation Contributing and Coming Back." "It was a three-page hatchet job," J.B. says. "They said that I wore a fancy suit, moving from the Spirit to the pocketbook. It was awful. But what the enemy meant for evil didn't hurt us one bit. The church kept growing." As the church was steadily growing, J.B. and Susan knew they had to have more room to support the growth. By June of 1992, Agape Faith Church had been meeting in a storefront for 10 years. Also in 1985, they found and purchased 13 acres outside of town; they were warned not to buy it because the land wouldn't perk—meaning it was not suitable for digging a well or putting in a septic tank. In fact, the land failed every perk test. Yet, God told them to buy the land. So, they did. Prayer and the Perk Test One Friday, several members of the church were walking the land and praying when Susan suddenly stopped and said to J.B., "Pastor, use that stick and strike that rock. We're going to believe God to change the soil on this property, just like God brought water out of a rock for Moses." J.B. knew he didn't have the faith for it. Picking up the stick he said, "According to the faith of my wife, I strike this rock! Father, we believe You to change the soil on this property." On Monday, J.B. called the county office and asked if someone would come out and check the soil. "Reverend Whitfield, we've checked that soil three times," they told him. "It will not perk." "That's right," J.B. agreed. "But we prayed and asked God to change the soil." A long silence followed. "OK, I'll come out there. But you have to get a backhoe and dig 10 holes. Seven of them must pass the perk test." J.B. had the backhoe dig 10 holes, each right beside the 10 holes they'd dug before. The gentleman from the county jumped down in one hole after another. Looking up at his boss he said, "What happened to all the sandstone that used to be in this property?" The land passed the perk test and was approved for building. "We built our first building to fit 450 people," J.B. explains. "Then in 1999, we built the building we're in now. It seats 1,000, and we have two services on Sunday mornings. The church added a children's facility that looks like a Western town," J.B. explained. "It's called Agapeville. We've been there ever since." "We've been Partners with KCM for many years," J.B. says, "and it has meant a lot to us. That's where we learned how to live by faith. "Partnership with KCM is twice-sown seed. Our seed is helping send the gospel around the world. It's ministering to people we would never meet. It's changing lives in places we'll never go. "When I look back over our lives, Susan and I were probably the least likely to be called as pastors. We each had children from failed marriages. We both used drugs and had staggering debt. Our kids come from split homes, and they had problems too. "My youngest daughter wasn't saved and lived with her mother. At 17, she got pregnant by the son of our praise-and-worship leader. I called Jerry Savelle and Dr. Lester Sumrall. I told them both that I was willing to resign. They wouldn't let me. Those kids got married and are still married today. "Our son was in California with his dad and got mixed up on drugs. He was in and out of prison. Our daughter Robin also got pregnant while she was in college. She and the young man got married and had two beautiful sons before she passed away in 2019. "It's not so much where you start out in life," says J.B. "It's where you finish that matters. All our children, their spouses and their children are now serving the Lord. Today, we have nine grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. I read Hotline to Heaven in 1978," J.B. says. "The words of that book are still true today. The key to living a successful life is to first give your heart to Jesus. Then, when problems come, give those to Him as well. He'll walk you through all of them to victory." 1 8 : B V O V HOW TO USE THEIR FAITH. JOIN US IN TEACHING BELIEVERS Partner with KCM. KCM.ORG/PARTNERNOW

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