Jim Vineyard's Biography
Jim Vineyard was born in a sharecroppers home to very poor people in the Panhandle of Texas in 1940. After serving in the US Military, as he says as "a sojer boy," he married Jo Ann from Indianapolis, Indiana. She became a Christian and after watching her, on September 17, 1964, in a Motel Room in Moline, Illinois, ole JAV was adopted into the family of God by trusting the LORD as his personal Saviour.
In hindsight, Pastor Vineyard believes that the LORD called him to preach the night he was saved, however, he never surrendered to preach until January 1967. Jim Vineyard preached six nights of the first week he had surrendered to preach. At Indiana Baptist College, Indianapolis, under Dr. Ford Porter, Jim started and built Lifegate Baptist Church's bus ministry to an average of over 500. For Dr. John Rawlings, Landmark Baptist Temple, Cincinnati, in a time frame of two years, Jim was able to build the bus ministry to over an average of 2,500. With Dr. Jerry Falwell in Lynchburg, Va., Jim built the bus ministry there to over an average of 3,300. Then, for a period of 4-1/2 years, at FBC, Hammond, Indiana, Dr. Jack Hyles, the buses averaged 6,444 - fall, winter, spring & summer - under Jim Vineyard's tutelage. He also was in charge of the Children's Churches, and preached to an average of over 4,000 kids in the big "B" Junior Church Service, with a high day of 6,112. The buses had a high day on May 16, 1976 of 27,706 on 435 buses. 5,400 people made profession of faith in the Lord during that day at just the Bus Services.
Jim Vineyard pastored Windsor Hills Baptist Church, OKC, from January 1977 to January 2007. During that time, WHBC gave over $15 million to missions, with a high year of $1,118,000.00. WHBC supported 474 missionaries and was the sending church for 154 missionaries.
Jim Vineyard has been used in the Bus Ministry, as Pastor of WHBC, as a Mission's Minded Pastor, and to lead young people to surrender to go to Russia when the Soviet Union began to implode, and now greatly with the Israeli Defense Force in Israel.
If you've ever heard ole JAV preach, you have heard him say, "I am just a poor boy from the Panhandle of God's Texas - a nothing, a nobody. But, God Almighty has seen fit to lay his hand upon me and to use me. I don't want to ever forget that privilege." JAV has preached the LIGHT OF THE WORD OF GOD in 69 countries world-wide, and in most of the states in America. Dr. Terry Anglea considers him the greatest story telling preaching in our day.
Jim Vineyard owes a debt to Dr. John R. Rice, Oliver Green, Lester Roloff, Lee Roberson, Ford Porter, Leon Maurer, Carlyle Scott, Joe Boyd, J. B. Buffington, John Rawlings, Jack Hyles, Jerry Falwell, R. G. Lee, B.R. Lakin and a host of other older preachers, which he never wants to forget.
