Elizabethton pastor Bill Younce, in May 2013, suffered a debilitating stroke, which resulted in his being hospitalized 58 days at the Johnson City Medical Center. He never spoke for 23 days and was not able to eat a bite or take a drink of water for 90 days.
Younce said he was in a wheelchair for five months. Following his hospitalization, Younce underwent therapy at Quillen Rehab Hospital.
“For all practical purposes, I was a dead man as when I was taken to the hospital and in the hours that followed I was unresponsive,” he said.
Pastor of the Lighthouse Church for Jesus, Younce said he suffered the stroke while preaching. “I was out of the pulpit for five months.”
The Lighthouse Church for Jesus is located at 2680 Highway 19E.
Younce will share his testimony in a special service this evening at the church, beginning at 7 p.m.
“During the five hours that I was unresponsive, I experienced a glorious trip to Glory and back. I saw my name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life,” he shared.
“It’s amazing that I did not have any permanent debilitating effects. I can walk, talk, move my arms and have my reasoning abilities, just like before,” Younce said this week. “It’s a glorious thing that I did not lose any of my mental and physical abilities.”
Younce has been preaching 50 years and has been a pastor for 30 years. Prior to his ministry at Lighthouse for Jesus, he was an assistant pastor at Happy Valley Church of Jesus Christ.
Since his recovery, he has shared his testimony with several congregations.