PAWN SHOP PREACHER
By Dave Earley
They call him the “Vegas Pawn Shop Preacher.”
Randy Pinkney was saved just over two years ago, and he has been on fire for Jesus ever since. People drive from across town to come to the pawn shop he manages just so they can receive prayer and an encouraging word from the Word. His story nearly became a reality TV series.
Let me tell a bit of his story
Randy and Mickael Pinkney were featured on the popular August 29, 2012 edition of the HGTV of House Hunters (you can watch it at http://www.locatetv.com/tv/house-hunters/season-65/7712127). The show revolved around their different tastes as the hunted for their first home in Las Vegas. Much of the playful battering centered on the fact that Randy wanted a house with a pool and Mickael did not. The episode ends with Randy and Michael happily moving into their new home at 2834 Via Stella Street Henderson, NV and getting excited about their new pool.
Now for the rest of the story
One year earlier, God called Dave and Cathy Earley to plant a new church in Las Vegas NV. Along with their church planting team, they prayed daily that the Lord would place them in exactly right places with neighbors who would be receptive to the gospel and would allow them to use their houses for ministry. On May 31, 2012, the Earley’s moved into their new home at 2836 Via Stella St. Henderson, NV.
There is more
The Pinkneys began to attend the new Grace City house church that was meeting in the home of their next door neighbors, the Earleys. In July, at the end of the teaching, Dave Earley gave an invitation to trust Christ as savior. Randy and Mickael bowed their heads, gave their hearts to Jesus Christ with tears of joy as they were born again. They opened their house up for a children’s class on Sundays and began serving with the Grace City team in weekend Block Parties and at Preview Worship services at the local middle school.
Now the good part!
On Sunday morning September 2, 2012, Randy and Mickael, along with several others, followed the Lord in believer’s baptism… in the Pinkney’s pool.
It gets better
Randy and Michael began to meet with the Earley family every week for discipleship. Randy learned how to share the gospel with the people who worked for him at the company that brought him to Vegas. Eventually, the company told Randy to stop talking about Jesus, so he quit. Immediately, he was offered a job running a pawnshop. His six-figure salary was cut in half, but they promised him he could talk about Jesus.
He began praying with many of the hurting customers who brought possessions to the pawnshop. He also shared the gospel with everyone else who would listen. Several of his co-workers trusted Jesus as savior. Soon people were packing out the story to receive prayer. People would drive from across town to talk to “the Pawn Shop Preacher. Somehow MTV heard about “the Pawn Shop Preacher” and wanted to do a reality show on Randy’s ministry. But the pawn company balked, not wanting to be known for Jesus. Last week they transferred Randy to another store and told him to stop talking about
Jesus. But that won’t happen. It will be exciting to see what happens next.
Dave Earley 