Jeremy Powell

Jeremy Powell has led and pastored churches throughout the Southeast for the last 24 years, yet his journey into vocational ministry was birthed into him long before he ever surrendered to God’s calling on his life.

Born with an immune deficiency that rendered his body incapable of defeating bacterial and fungal infections, Jeremy’s life began with limitations humankind found near impossible to overcome. As an 18-month-old baby, his young, single mother was told he would not live past the age of five due to the complications of his illness.

But God.

Through the undeniable grace of God and His allowance of amazing medical care, Jeremy not only survived, but thrived. Battling countless infections throughout his life, with several bringing him to the near death, God used Jeremy’s life to testify to His miraculous deliverance and presence. Jeremy not only lived past kindergarten, but he also went on to graduate high school and then college.

Knowing that God was impressing upon him a desire to use his life to make Jesus famous, Jeremy pursued a career in medicine. He knew he wanted to be a light for those who were going through the difficulty of illness just as he had walked along with his family. He graduated from Samford University with a bachelor’s degree in biology, and left Samford to continue his studies at Vanderbilt University with a doctorate in biomedical science.

But God.

While pursuing his degree at Vanderbilt, God called Jeremy into vocational ministry where his story would magnify the goodness of God to all who would hear. Jeremy stepped away from the Vanderbilt program and accepted his first ministry position back in his hometown of Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Jeremy married his college sweetheart, Jodi, in January 2001, and they moved to Fort Worth, Texas to enroll in seminary. Two kids, and four church assignments later, God was faithful in answering Jeremy’s prayer to use his family to impact the kingdom.

Then in the spring of 2000, as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to sweep its way through the United States, Jeremy began experiencing pain in his back, and weakness in his legs. These symptoms would eventually be diagnosed as fungal meningitis, rendering Jeremy paralyzed from the neck down.  Given only an 18% chance to survive the infection, his doctors at the National Institutes of Health recommended a bone marrow transplant as a last effort to clear the meningitis and save his life.  Facing the reality of dying in a hospital bed 800 miles away from his daughters, Jeremy and Jodi prayerfully committed to faithfully surrender to God’s plan as He had done so many times before.

And God did what only He could do.

Not only did Jeremy survive the transplant, but his regenerated immune system fought back the infection in his spine and brain leaving him cured not only from the fungal meningitis, but also his chronic immunodeficiency. In spite of the miracle, the year long battle still relegated him completely paralyzed with little prognosis for improvement.

This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”

Ezekiel 37:5-6

But God.

After a stint at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Spain Rehabilitation Hospital, another operation, and an inpatient rehab stay at Vanderbilt’s Stallworth Hospital, Jeremy’s nerves began to regenerate. Through the tiniest reparation in cells reconnecting, Jeremy progressed from not being able to scratch his own nose to now walking across a large room with the mere assistance of a walker.

God continues to use the Powell family to make His name famous by amazing medical doctors, nurses and physical therapists all over the country with his recovery. God’s truth has been professed and witnessed in circles that see faith as questionable. God’s relevance has been received by those who had lost hope in the world and humanity. God’s love has been felt by the linking of arms through fellowship to support their brother and sister in a common prayer.

Now Jeremy is continuing to pastor a local church and leads followers of Christ with a fresh perspective and a renewed sense of purpose. As he and his family continue to pursue Christ’s leading, they will continue share with the world that life with Jesus is better!