Annapolis minister becomes social media sensation

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It was a year ago when Rev. Zina Jacque, the interim pastor at Broadneck Baptist Church in Annapolis, Maryland, posted her first video on Instagram.

The mini sermons that drop weekdays at 6 a.m. have earned her more than 170,000 followers and millions of views.

The videos can be touching, heartwarming and funny all at the same time — with a theme of purpose, loving and believing in yourself.

When asked how it feels that so many people watch her videos, she quickly pointed out the reason it brought her joy.

“Because it’s not my message,” Jacque said. “I became a faucet. You can come and turn it on and get something that has come to you from deep in the heart of the earth, deep in the heart of God.”

Being a minister was not something Jacque dreamed was possible while growing up in the Baptist Church, where men were always the ones leading the congregation.

Jacque was 18 years old when she first saw a woman preaching from the pulpit.

“I was a freshman in college, Brenda Williams Piper, Second Baptist Church, Evanston, Illinois, and I thought the walls were going to fall in. She was the associate pastor. So it was not only a woman preaching, it was a woman holding rank and power.”

Jacque’s pathway to preaching took 16 years before she said out loud that was her purpose.

While sitting across the desk of Pastor J. Alfred Smith at the Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, California, she told him, “I think I’ve been called.”

“He leaned across his desk and said, ‘We all knew. We just waited for you to know,’” Jacque said. “It was such a confirmation and such a gift.”

Smith leaned across his desk, when Jacque asked what he saw in her, and answered, “You delight in God’s word, and you delight in making it available to people.”

Years later, Jeanette Lacey thought the same thing and had suggested she record daily messages on Instagram.

“She sat on my floor in my living room and looked at me and said, ‘There’s something that you have to say that will touch people’s hearts,’” Jacque said.

As Jacque spoke about the people who have approached her in public to thank her for the videos, she said she wanted to be viewed as “a window.”

“I want people to see through what I’m doing to something so much greater,” Jacque said. “So if I can be that window into this wisdom and depth, and I’ll buy a lot of Windex to try and keep myself clear.”

So, what’s next for the unlikely social media influencer?

“I’ve been contacted by Simon and Schuster to write a book,” Jacque said with wonder. “I’ve been contacted by Simon and Schuster, just let that sit for a minute.”

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