BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

a grudge. I couldn't be offended or retaliate in any way. "My mother's decision to distance herself from us could have been painful," Jay explains. "We just didn't allow it. We decided to forgive and walk in love." Seventeen months later, Michelle gave birth to their daughter, Zariah. Even though she was also delivered by C-section, there were no problems. Once again, Jay's mother was not there for her granddaughter's birth. From that day until she passed in 2020, she wasn't involved with the children's lives, said Jay. While Michelle's parents remained strongly involved with their grandchildren's activities, his mother never attended any of them. In 1999, Jay was ordained, and Zariah was dedicated to the Lord. Jay's mother didn't attend. Once again, Jay and Michelle walked in love. Stepping Into Ministry During their years at Wauseon Worship Center, they worked in the nursery, in children's ministry and with the youth. In 2001 they started attending a nondenominational church in Defiance. In the summer of 2002, Jay graduated with his degree. A pastor from their church and another pastor were led to start a church in Hicksville and asked if Jay would teach a Bible study on Thursday nights. That fall, they asked Jay to take over as pastor. He asked Michelle what she thought. "My first response was no," Michelle admits. "I was married to a black man, and we had mixed children. Besides, Hicksville was where the KKK had showed up at a club." But when Jay said he was led to take the position, Michelle agreed. In December 2002, Jay preached his first sermon in a building that formerly housed the club which was eventually restored back to Huber Theater. Ironically, it was in the same building that housed the club where the KKK had showed up those many years ago. "The church was originally called Community Christian Center," Michelle explains. "We renamed it Empower Church because that's what we wanted to do: empower Christians to live victorious lives. We found out later that when we took over the church, the pastors didn't think we would last three months. We've been there 21 years now." Over time, Jay and Michelle's relationship with his mother improved. She and Jay's stepfather moved to North Carolina. When they came to visit, they often stayed with Jay and Michelle. His mother cooked wonderful meals. "I'd been a pastor for three years before my mother ever heard me preach the gospel," Jay remembers. "I had the privilege of ministering the baptism of the Holy Spirit to her. I saw that the power of forgiveness and walking in love had turned things around. "In 2020, Mom died a month before COVID hit. I've never preached a funeral like hers," Jay said. "The power of God hit that room. I've never seen anything like it. I looked out over the crowd and saw the glory of God settled over them. I don't believe that would have happened if we hadn't walked in love and forgiveness. "Partnership with KCM has been the foundation of our ministry. The anointing on their ministry has also been on ours, especially increase. Today, we own our church building without debt. Our lives wouldn't have been nearly as rich without this partnership, especially their teaching on forgiveness and walking in love." Today, Jay and Michelle Scott have outlasted the naysayers about their ministry. Having been married for 28 years, they've also outlasted the naysayers about their marriage. 2 4 : B V O V HOW TO USE THEIR FAITH. JOIN US IN TEACHING BELIEVERS Partner with KCM. KCM.ORG/PARTNERNOW

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