A retired North Carolina pastor continues to preach at the age of 98.
Roy Jernigan could be the fittest person his age in America.
Since he became a Christian 70-years ago he has always taken care of his health, his diet and his body.
He went skydiving just two months ago hoping that all the glory for his achievement would go to God.
The only reason he was forced to retire was because of macular degeneration blurring his eyesight.
He says he doesn’t need medication or regular doctor’s visits.
Pastor Roy continues to spread the Gospel on social media through his Preacher Roy Ministries after spending 52 years serving as a missionary on Indian reservations across the US.
He can no longer read very well so he shares the Scriptures that he has memorised through the years.
His greatest challenge came after his wife suffered brain damage in a heart attack before passing 12 years ago.
Pastor Roy explained that the main driver of his faith is the Bible without the trappings of denominational restrictions.
“I don’t claim a denomination. I claim to be a Christian. And as a Christian, I follow the New Testament teachings of the Apostle Paul.”
The Christian Post reports that his non-denominational approach to ministry aligns with the direction of the American Church today.
Data from the 2020 US Religion Census shows that in the last 10 years, the number of American Christian adherents in non-denominational churches has nearly doubled in number.
Pastor Roy observed that “one of the biggest problems that pastors have today is trying to build a church on their own.”
“Today, preachers have gotten themselves into such a rut by building big buildings with stained glass windows and everything. And the people have deserted them because they get tired of being bled to death financially and hearing the preacher say, ‘you got to give, you got to give, you got to give.’ My conviction is you don’t have to hound Christians to give. If they are saved, they love the Lord, they will give,” he said.
The veteran preacher urged Christians who have left institutional churches but still want to maintain their Christian faith to keep reading the Bible and praying to God for direction.
“My heart goes out to so many people, it really does,” he told The Christian Post.
“There are a lot of people out there who are hungry, and they’re thirsting for the Word of God, but they don’t have anyone to give it to them.”
