Janice Lacount

Janice wants to acknowledge her linage before she speaks of her ministries. Her parents and grandparents were Born Again, Holy Ghost filled, tongue talking people who believed in the power of Jesus’ Name and because of the lives they lived she was brought up to know what it means to know Jesus, and that we have no choice to whom we’re born. 

At the age of 16 Janice started ministry and evangelizing across the USA. She and her traveling companion made a record album during this time. Janice was part of the Mississippi Music Conference choir for Lanny Wolf; she was on the Praise and Worship team at Higher Dimensions in Tulsa, Oklahoma, her hometown, and sang with other Praise and Worship teams and preached at many churches across the country. 

It was at the first Midwest SpiritQuest in Indiana with her friend, Randy Duncan that she became aware that she could openly accept who God created her to be. She learned that it was never a choice. Coming to full knowledge and acceptance of who she really was, Janice began preaching in several churches in our communities. Janice was the Praise and Worship Minister for three years at Sanctuary of Love in Dallas, Texas. 

Today Janice is singing with a group Redeemed in Dallas, living in Tulsa and preaching where she is invited. It is such an honor for her to be invited to speak at this conference.

Pastor Linda Harris

Sanctuary of Love
Dallas, Texas 

Growing up I did not attend church.  My mother and sisters was Catholic but my father and I did not go anywhere.  My father’s mother and sister would sing gospel hymns to me when I was very young.  I can remember sitting in their laps with them singing “Rock of Ages” and “What a Friend We Have In Jesus.” 

In 1960 at age 16 I was invited by friends to go with them to Sunday school and church at a Presbyterian church they attended.  I liked it enough that within 6 months I joined and was welcomed into the church as a member, the pastor even “sprinkled me.” 

One month later, we had a church party for teens and were encouraged to invite friends.  I invited a friend that was on the school council with me and who was a cheerleader.  I didn’t know what “gay” meant, although I was very “butch” looking and Frank had limp wrists.  The next Sunday I was called into the pastor’s office and he handed to me my letter of membership and was told the church did not want my kind of people nor my friends in THEIR CHURCH. 

Next time I was 19 and a woman (24) invited me to the church where she was the pianist  (her father was a pastor at another Assemblies of God church).  I had such a crush on this woman!  My mother found some ‘LOVE LETTERS” I had written to Barbara but never mailed.  My mother called the pastor where Barbara was the pianist and told him that Barbara was a lesbian and corrupting me! 

We were called into the pastor’s office and told what my mother had said.  I told him that it was the other way around.  I was a lesbian but Barbara and I were only friends nothing more. 

The pastor told me I could stay in church but I would have to sit between two of the men who were elders and I could not talk to the women or children.  After I told him that would not be any fun and a few other things I am sure, I was told to leave and not come back.  These two pastors told me I was going to hell because I was gay.  I thought they were speaking for God and they said they were.  My answer was “Big Deal!”  If God did not want me, I didn’t want HIM either.   

In 1973, at 30 my daughter Monica was born and I adopted her.  That was a miracle since in 1973 they did not allow singles to adopt.  Eighteen months later, she developed a kidney disease and I was told she would not live that was 1975.   

In 1975, we moved from Kansas City to Fort Worth so my family could help.  From being a reservation agent in Kansas City, I became the first woman ramp agent at DFW loading bags and freight.  I fought with the men and was suspended for a week each time.  I was called “Slugger” because I fought so much. 

In 1979, at 33, I was riding my dirt bike at the Flying W Motorcycle Club’s retreat and had a wreck breaking an arm and a leg.  I no longer could work the ramp.  I had to sell my home and move to Denver back to another reservation office. 

While we lived in Ft. Worth and Denver Monica went to church EVERY Sunday with anyone who would let her.  In Denver Monica went to “Happy Church” just one block from our home.  The pastors were Wally and Marilyn Hickey.  I would not go to church but I let Monica go.  It was while living in Denver that the kidney disease appeared again.     

I was told again that Monica would not live and there was no operation or medicine that would help.  So, I decided to make a deal with God.  I was sitting on the stairs of Happy Church because I believed that God was only in churches.  I told God if He would let Monica live, I would go to church.  The first time I entered Happy Church I became ill.  I wanted to run out, but I had a bargain with God so I stayed.   

