Jay Parker shares his testimony from growing up in a rough environment in Yonkers, New York, where he was raised by a abusive and drug addicted father after his alcoholic mother left when he was 8 yrs. old.
After giving his life to Christ at the age of 8 in a store front ran by a dear lady, Mother Gaskins, Jay was introduced to alcohol by a brother-in-law around the same time. Then began smoking marijuana by age 12, hooked on crack and cocaine by 15 and in and out of jail by age 16.
Jay met his wife, Valeska, in 1992 and married in 1997. By 2000, they were facing divorce because he had gone back to drinking, drunks and partying.
After calling Valeska on Mother's Day in 2000, she told him that she was going to church. He decided to go also, because he thought there was another man in her life and he was going to beat him up. During the service, a former drug buddy got up to speak and God changed Jay's life forever.
Jay tells of how as a teenager he had a tattoo on his arm that had a vulger saying with the initials "DGF", but after getting saved God showed him the new meaning it has in his life of "Displaying God's Forgiveness".
Jay then had a spiritual father figure, Bishop Clarence Lassister, that poured into his life and gave him opportunities to serve. After time, Jay was a part of 13 different ministries at the Gospel Tabernacle Outreach Ministry in Rhode Island. One of those ministries was going into a Maximum Security Prison and ministering to the inmates.
In 2018, after Bishop Lassiter passed away, Jay felt that God was moving him from Rhode Island and ended up in Jacksonville, Florida and finding the Springs Church.
Jay is now part of the men's ministry team and also speaks each week at the Duval County Juvenile Detention Center to around 60-120 young men.
During the recent pandemic, Jay started a weekly Facebook Live video that is now called the "Porch Chat" that he and Valeska teach and speak what God has shown them, as well as, guest ministers and other guest that share their testimony.
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