The bass of rap music thumps from nearby vehicles as sirens roar in
the distance at the crossroad of Silverdale and First streets in Conroe,
Texas. It is here, among crack houses, drug lords, prostitutes and gang
members, that members from First Assembly of God in Conroe are sharing
the message of Christ’s love through two ministries, The Father’s
House and International Youth Center.
Regina
Johnson, the outreach pastor of The Father's House in Conroe, ministers
to prostitutes and drug lords.
"I believe the more opportunity we have to be in our community the
better," says Lloyd Maddoux, pastor of First Assembly in Conroe, 40
miles north of Houston.
Regina Johnson, a former professional cheerleader in the National Football
League, started and directs The Father’s House. Johnson knows firsthand
how the streets of the inner city can destroy people’s lives. "I
grew up in this neighborhood," she says. "Many of the people I went
to school with have been derailed from God’s purpose in their lives."
To help her old friends and others like them, Johnson leads Sunday
morning services and Thursday night prayer meetings. The facility that
houses The Father’s House and the parsonage were donated to First
Assembly last year by another church that is now defunct.
"Regina said she had a burden for people in that area," says Maddoux.
"We wanted someone who had a heartbeat for that area and she does."
Johnson knows there is much work to be done and it won’t be easy.
"There is big stuff for me to accomplish," she says. "God has more for
these people." Just down the street from The Father’s House, International
Youth Center Director Samuel Cruz and his wife, Estella, are working
to transform an old three-story hospital into a safe haven for teen-agers
and adults. After it was cleaned and painted, the building today has
exercise and recreation rooms complete with weights, air hockey, pingpong
tables and foosball tables. Besides the fun and games, Cruz holds weekly
Bible studies.
"This IYC will be a great assistance to people in need," says Maddoux.
"They need a place to go where someone will help and love them."
Cruz says he sensed for a long time that God wanted him to house IYC
in the former hospital. After passing by the hospital several times,
Cruz went inside to inquire about its availability. "Immediately I knew
this was the place and God wanted us here," Cruz says. "But, I didn’t
have a dime for the $500 a month rent."
After sharing his vision for the ministry and building with his Sunday
school class, one attendee pledged a year’s rent and another helped
him fill out nonprofit paperwork necessary to operate IYC. Plans are
to build a computer lab and offer General Education Degree and vocational
classes along with turning the second floor into a homeless shelter.
"We want to instill values in people’s lives," Cruz says. "If we
can reach just one young person and show him or her there is an alternative
to drugs, alcohol and violence, that is all that matters."
