Preacher, author, and ministry leader Nancy Dufresne was gifted a $3,900 Louis Vuitton travel case for her birthday at the start of a recent evangelistic meeting in celebration of her birthday. The luggage was noted as an appropriate gift in light of the “new jet” her ministry has been raising funds for through its website.
Dufresne showed exuberant gratitude for the present, saying at one point, “My love language is stuff.”
Pastors Jay and Debbie Eberly, hosts of the 2024 Jay Eberly Ministries camp meeting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, gifted Dufresne the designer travel case at the start of the August 6 meeting, which was streamed on Facebook and YouTube.
The Louis Vuitton Horizon Business rolling case is priced at $3,900 on the French luxury company’s website.
Before presenting Dufresne with her gift, Pastor Jay Eberly encouraged attendees to gift her money so that she could leave the meeting “loaded.” He made it clear that the birthday money collected would be a personal gift and not tax-deductible. Dufresne was also presented with a cake decorated with the iconic Louis Vuitton monogram before the gift was presented.
The audience rose to its feet and applauded once Dufresne, assisted by Pastor Debbie Eberly, removed the travel case from its packaging.
“My love language is stuff. Just so you know,” Dufresne said, admiring the case. “So that’s perfect. It’s perfect. It’s perfect. I love it. I love getting older.”
Noting her ministry friend’s excitement over the present, Pastor Debbie commented at another point, “You’re going to need something for your new jet.” Dufresne responded, “Yes, ma’am, I am.”
The new jet referenced is likely related to Dufresne’s “Eagle Team Projects,” which includes an airplane fundraiser. According to details on the Dufresne Ministries’ website, more than $1 million has been donated, with a “pledged” balance of $443,193 remaining. The listed totals were noted as current as of July 15, 2024.
While Dufresne Ministries itself is not listed as a nonprofit organization with the IRS, its apparent parent company, Word of Life World Outreach Center Inc., is registered as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.
The camp meeting, or “holy ghost service,” eventually moved on, with Dufresne and fellow minister David Ellis speaking words over and laying hands on attendees at the altar. As Ellis spoke in another language, Dufresne followed up with a message in English, and the person receiving their attention eventually being pushed backward and assisted to the floor.
Dufresne, a longtime preacher, is affiliated with charismatic leaders such as Kenneth Hagin, who died in 2003. Hagin is known for his bizarre “holy ghost meetings” and is credited with birthing the modern Word of Faith movement, which is seen as controversial among some Christians.
Dufresne, in ministry for nearly four decades, previously pastored World Harvest Church in Murrieta, California, before becoming a traveling preacher. She is also president of the World Harvest Bible Training Center and the Fresh Oil Fellowship ministry.
According to her website, Dufresne’s goal is to help “people walk in the abundant life that Jesus has provided for them.” The web description also emphasizes “a strong flow of the gifts of the Spirit in her ministry.”
Before speaking at the 2024 Jay Eberly Ministries camp meeting, Dufresne was a speaker at fellow Word of Faith preacher Kenneth Copeland‘s Southwest Believers’ Convention, which ended on August 3.