Buford man jumps for Jesus

   Leap of faith. Yeah, I've heard that expression. But Jumping for Jesus? Now that's a new one. Buford resident Dennis Clark has been jumping rope for nearly 50 years and for the last twenty years, his jumping has been for Jesus.
   Clark started jumping rope for fun in kindergarten, then in high school jumped to increase his speed in sports. In 1982, while working as a physical education teacher at a Christian school, he jumped in with his students on the playground and soon his Jumping for Jesus International Club was born.
   The interdenominational ministry has both physical and spiritual goals.
   "One in three children in the USA now have a weight problem," Clark said. He states in his newsletter Jumper Cables that jumping rope relieves stress, aids weight loss and improves physical appearance and countenance. 
   More important is the spiritual side of his ministry. Clark recalled asking children who was the mother of Jesus. "No one knew. After around five seconds, a girl said, 'Mrs. Lord.' I was shocked and now I have an urgency for this ministry to help others spiritually and physically."
   With a world record of 12,583 jumps in one hour and a personal record of having read the Bible for 24 years, Clark has touched over 80 countries with his ministry. 
   "I've jumped for Jesus on Red Square in front of Stalin's tomb and in southern Mexico I jumped in a village in the deep mountains where no white man had ever been."
   In more familiar territory, he and his team of Super Jumpers have performed halftime shows at Hawks, Yellow Jackets and Bulldogs basketball games and ministered at prisons.
   With all that globe hopping, Clark still finds time to work with apartment ministries in Gwinnett.
   This summer he's partnered with two year-round apartment ministries, Kids and Teens 519, founded by Steve Wiegand and Whirlwind, lead by Tim Cummins.
   "We have 59 apartments with about half of them in Gwinnett," said Wiegand.    "We help with food and clothing, but mostly work with children from other countries, tutoring them in English and helping with homework when their parents don't know enough English to help them." (Info: www.kat519.org ) 
   I witnessed Clark jumpstart some kids at Oakbrook Pointe Apartments in Norcross. After an object lesson with paper cutting, encouraging children always to do their best, he led the kids in some rope warm-ups. Then he asked a volunteer to time him for 10 seconds while he jumped. The rope whirred like a humming bird as he twirled it 50 times, two twirls per jump and five twirls per second. 
   I felt honored when he asked me to hold the ropes for Double Dutch. Jesus Cardenas, age 8, Tatravius Harmon, age 9, Tasiana Harmon, age 13 and Achanti Benson, age 9, jumped right in determined to do their best. When it comes to ministering to kids, Clark really knows the ropes.

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