I attended a Wed. night Bible study.  They passed out a piece of paper and was told to write 10 things we wanted.  To me it was a “wish list.”  #1 Monica would live; #2 all my debts paid; #3 a new car; #4 a new home.  We had up to 10 but I ran out of wants before that so my last wish was if I got ALL of the above wishes I wanted to know what was meant by “being saved.” 

Naturally, they jumped to the bottom of MY LIST and told me that I could be saved and become a Christian right then.  That was the wrong thing to say to me!  I told them why would I want to be a Christian?  Christians lied, did not care about people, cheated on their spouses, were hypocrites etc and I told them I did not do those things.  Tell me WHY would I want to be a Christian? 

Everyone gathered around me and started praying when I asked what language they were speaking the answer was God’s language.  I laughed at them and told them that it all sounded silly.  I was embarrassed and left before the class ended.   

That same night I was working on a paper with Bible questions from a borrowed Bible.  The Presence of the Lord came into my bedroom, Monica came in, I heard a voice that filled the room.  It was neither male nor female.  The first words were “I am the Lord your God.  You will have no other gods.  There is no way to me except through my Son, Jesus.  I call you.  Man has not called you.  You are my own.” 

During this time, my bible was turning (on its own) from Old Testament to New Testament back and forth, as this Voice quoted the scriptures at each place the Bible turned.  I thought I would faint, my body was soaking wet with sweat, I was shaking all over.  I fell on my face on the floor until the voice stopped.  I believed Him and I accepted Jesus as my Savior right then.  When I tried to talk to Monica, I could only speak in Tongues.  I was baptized with the Fire of the Holy Spirit.  At the time I had no idea what God meant by “I call you.  Man has not called you.”  Today after being “thrown out” of more churches, I understand why He told me that and I still need to remember. 

Two days later, I called the union and told them I was resigning because I met Jesus.  I went into my boss’s office and told him that I had resigned from being an officer in the union and told him that I loved him.  I can still remember the look on his face.  I told him about meeting Jesus and that I wanted him to meet Jesus too.  Every thing about me changed immediately except I knew I was still gay.  God would have changed that too, had He wanted to.  To God, that was never an issue.    

I attended Happy Church until I transferred to Houston.  I did not know there were predominately gay churches until a friend invited me to Agape MCC in Ft. Worth much later.  

In 1982, I quit my job at the airline after 20 years and bought a fishing lodge at Lake Whitney.  I studied the Word and spent time with God.  I took courses from Robert Tillton’s Word of Faith.  Many of my friends came to see me and we had Christian retreats.  Rev. Carl Tell who passed away was a mentor to me and Rev. Joan Wakeford still mentors me.. 

It was at my lodge when Joan and I were making plans to have a retreat in Colorado with Pastor Ann Daniel.  We called it Spirit Feast.  Grace Ministries had a conference in New Orleans the year before and called it Gospel Explosion.  Pastor Ken Coulter, Pastor Terry Enloe and Rev. Carl Tell asked Joan and me to combine the two conferences so we did and we called it SpiritFest.  Our first conference was in Woodland Park, Colorado in the mountains. 

SpiritFest still meets over Memorial Day weekend at Grace Fellowship In Christ Jesus, Dallas under Joshua Ministries. 

In January 1985, my brother-in-law was murdered. Monica and I moved to Ft. Worth to live with Kay.  I received my Real Estate License in six weeks by going days, nights, weekends to learn.  That was a miracle if you know the Texas Real Estate Test.  I became Kay’s office manager over 47 agents.   

I attended every service at Agape MCC.  I could not get enough of God’s Word.  One Sunday night when I was leaving for church my mother and sister told me, it was not normal for anyone to attend church as much as I was.  I was told that if I went to church that night my clothes would be set out on the porch and Monica’s birth mother would be called and told that I was gay. 

I cried and told them that all I wanted was more of God.  They were upset when I left anyway.  When I arrived at church, there was a concert by a woman’s group.  During their singing I fell to my knees and cried out to God, “Why have you made me choose between You and my family?” 

