Jerry Davich

Metro columnist

“Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your lord and savior?” Nayonna Parker asked me.

I hesitated for a second. Parker detected my doubt.

“You gotta come off that fence, brother Jerry!” she told me emphatically.

Parker introduced herself as “Evangelist Parker” when we met on the street curb in front of Agape Tabernacle Church on 49th Avenue in Gary, on the city’s east side. The church was hosting its "Drive Up For Prayer" ministry on a hot Saturday afternoon.

“It’s drive-thru prayers, like drive-thru hamburgers,” Parker said as a fellow church volunteer used an umbrella to shield herself from the blazing sun.

I pulled into the lot out of curiosity, but Parker insisted I did it for a deeper reason. (Watch a video of our interaction at NWI.com .)

“Because

See Full Page