In The Beginning...
by 'Sister Jenny'

Since this is the first issue of our newsletter, it would be helpful to explain how Zechariah Ministries was founded. Good things sometimes evolve from tragedy and such is the case with the birth of this ministry. It all began when our very quiet neighborhood was suddenly the scene of a horrible incident that forever changed the lives of so many people.

On that day, helicopters buzzed over the houses, while news reporters from Atlanta swarmed all over the place. It was then that I learned of a confrontation on a school bus between two boys, ages fourteen and fifteen, that developed into a fight, resulting in the death of the younger one. The family that lost their son was overwhelmed with sympathy and support. I was asked to meet with the other family, which was equally devastated. This was how I first met Jonathan Miller and his parents, Robin and Alan Miller. Under these indescribable circumstances, they surrendered their lives to the Lord, and began to trust Him to restore what the enemy had stolen from them.

Unbelievably, Jonathan was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Now, four years later, he continues to sit in an adult facility, awaiting an appeal of his case. While in the youth detention center, Jonathan reached out to the juveniles around him, leading many young men to the Lord. He would slip me a note with the name of a youth that wanted me to pray with them. After receiving the Lord into their hearts and being filled with the Holy Spirit, seven of the boys quickly came to be known as the ‘God Squad.’

The director and assistant-director later asked me to become the facility chaplain. This would mean leaving a secure income as a schoolteacher, with its many benefits, to begin a life of increased faith, trusting God to meet all needs. Needless to say, since I had recently been widowed, this would be a major decision. Truly, God gives grace when the need is great! So, what was supposed to be a hard decision, really was not hard at all. I said, “Yes!”

The assistant director encouraged me to speak to Miss Connie, a dedicated youth chaplain in another facility. I am grateful to her for explaining to me the duties of a chaplain. She also told me that I needed to have a ministry name (something I never considered). I was surprised, when I realized that the Lord had already given me the ministry name.

Several months earlier, I had ministered to a well-known person in the community. At the time, I recalled thinking then that I was just the donkey that the Lord rode in on. The words in Zechariah 9:9 became very real to me, "Rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion, Shout O daughter of Jerusalem, for your King comes to you, he is just, and having salvation, lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” That was it! Zechariah was to be the name of the ministry.

Later, I learned that a female donkey is called a "Jenny." I prefer this name since it truly is the name the Lord has given me. This is why all the children in the youth detention center know me as ‘Sister Jenny.’ (Little did I know, that the Lord had bigger plans for Zechariah Ministries that would also include ministry in our Hebraic Roots.)

The joy of watching boys and girls, ranging in age from 8 to 17, find hope in totally horrible situations, became addictive for me. We have often sat with a child who had just tried to take his life. It is hard for them, when they realize that their lives will forever be stamped with a dark, sinful past. Many of the situations that we encounter in the youth detention center are hopeless, from a human standpoint. We trust in the words from Zechariah 4:6, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord." The Lord is in the business of bringing restoration and hope to those who are completely down on themselves, society and the world.

Many of the youths have very long sentences. At the age of 17, they are sent to state facilities, which are breeding grounds for really hard-core criminals. Therefore, it is important to visit and support them in their new walk. For this reason, we continue to communicate with these youths, many of whom no longer have parents or friends able to care for or support them. The ministry provides some youths, and their families, with financial support. This is especially appreciated at Christmas time. It lets them know that they are loved by the Lord and not forgotten. We continue to walk in faith, trusting that God will fulfill what he has begun, not disdaining small beginnings, (Zechariah 4:10).

What began as ministry to youths in prison has been broadening into other areas, as the Lord leads. Glory to the Lord!

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