When I arrived home, Monica met me outside and told me to hurry; Aunt Kay wanted to speak to me.  Instead of telling me to get my things and leave, Kay said that Monica was in the attic and found a Polaroid camera with film in it.  They took Kay’s picture as she was getting out of the shower.  The picture that developed was not of Kay.  Kay asked me if I knew the people in the picture and was it at our family reunion.  Looking at the picture, I could not believe my eyes.  Through my tears, I told them those were the ones singing at our church less than an hour before this.  The women were on the stage and under the bench of the woman playing the piano was a record album, the title read, “OUR GOD REIGNS”, the song they were singing when I fell to my knees and cried out to God! 

I told my family that I didn’t know why this had happened but when that song was being sung, I cried out to God because I had to choose between Him and my family.  I begged them to take their hands off of me where it concerned God and His church.   

In Dec. 1985, our mother died.  In the same hospital was a young man from Agape church.  Some of his friends told me he would not live through the night.  I didn’t know he had been sick.  I didn’t ask what room he was in.  When mother passed, I was walking away from her room and two doors down was the young man.   

I went to him and told him how glad I was to see him that God had something for him to do.  He started crying and said “God doesn’t want me, what can I do now?”  I asked why he thought God did not want him.  He answered that his partner had called three churches in the Metroplex asking for a minister to come to the hospital and pray.  Our pastor would not come because she was busy.  The next pastor was ugly to him and said since they left her church she would not come.  The other pastor his partner called said she did not make hospital visits and her other ministers were busy.  The young man was sobbing. 

As I held him, I told him that God was with him and had never left him.  God still wanted to use him now where he was.  I told him that we are all called to share Jesus.  When we do that it is saying yes to God.  I asked him to tell the next person that came into his room that “Jesus loves me and Jesus loves them.  Jesus died for me and for you.”   

Soon a nurse came in.  The young man as he was crying told her that Jesus loves him and Jesus loves her.  Jesus died for both of them.  She left crying.  He told two others the same thing as I stood by his bed.  Within the hour, he died in my arms. That morning two people had died in my arms.  I was not a minister but I asked God to send me to those with AIDS that nobody else would go to.   

That was Dec. of 1985 and now in 2006 I am still going to people no one else will go to.  Most of them did not attend Sanctuary of Love or any church. 

I moved to Dallas from my lodge at Lake Whitney.  For ten years I went to Grace Fellowship In Christ Jesus when Leon Linfoot became pastor and my friend Ken Colter was near death.  For months, Pastor Leon and I did memorial services back to back.  I was associate pastor for several years until Pastor Leon died.  Then Pastor Leon’s partner, Don, and I became co-pastors. 

For several years I was an officer on the Board of Directors for Grace Ministries and the director of SpiritFest  until 1999, holding conferences at Lake Degray Resort in Ark.  

In 1995, I went to South Africa to many cities and ministered for six weeks.  I also was a guest speaker at Woman’s Conference in Vancouver, Canada. 

When I came back from a trip to Israel in Nov. 1999, I was told that Grace Ministries had revoked my credentials and that I could no longer be a pastor, be in Grace Ministries or be the director of SpiritFest.  The only reason given was “I had intimidated them.”  That was the only reason stated on the letter handed to me.   

God did not let me even take a sabbatical.  Several friends asked me to be their pastor.  I told them I had nothing left to give.  Convincing me to be the pastor, we named the new church SANCTUARY OF LOVE.  I needed a safe place and we all wanted a church built on love.  That was in November 1999.   

God turned to good what felt so bad!  Now God has restored my friendships of most of those from Grace Ministries (now called Joshua Ministries) who signed the letter revoking my credentials. 

Forgiveness, it is not an option it is a command.  It was not easy, but the Holy Spirit melted my wounded and hardened heart and all but two from another state I “ran into” at very odd places and when I saw them, there was no doubt in my mind that not only had I forgiven them, I still loved them. 

My prayer today is that when my day comes my savior, Jesus will be able to say, “Well done my good and faithful servant, enter into my rest.”