Even after serving as a missionary on Indian reservations across the country for 52 years, Jernigan won’t stop preaching because his life is his ministry, and he wants people to see Jesus when they see him.
After resigning from full-time duties as a pastor in Texas just over a year ago to live with his daughter, Jernigan has continued preaching to hundreds of people weekly through his Facebook ministry called Preacher Roy Ministries. And he remains energized to keep himself available for the Lord’s service by taking care of his body physically and spiritually.
Had it not been for age-related macular degeneration — an eye disease that blurs central vision — Jernigan would still be leading his church in Texas.
Jernigan now depends on his daughter to drive him around but insists that as long as he can find alternative ways to study and read, he will continue doing ministry online. Apart from his vision, Jernigan says his health remains strong.
Jernigan recently made national headlines after deciding, with encouragement from his family, to go skydiving to celebrate his milestone just two years shy of his centennial. He decided to use the moment as a way to glorify God, and he has gotten the opportunity to do so in several media interviews.
The day of the jump turned out to be a bright sunny day in North Carolina. Jernigan took the jump with Skydive Coastal Carolinas and survived, much like he did in World War II, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars as a Naval Corpsman.