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The 700 Club with Pat Robertson


Serita Jakes


Credits

Author, The Crossing(2011)

Executive Director of WoMan to Woman Ministries of The Potter’s House Church

Senior Pastor of The Potter's House Church

Founder of Women’s ministries at The Potter’s House

Co-executive producer of play Behind Closed Doors

Children: Five children and two grandchildren.




GUEST BIO

Serita Jakes: Healing the Deep Hurts

By The 700 Club

FIRST LADY JAKES
Serita Jakes has been involved in Christian ministry all of her adult life and has served alongside her husband, Bishop T. D. Jakes, throughout their entire marriage of nearly 30 years. Together, they have touched the lives of millions around the globe through various humanitarian projects, relief efforts, community service initiatives and record-breaking conferences. As an insightful speaker, Serita draws heavily from her education and background in theater and mass communications. She is affectionately referred to as “First Lady Jakes” by The Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas, a global humanitarian organization and 30,000-member church, where her husband serves as Senior Pastor.

In addition to raising three sons and two daughters, she has assumed an active role at The Potter’s House as the Executive Director of Women’s Ministries. Serita’s heart for women is evident as she oversees Rahab International Ministries for survivors of domestic violence; as well as God’s Leading Ladies Life Enrichment Program (GLL) for women who seek to lead excellent spiritual, personal and professional lifestyles; and the Debutante Program for teenage girls. Her book, The Princess Within, is an autobiographical reflection of victory over pain, trauma, and abuse. She wrote the book as a vehicle of encouragement for hurting women who want to break the silence surrounding their secret pain and obtain healing from it.

That same year, Serita traveled extensively as co-executive producer with the Woman, Thou Art Loosed stage play. She also served as public spokesperson on the performance tour, addressing the critical issues of sexual abuse, alcoholism, abortion, and addictive relationships that were dramatized by the play. In 2000, Mrs. Jakes was co-executive producer of her husband’s stage play Behind Closed Doors, which addressed the critical issue of breast cancer among women. In 2009, she appeared in the movie, Not Easily Broken, which was released January of that same year by Sony Pictures. The movie ranked No. 9 nationally during opening week. Currently, Mrs. Jakes is intricately involved with her husband’s highly-anticipated sitcom, One Love. 
                                                                                               
THE CROSSING
In her first fiction novel, The Crossing, Serita molds her characters from her more than 30 years of experience working with victims of abuse and trauma from Hurricane Katrina to families torn apart by domestic violence. The novel, based on a fictional bus shooting in Texas in 2000, is the story of three high school students who saw their teacher gunned down. Even after 10 years, their lives remain entwined in the horror of that day and the unsolved murder.

The popular cheerleader Claudia Campbell wrestles with her memories, reliving the terror. Her husband Victor sifts his way through the mysteries of the tragedy; the secrets buried over the years threaten to tear their family apart. Casio Hightower, the school’s star quarterback, was on top of the world until one bullet changed everything. The novel explains how victims of trauma can often turn to things such as overspending, violence and alcoholism to deal with their pain and unresolved conflicts.

Serita has ministered to thousands of people dealing with the similar buried pain and some of the same consequences of not dealing with the anguish. She hopes the characters in the book will help readers find the strength to deal with their own unresolved conflicts so they can move forward in their lives.

HELPING VICTIMS
Following Hurricane Katrina, Bishop Jakes and The Potter's House partnered with the World Children's Fund to successfully donate $250,000 worth of food, water, ice and first aid.  The church also initiated a program to help displaced families by serving as a collection and distribution center for financial contributions, non-perishable materials and in-kind services. In December 2005, Bishop Jakes was asked to serve with the Rev. William H. Gray III as co-chair of the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund's Interfaith Coalition.

In addition to its thriving and highly effective ministries, The Potter’s House has done extensive national work on the education and prevention of HIV/AIDS and served as a Dallas hub/warehouse for survivors of the devastating, Hurricane Katrina. “The Potter’s House was one of the locations in Dallas that provided assistance and spiritual guidance to families who were displaced after Hurricane Katrina,” said Lawrence Robinson, senior associate pastor of The Potter’s House. “We worked closely with the City of Dallas and served as a warehouse where people could come to get clothing, food, and job placement assistance.”



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