The Testimony of Ken Vinik

The life story of Ken Vinik began in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the place of his birth. When he was three years old Ken moved to Florida with his parents and two older sisters. Another son was added to the family, which Ken refers to as an “undone family.” His parents divorced when he was seven years old.

By age nine, Ken started smoking cigarettes, and when he was ten he began drinking his Mom’s liquor. At 12, Ken added marijuana to his list and at 14, he started driving his Mom’s car. He found her keys one day and had a set made for himself. More than once he “borrowed” the car. This led to his first encounter with the Law when he got stuck in a ditch one day.

At 17, Ken began his first “real job” in a textile mill. He measured material and inspected it for any flaws, and he operated knitting machines. The job didn’t last as he really didn’t have any ambition. He was more interested in booze and girls than anything else. In his early twenties, back in New Jersey, Ken became interested in cocaine and acid. It didn’t take long for him to see the effect of these drugs. He
lost his license, and learned that a friend who smoked crack cocaine developed meningitis. One of his dealers, after being told he had AIDS, went to the mountains and killed himself.

The Law was bearing down on the group Ken traveled with and finally they were “busted.” One weekend Ken left home and headed for the shore. He went to Seaside and decided to stay and quit cocaine. But then he started drinking heavily. As he states, he went from “one crutch to another.” By the time he was 25, there wasn’t much he hadn’t tried. One day while walking along the boardwalk in Seaside with his cousin, Ken met Peggy, a single Mom whose daughter had previously dated Ken’s cousin. They went back to Ken’s house and talked for hours. Before she left, Ken asked Peggy for her phone number. Peggy was a Christian, who had claimed she would never remarry.

But not long after meeting Ken, a wedding date was set and six months later they were married. Both agree it was “love at first sight.” At the time of their marriage, Ken had a union job working on tug boats in Staten Island. He left that job after a year and became a used car mechanic closer to home. That job didn’t last long, and Ken found another at a car wash. After an injury on the job and another incident of drinking and driving, six months after their wedding Peg recognized that Ken had a problem and advised him to seek help. At the time they were attending a small church and their pastor suggested America’s KESWICK. Ken agreed to visit the Colony of Mercy and get an application.

When he did, he met Jan Savercool who was the administrator then. Jan told Ken that he would have to quit smoking and have his hair cut. Mainly because of the hair cut requirement, Ken said “No” to the opportunity to receive the help he needed, and he left. Ken then switched from alcohol to marijuana and told Peggy “everything was under control,” but she knew he was lying. Three years later Ken was caught by the police with an unregistered hand gun and three bags of pot in his possession. His court fees and legal fees lowered their finances and diminished all thoughts of future plans. Their dreams were shattered.

Again Ken told Peggy “everything was under control,” and he managed to get through the necessary probationary period. A new job took him north again, and once more he slipped back into his old ways with marijuana. Four years later, while at a car wash with his buddies, he was arrested for having a very small amount of marijuana. In jail that night, Ken cried out to the Lord for deliverance. He was released on his own recognizance, with court charges pending.

Finally, Ken told Peggy he wanted to go to KESWICK. While waiting for admission, he took care of the court charges. During this time he attended meetings at his church and secular groups, and he visited Overcomer’s meetings at America’s KESWICK. He also went to T ‘n’ T (Text and Testimony meetings) at the Colony Chapel. Although he read his Bible, today he claims he read it “as a shopping list” for self gain. He was looking for “gifts.”

Ken realized his need of forgiveness and salvation, but overlooked his need of repentance and submission.

Ken felt a “great emptiness.” He knew there was “something missing” in his life. He tried filling it with what he called “natural highs” like having a dirt bike.

Finally, in November of ‘97, Ken came back to the Colony — with his hair cut — and entered the program. He had been sober for three months and he quit smoking cigarettes two weeks before he was admitted. Pastor Bill Raws was Ken’s counselor. One day he asked Ken about his prayer life. Ken said he prayed, but admitted his prayers were all requests. He never really expressed thanks. Ken remembered attending a church picnic when he was six years old and accepting the Lord at that time, but he never had assurance.

Today he is grateful to Pastor Bill for leading him to a personal relationship with Christ — through prayer. Ken and Peg learned about the Families for Christ Program and participated with other couples. They both gained much help through this phase of the ministry. And both were baptized at KESWICK.

Although Ken came into the Colony feeling that he was in control, he left realizing that Christ is in control. After his graduation from the Colony, Ken and Peggy purchased their first home.

Ken completed his pastoral covenant with Pastor Tom Brown of the Osbornville Protestant Church in Brick, New Jersey. And then together, as husband and wife, he and Peggy completed a family covenant at their church. Ken was aware of a welding company down the street from their home. He had noticed a star 86 feet in the air on the top of a crane at Christmas time and a cross displayed at Easter.

Since he had always wanted to be a welder, he found the owner — a Christian man — and told him “I want to work here.” The man asked Ken “Why?” and he responded “God has led me here.” The man then asked Ken if he could weld. Ken replied, “not the best,” but he was

hired and has been there for two years. Ken and his boss have become good friends. This past fall they went on a short term mission trip to Haiti to build latrines at a church there.

Life is so different for Ken and Peggy now. They have become members at their church and are quite involved in different areas. Ken is on the Board of Trustees and serves as a deacon. He regularly prays with his pastor before services, and he has also started an Overcomer’s Group at the church. Peggy is active in a woman’s group helping those struggling with addictions.

Through a conversation with Carole Woods, at the Colony, Peg learned of Central Jersey Bible Institute. Both Ken and Peg attended classes there the past two years and recently graduated. Now they are waiting on the Lord for further direction in their lives.