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Partnering for Freedom

by Joe Morgan

On March 27, 2008, Teen Challenge Brooklyn student Joe Morgan walked across the stage with great anticipation as he received honors for graduating from the Teen Challenge program. It was with joyful exclamation that he said, “Since completing Teen Challenge I want to become a better person and father to my kids. I want to continue growing and becoming an even better man in Christ. I also want to go back to school and learn a trade to better myself and continue walking with the LORD.”

It was just three days earlier that the board wholeheartedly voted to pursue the possibility of building an all new 6-story community outreach center to be called the Brooklyn Freedom Center. An expanded accommodation of the current Teen Challenge program, The Brooklyn Freedom Center will be constructed in the very place where the current center stands. This will enable the staff to reach more people struggling with life-controlling addictions and will give local churches and the community more opportunities for involvement in the ministry.

The Brooklyn Freedom Center is all about touching the lives of people just like Joe Morgan. Like most of the Teen Challenge graduates, Joe first came into the center with a lot of heavy baggage, chains from the addictions and strongholds of the past. While at his graduation, Joe may have given glory and honor to Jesus Christ his LORD and Savior and thanked the Men’s Program staff for all that they contributed to his growth and life, it was a far cry from where he was when he first walked into the Teen Challenge Brooklyn doors just five months prior.

Joe’s story began in 1997 when he separated from his wife and found himself caught in an ongoing custody battle to see his children. With no one to really share his struggle, he became so depressed that he turned to drugs and alcohol. It was then that a friend told him about Teen Challenge, but it was the autumn of 2007, nine years later, that he entered the program. It was at the Teen Challenge-Brooklyn center that Joe learned to trust God with his entire life and to trust others as well. He learned not to judge people without first getting to know them. He became a stronger man and a better person, day by day, while waiting upon the LORD to renew his strength.

It is stories like Joe’s that make up the fabric of this ministry. A free faith-based and Christ centered residential crisis center, Teen Challenge has an 86% success rate and is the oldest, largest, and most effective private agency of its kind in America and possibly the world. For 50 years, Teen Challenge-Brooklyn has faithfully worked with students just like Joe Morgan, training and transforming victims of life controlling addictions and bringing recovery through biblical principles. As the ministry prepares to host its 50th Anniversary Banquet at the Marriott-Brooklyn Bridge on June 28, 2008, the Teen Challenge-Brooklyn board and staff welcome you to join with them as they wholeheartedly enter into a new season of miracles.

With an April 2008 emergency board meeting in the recent history, a full scale master-plan was developed for the Brooklyn Freedom Center, and executive director, Pastor Samuel Sierra, has been diligently working to establish a crisis center in every borough that will ultimately prepare potential students for successful entry into the program. Three churches have already entered into an agreement to serve as crisis center hubs, and many new opportunities for partnership are already underway. Just as the heart of God beats for the Joe Morgan’s of this city, nation, and world, so does it for Teen Challenge-Brooklyn. Therefore, it is with great enthusiasm and skill that they take on this task wholeheartedly and invite you to join them by purchasing tickets to the 50th Anniversary Banquet. Take a stand for freedom–your freedom, the freedom of this city, and the freedom of hurting people just like Joe Morgan.

Teen Challenge’s bi-Annual Int'l Conference will be held in NY this year in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary Celebration, Wed-Fri, June 25th-27th, 2008. Featuring speakers such as David Wilkerson, his brother Don Wilkerson, and Nicky Cruz, will be held at Times Square Church & at Brooklyn Tabernacle. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased online:www.teenchallenge usa.com.

For more information, call 718-789-1414 x 246 or visit the Teen Challenge Brooklyn website at www. teenchallengebrooklyn.com


NEWSFRONT FEATURES REGIONAL EVENTS UPCOMING EVENTS TRI-STATE NEWS THE CLASSIFIEDS ABOUT US	FEATURES Partnering for Freedom by Joe Morgan On March 27, 2008, Teen Challenge Brooklyn student Joe Morgan walked across the stage with great anticipation as he received honors for graduating from the Teen Challenge program. It was with joyful exclamation that he said, “Since completing Teen Challenge I want to become a better person and father to my kids. I want to continue growing and becoming an even better man in Christ. I also want to go back to school and learn a trade to better myself and continue walking with the LORD.” It was just three days earlier that the board wholeheartedly voted to pursue the possibility of building an all new 6-story community outreach center to be called the Brooklyn Freedom Center. An expanded accommodation of the current Teen Challenge program, The Brooklyn Freedom Center will be constructed in the very place where the current center stands. This will enable the staff to reach more people struggling with life-controlling addictions and will give local churches and the community more opportunities for involvement in the ministry. The Brooklyn Freedom Center is all about touching the lives of people just like Joe Morgan. Like most of the Teen Challenge graduates, Joe first came into the center with a lot of heavy baggage, chains from the addictions and strongholds of the past. While at his graduation, Joe may have given glory and honor to Jesus Christ his LORD and Savior and thanked the Men’s Program staff for all that they contributed to his growth and life, it was a far cry from where he was when he first walked into the Teen Challenge Brooklyn doors just five months prior. Joe’s story began in 1997 when he separated from his wife and found himself caught in an ongoing custody battle to see his children. With no one to really share his struggle, he became so depressed that he turned to drugs and alcohol. It was then that a friend told him about Teen Challenge, but it was the autumn of 2007, nine years later, that he entered the program. It was at the Teen Challenge-Brooklyn center that Joe learned to trust God with his entire life and to trust others as well. He learned not to judge people without first getting to know them. He became a stronger man and a better person, day by day, while waiting upon the LORD to renew his strength. It is stories like Joe’s that make up the fabric of this ministry. A free faith-based and Christ centered residential crisis center, Teen Challenge has an 86% success rate and is the oldest, largest, and most effective private agency of its kind in America and possibly the world. For 50 years, Teen Challenge-Brooklyn has faithfully worked with students just like Joe Morgan, training and transforming victims of life controlling addictions and bringing recovery through biblical principles. As the ministry prepares to host its 50th Anniversary Banquet at the Marriott-Brooklyn Bridge on June 28, 2008, the Teen Challenge-Brooklyn board and staff welcome you to join with them as they wholeheartedly enter into a new season of miracles. With an April 2008 emergency board meeting in the recent history, a full scale master-plan was developed for the Brooklyn Freedom Center, and executive director, Pastor Samuel Sierra, has been diligently working to establish a crisis center in every borough that will ultimately prepare potential students for successful entry into the program. Three churches have already entered into an agreement to serve as crisis center hubs, and many new opportunities for partnership are already underway. Just as the heart of God beats for the Joe Morgan’s of this city, nation, and world, so does it for Teen Challenge-Brooklyn. Therefore, it is with great enthusiasm and skill that they take on this task wholeheartedly and invite you to join them by purchasing tickets to the 50th Anniversary Banquet. Take a stand for freedom–your freedom, the freedom of this city, and the freedom of hurting people just like Joe Morgan. Teen Challenge’s bi-Annual Int'l Conference will be held in NY this year in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary Celebration, Wed-Fri, June 25th-27th, 2008. Featuring speakers such as David Wilkerson, his brother Don Wilkerson, and Nicky Cruz, will be held at Times Square Church & at Brooklyn Tabernacle. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased online:www.teenchallenge usa.com. For more information, call 718-789-1414 x 246 or visit the Teen Challenge Brooklyn website at www. teenchallengebrooklyn.com Home \| Regional Events \| Features \| The Classifieds \| About Us \| Commentary \| Community \| Links ©2007 The Love Express. All rights reserved. Serving the Christian Community for over 20 years.