The Rev. Jackie McCullough was born in Jamaica and raised in New York by her preacher parents. With an inspiring voice that expresses from her heart, she reached out and expanded her domain of influence until she was world-renowned.br /br /Raised with a strong church influence, McCullough received her first call to the ministry when she was 16 years old. However, she wanted to be a medical doctor, and when she finished high school she went to nursing school, then worked as a pediatrics nurse at Harlem Hospital. After seven years of nursing, while planning to obtain her medical pediatrics degree, she was once again called upon by her Lord to be a minister. As her personal life had been tragic due to a divorce and the d**h of her two-hour-old, full-term, baby, McCullough quit nursing and followed the call. She began to minister to college students on Saturdays, and those in prisons and hospitals on Sundays. Her ministry began in the streets, and that influence is still reflected in the songs she writes, as she makes the text applicable to the pain felt by the street people. As a minister with the Elim International Fellowship, McCullough preaches over 120 times a year to audiences all over the U.S., Africa, Asia, Japan, and especially in Jamaica. Starting in 1997, McCullough started a yearly crusade to Jamaica that included doctors, dentists, and nurses along with the ministry. Each year they give away over 250,000 dollars of medication there.br /br /In October 1998, Interscope released McCullough's first album, This Is for You Lord. While she didn't actually sing any of the songs on this album, she did write all of them except the lead track, "In His Name," which was co-written with George E. Hyman Jr. She claims she hears the melody and words in her head but just can't sing. br /br /What makes the album McCullough's is her spoken word, expressing her beliefs and truths in the foreground, with the background songs being carried by labelmates Kirk Franklin's the Family, Papa San (superstar Jamaican rapper), Lawrence Mathews, David Mann, and a host of others including a live band. Produced by Kevin Bond, a prominent gospel producer who wanted a broad-based sound that covered many genres, the album was recorded live in Kingston, Jamaica, and reflects reggae, pop, urban, and R&B rhythms. The video version was released in February 1999. McCullough also authored a daily devotional titled Daily Moments With God; In Quietness and Confidence. She was listed as one of the Most Influential African-American Ministers in the Nation by the Gospel Today Magazine. ~ Eleanor Ditzel, All Music Guide