My life was good, or so I thought anyway. I was raised in a family that could not have been described as anything but “good people.” Though my parents talked about God and I knew the basics of the Gospel message, I never truly believed it for myself.  I eventually turned into a thief and things much worse.

I graduated from high school in 1966, at the bottom of my class, largely due to a heavy dose of A.D.H.D., except in those days I was just labeled as “stupid.” So, after high school, I enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Upon graduation from boot camp, I volunteered for the Vietnam War out of some twisted need for revenge because my brother had died there. They gave me my request, along with some sideways glances, and (I’m sure) some belief that I was truly crazy.

So, on August 28, 1968, I arrived in DaNang, Republic of Vietnam. I was quickly injured in the war and was sent back home in September of 1969. Suffering the effects of Agent Orange poisoning, I was given a medical discharge.

After my time in the Navy, I ran an underwater boat maintenance company in San Francisco, California. This, I thought, was a natural fit for me with all of my Navy experiences. It was during this time that I became a Satanic Priest in the Church of Satan in San Francisco. Let me explain…

While running my boat maintenance company, I learned how to become a D.J., which I thoroughly enjoyed. The idea of playing rock n’ roll and getting paid for it was really appealing to me. In fact, I eventually became the first music director of a top rock station in Davenport, Iowa called 97X. We went from nowhere to number one in just one year.

So, I began to make my money through being a D.J., and I loved every second of it. The rock n’ roll, drugs, women, and all the attention I could ask for were mine for the taking. Eventually, my depravity led me into the adult film industry and into becoming a Satanic Priest. It was under the delusion of my sin, and under the authority of the Church of Satan, that I engaged in some despicable, criminal patterns that led me to prison in 2004.

Yes, prison, but that was the best thing that could have ever happened to me because it was there, on the 20^th of August 2007, that I finally came to know Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior. You see, it was while I was in prison that I was shown Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” and it changed my life. I knew the story, but I never really got it until that moment. It crushed me when it finally sank home. All I could do was cry and beg for forgiveness from the Savior who cared enough for me to die on Calvary’s cruel cross, a punishment that was rightfully mine. And praise be to God, He forgave me! Since then my life has been completely different. My new journey with Christ has not been an easy one, but the person who entered prison in 2004 is no longer alive…and I praise God for that.

Hey all, Pastor Jon here:

I can’t believe it’s September already! Where has 2017 gone? School has started, sports are in full swing, and fall is knocking at our doorstep. This can only mean one thing for our church…AWANA is right around the corner! I hope you are all as excited as I am to get this new year under way. Since I have been back from vacation, Julia and I have been working hard so we can be prepared to have another great year. We have finalized the schedule, and are ironing out the fine details while finishing our new curriculum for this year. There is a lot do and we could really use your help!

We need two things from you:

First, we need you to ask yourself and pray to see if God might be calling you to serve in AWANA this year. It is a big commitment and sacrifice to give up one night a week to come and spend time serving children, but I promise that it is completely worth it. If you do think God is calling you to serve this year, then please sign up via our bulletin board once it’s posted.

The second thing we need you to do, is spread the word about AWANA! No commitment needed for this one, just a loud mouth 😉 We have less than one month before AWANA starts. Our first night of AWANA is Wednesday, Oct 4. AWANA is for children age 3 (by September 1, 2017) through 6th grade and runs from 6:30 to 8:00 pm (registration begins at 6:15 pm).

We included the AWANA calendar at the bottom, and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me (Pastor Jon) at jroc3497@gmail.com or call me at 319-653-2400. We hope to see you there!!!