Personal Encounter with Jesus Christ

BJWAs a young boy, Jack Wisor was brought up in a Roman Catholic Church. His parents saw to it that he went to church and catechism. At that point in his life, he really did not understand what salvation meant. He knew that he believed in Jesus and thought if he was good, he would go to heaven. During high school, Jack got into more than his share of trouble and seriously began an addiction-filled life with alcohol, drugs and tobacco.

At the age of eighteen years old, on a mid-afternoon in the summer of 1982, as he was passing through Brandy Camp, PA, Jack had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ Himself. Christ appeared to him and confirmed it with another visitation several days later. However, it would take seventeen years for him to begin to understand why Jesus had presented Himself to Jack and what He expected of his life.

At age nineteen, Jack began what would prove to be a very successful career (in the world’s view) in custom carpentry and home building. At age twenty, he was given the position of construction foreman for a major home-builder; at age twenty-five, Jack was starting his own home building business which grew to be very profitable, well known, and well-respected throughout North Central and North Western Pennsylvania.

The addictions, which continued and worsened over time, led to Jack becoming a functioning alcoholic. To the world, he appeared to have it “all together”: a successful business and lots of friends. Only God knew that his depression from the alcohol was so severe that he would pray each night that God would take his life while he slept. Jack agreed to enter a structured rehabilitation for alcohol addiction when he was thirty. When he entered the hospital room, he saw a picture of Jesus on the wall that was just like the picture of Jesus at his parent’s house. (It was the only room in the hospital to have a picture of Christ in it.) He immediately dropped to his knees and gave his life completely to Jesus. It was spontaneous and a total surrender. There has been no looking back. Jack’s daily walk with Jesus began in earnest after his release from rehab and after attending AA Meetings. He began to read and study the Bible with rapidly increasing interest and appetite. His family began attending church and his blessed daughter was born.

At age thirty-five, Jack was called by Jesus to begin his ministry. Serving under the watchful eye of Reverend Richard Moyer, he received wonderful instruction in the Word of God and learned many lessons about being in the ministry that have proven to serve him well over time. In 2001, Reverend Moyer installed Jack as a pastor under the authority of the non-denominational standards, serving one year behind the pulpit to prove himself a workman for the Lord. Then he served an additional year before being ordained reverend (non-denominational) to preach the Gospel of Christ everywhere to all people and denominations and to build churches and outreaches for fulfilling Matthew 25:31-46.

Reverend Wisor continued to preach the Word of God and served as pastor of the Faith Bible Fellowship Church (non-denominational) before starting the First Apostles’ Doctrine Church (non-denominational) in 2003 with two congregations – one in Brockway, PA and the other in Brookville, PA. Also in 2003, Reverend Wisor was compelled by the Holy Ghost to surrender his personal home and open it up to homeless persons and those in need. This quickly became the mission of the First Apostles’ Doctrine Church, known as the “Just for Jesus Challenge Homeless Outreach.” He gave up his home building business and all that he owned in order to follow in the steps of Jesus and to live out His life as exemplified in Matthew 25:31-46.

“Just for Jesus” has seen over 1500 people come through its doors in the first twelve years of operation and more than 2/3 of them have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Providing food, shelter, clothing and personal care needs are some of the ways they are helped, but most importantly, teaching and preaching the Word of God to enable them to change their lives through the transforming power of the Cross of Jesus Christ is the priority. In 2005, Reverend Richard Moyer ordained Reverend Jack Wisor as Bishop Jack Wisor, in recognition of being overseer of two congregations of the First Apostles’ Doctrine Church plus the mission field of the church, the “Just for Jesus Challenge Homeless Outreach Ministry.”

An Advocate for Those in Bondage