Casino Road Ministry came about through an intersection of circumstances, including an internship, the needs of the kids in this area, and my own love for youth. Throughout, God has steered the ministry in His own direction and made it what it is today. The future of the Ministry also remains in His hands.
The seeds for Casino Road Ministry were sown in 1999 when I went to intern for Youth For Christ. The work was to be two-fold: to start a youth group as youth pastor at Temple Baptist Church and to assist the kids residing at nearby apartment complex. The hope, of course, was to see the apartment complex kids make a transition to the church. Things didn’t quite work out as planned. But God knew what He was doing. And while the youth group never took flight, and I left Temple after my one-year stint, things were just beginning to get cooking at the apartment.
My work at the apartment complex was centered around a homework club. Kids would come and get help with reading, writing and math – that is, when they weren’t kicking and throwing things at my car. Some days were rough. But some strong bonds were being formed. I recall eating out with a group of six teens at Wendy’s restaurant. As we ate – and as I yelled at one of them to stop throwing food and another to quit running laps – I felt my heart burn. Here was a group of challenged kids. They were wild, misbehaved, educationally challenged and rude. Many of their home lives were turbulent. And yet I felt for them. God was opening my eyes. Others had walked out on these kids; I didn’t want to be another one to walk away. I prayed that I would love them like the Father, that I would encourage them every time I was with them, and that God would use me to be a light to their families.
A few years later, as this first group of teens started to move on, I found myself still returning to the apartment complex, sensing God wasn’t done with me and this place quite yet. After praying and getting permission from the complex’s managers, I decided to start a reading club. The idea was to expose children to the Bible in the form of stories, while also diving into some good Dr. Seuss books and helping with homework. Casino Road Ministry was formally founded in January 2008. Today, Casino Road Ministry works with children ages 5 to 11 through two different clubs at two apartment complexes on Casino Road. One club helps kids with homework, while the second teaches them about Christ and how to follow Him.
Five years later, here we still are… praise be to God!
