When you're in the middle of ministry and how fast paced it can often get, it's easy to forget significant mile markers in the journey. Today, I was reminded of these mile stones. At the end of August of this year, marked fifteen years since I made that first drive into East St. Louis and visited kids in the John DeShields Housing Development. One year before that was when God began to stir the passion for the inner city in my heart and to some day have a center that would reach inner city youth. Below is a timeline of significant mile markers that when I remember them, make me look up to God and shout, "Wow! Thank you God for all you've done!"
1996- I saw the movie Dangerous Minds and knew that I wanted to worked with kids from the inner city. That summer, I worked at a camp for inner city kids, called Camp Penuel. I met eight kids who lived in East St. Louis. They stole my heart!
1997- I worked at Camp Penuel again and met up with those same eight kids. At the end of the summer, two other camp staff came with me to track down these kids and found out they lived in the John DeShields Housing Development in East St. Louis. We showed up at their door and the relationship began. The stirring began in my heart to some day have a center for inner city youth.
1997 through 2000- I continued going to John DeShields to spend time with these kids, take them to church and on fun outings.
2000- My church (Faith Family Church) was looking for a site to begin a kid's Sidewalk Sunday School Program. I introduced them to John DeShields and some of the families who lived there. We began a program there called Streetlights. Streetlights is a thriving ministry and continues to minister in John DeShields and two other housing developments in East St. Louis.
2001- With an Elementary Education degree, I began teaching at the Elementary School across from John DeShields and became even more involved in the lives of the kids and teens in the neighborhood. At the same time I knew teaching wouldn't be my life's work, but that I would one day start a center for inner city youth in East St. Louis.
2002 through 2004- I moved to Los Angeles, CA to volunteer at the Los Angeles Dream Center. There I daily saw the vision of the Dream Center and worked with homeless kids and taught teen girls in the girl's home. God began to stir in my heart that I should start a Dream Center when I returned to East St. Louis.
2004- I returned home and began praying and seeking Godly counsel about the steps to take in order to start a Dream Center in East St. Louis.
2005- A friend of mine and I began praying each week in John DeShields for the neighborhood and the city. That same year, a few friends of mine and I began the outreach we currently have for the teenagers. We didn't have a building, so we brought basketballs and a boom box and spent time with teens in Lincoln Park. At this time I filled out an application to be able to move to the John DeShields Neighborhood and was on the waiting list for two and a half years.
2007- I moved into a one bedroom apartment in John DeShields, was hired to lead Streetlights at Faith Family Church and continued to build the teen outreach in Lincoln Park. This same year, I incorporated the teen outreach into the non-profit organization it is today... the East St. Louis Dream Center.
2008- Through living in John DeShields for one year, I began to see the huge need there for more ministry and the teen outreach was growing. Through prayer and Godly counsel, I decided to step out into full time ministry for the East St. Louis Dream Center. This same year, the Dream Center received our 501c3 tax deductible status.
July 2008- I began feeding the young men who "do life on the streets" and over the years God has brought a faithful group of volunteers to serve these young men.
February 2011- God brought Janell Roedl and she continues to serve as Dream Center staff, helping with the daily operations and weekly outreaches.
Summer 2011- We moved into office space at the Mary Brown Center and I moved out of John DeShields, in order to create space for the ministry to grow and a haven that I could retreat to when I wasn't serving in the ministry.
Currently- God has blessed us with amazing connections with some other non-profit organizations in East St. Louis. One being with Dianne Sonneman with the Catholic Urban Charities, she lets us use her facility to serve lunch to the young men each Wednesday. And the other with Vera Jones with the Mary Brown Center, we're able to use their gym and kitchen for our teen outreach as well as two office spaces for our daily operations.
We are GRATEFUL to God for all He has done to get us to where we are today! He is so faithful to lead us to each step of the way. We at the Dream Center are excited to see the steps that God has for us to take next! Would you consider being apart of the next phase of this journey? There are several ways to get involved... pray, volunteer, donate, be an advocate for East St. Louis and the DREAM Center. Contact us and let us know how you would like to be involved.
Phone- 618.875.2131 (ext. 107)
email-esldc@eaststlouisdreamcenter.org
Facebook- https://www.facebook.comeaststlouisdreamcenter
1 comment:
Thanks for posting this! It stirs me to continue to believe God for what is ahead. He has been so faithful!
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