Pastor Jan grew up on a farm in rural Wisconsin with 9 siblings, raised in an environment of alcoholism and endured its effects. She dutifully attended church every Sunday with her family but never connected with God. She did not understand the bible or how any of the scriptures related to her and to her everyday life. She assumed that church was just a weekly obligation – as long as a person puts in one hour of time, they could do whatever they wanted for the rest of the week and go to Heaven when they die because they put their time in.
By her mid twenties Pastor Jan found herself with three young children, a heavy smoking and drinking habit, and suffering from recurrent nervous breakdowns. At 34 years old, Pastor Jan first heard of God as being a wonderful and loving God. This concept confused her because she had always seen Him as mean, disconnected and scornful, only answering prayers sometimes and always ready to punish sin and bad behavior. The message of a loving and caring God moved her, and without really knowing what she was doing, Pastor Jan followed the leading of her heart and asked Jesus to come into her heart.
For the next twenty years, Pastor Jan continued to attend church and bible studies, seeking an understanding of what the bible really meant. Although she didn’t always understand what she was reading, she continued to study reference books, dictionaries and concordances to get an understanding of the Word of God. Pastor Jan continued to grow strong in the Word and began to lead a Women’s Bible study, which she did for several years. Pastor Jan then studied under Dr. Frederick K. C. Price and received her credentials to Pastor. She has been serving as the Senior Pastor at El Shaddai Christian Fellowship since 2003.
El Shaddai Christian Fellowship is covenant partners with Creflo Dollar Ministries and Kenneth Copeland Ministries, and a member of the Creflo Dollar Ministerial Association.
Pastor Jan has been married to her husband Kenny for 45 years. Together they have 3 children and 7 grandchildren.