The 3rd ward area, like most inner cities is plagued with high crime rates, drug abuse, educational deficiencies, poverty, unstable single parent homes, and a tearing apart of the family structure. Many of the formerly incarcerated are parents, and Harris County has the largest percentage of returning prisoners being released back into society. 46% of imprisoned parents lived with at least one child prior to their incarceration. The average age of children with incarcerated parents is 8 years old. 22% are age 5 or younger. It is estimated that 65, 129 prisoners are returned to their communities in Texas each year. Harris County had 10,264 incarcerated persons in 2010 and had the third fastest growing jail population in the nation with an increase of 46% from 1999 – 2009. With these staggering numbers, it is of vital importance to break the cycle with this generation of formerly incarcerated, to become influencers in their communities and stop the cycle for the next generation. Delivering hope to these communities by providing the way to transformation of those who were in the past a part of the problem, and will in turn become a part of the solution. Providing the necessary tools to stem the tide of degradation of this important part of society is a necessary building block of re-establishing our community.

SOME REASONS WHY GADARA EXISTS....

I. TO DELIVER THOSE THROUGH THE GOSPEL APPROACH FROM ... MENTAL...EMOTIONAL....AND SPIRITUAL ISSUES, WHEN COMING OUT OF PRISON. PROVIDING HOPE TO THE HOPELESS...LOVE TO THE OSTRACIZED..EDUCATION TO THE UNEDUCATED....SKILLS TO THE UNSKILLED.

The challenges faced by the formerly incarcerate can be enourmous upon release back into society. But with the power of God to transform lives by His Spirit, we believe that Gadara Ministries will make a difference.

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.


II. TO RE-UNITE THE FAMILY STRUCTURE BACK IN THE HOME.

The family structure is a vital building block for all society. To build bridges of hope and encouragement to the many families that are torn apart by the seperation from past behaviour resulting in incarceration, is an important stepping stone to rebuilding our communities.


Jos 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

III. TO REDUCE CRIME.....AND THE RECIDIVISM RATE.

The rate of prison recidivism among those in the inner cities is staggering. Those being released back into society need more then just a bus ticket home. They need the power to make lasting change.

Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

IV. TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITIES SAFE.... FROM DRUGS AND CRIME...

The problem of crime and drugs effects all of our society, but is more prevalent in the inner city such as Houston's 3rd ward. The role of our prison systems is not rehabilitation, but rather punitive, which rarely leads to real change. Offering faith based solutions to the real problems of sinful issues is our only hope to make a difference.

Psa 91:9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
Psa 91:10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
Psa 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

V. TO REDUCE THE DROP OUT RATE..
Children of incarcerated parents drop out at a significantly higher rate then those with both parents in the household. Education is a primary key to opening career doors and establishing vocational success and avoiding the temptations and lures of "fast money", which ends up being "fast prison sentence".

The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge."Proverbs 18:15

VI. TO REDUCE TEEN PREGNANCIES...AND ABORTION...

Teen pregnancies rates are considerably higher in the absence of the father in the home. We believe that all life is sacred and that it is necessary to call men to responsible roles of leadership in their homes.

Isa 44:2 Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen

VII. TO BUILD OUR COMMUNITIES AND CITIES INTO SAFE PLACES TO LIVE AND GROW.

Psa 121:5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
Psa 121:6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
Psa 121:7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
Psa 121:8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.























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What Gadara Ministry does....

Praise the LORD for a ministry like Gadara's. This ministry is compasionately driven by men and women who have had an life changing encounter with JESUS CHRIST.This belief that has empowered them to the point of lasting change in every area of their lives. Internal deliverance Spiritually and mentally has shown great external implications. Gadara offers this Spiritual recipe of pursuit to those entangled in spiritual bondage. CHRIST crossed over to the otherside according to mark chapter 5 into a irreligious,heathenistic land and delivered a man from demonic possesion. Gadara PURSUE'S intently with the powerful life changing GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST.PRAISE GOD for GADARA!!! And the men and womem on its staff.

Christianity that is offensive....

Today at City of Refuge church, we had Craig Whitlock, Executive Director, The Forge for Families which is located in Houston's 3rd ward., preach from Heb 5:11 - 6:10. Prince Couisnard, Program Director for The Forge for Families was also in attendance and briefly gave his testimony to how the transforming power of God has changed his life. If you have ever visited, lived in, drove through, or heard reports about Houstons 3rd ward, you will know that it is like most inner cities today. Tough neighborhood to say the least. It can be a war zone with all the darkness and despair, sin and depravity. The Forge for Families is a beacon of light and hope in the midst of that darkness and despair. These 2 men, are committed to advancing the kingdom of God in practical ways to families who are in the midst of a battle zone. I thank God for their work. http://www.forgeforfamilies.org/

Craig has a military background, having enlisted 6 years and 7 years as a US Army officer before resigning his commission as a Captain in the Ranger Training Brigade. It shows in his preaching of Gods word. The part of his sermon that gripped me was his explanation of how Christianity is not meant to be passive. As Christians, we are not suppose to be on the defensive, but on the offensive. Jesus said:
Mat 11:12From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.

I read that 78% of Americans in 2009 claim to be Christians, according to a Gallup poll.  By that survey, we should see a whole lotta folks on the offensive for the glory of God, advancing His kingdom. But there is a problem with these numbers. It seems there are only a "few good men" in the battlefield and on the front lines advancing the good to the glory of God. Why do we still see all the injustices and moral degradation, crime and corruption, destruction of families and eroding of values in America more and more if 78% claim to be soldiers or servants or at least followers of the Most High God? Where are all the rest of the Christian soldiers pressing forward advancing the light and repelling the darkness?

Jesus told Peter:

Mat 16:18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Notice, he didnt tell Peter that the gates of heaven would keep heaven from being stormed by the enemy. He told him the opposite. That His church, would break down the strongholds of hell! That hell wont be able to stop the mission, purpose, and power that God would give those who would enlist on His side. That just as the troops in the 2nd Gulf war broke down the walls of Sadam Hussiens kingdom, so to will Christians perform raids on Satans kingdom and set captives free!

It is the mission of Gadara to be on the OFFENSIVE! My brother and friend, Founder Nicholas Thornton, did not sit back and wait for all the stars to align, the wind to blow just right, the capital to be raised, all the programs to be in place, and buildings built to begin fighting to take ground. He began working on the vision God gave him to make disciples, to effect the lives of the formerly incarcerated by doing just that, ministering to the needs of the formerly incarcerated right where he was. He also recruited me to join with him in the fight, one that we are both intimately familiar with. I thank God for Nicholas who is both an inspiration and a freind, one I can count on to be with me in the battle as he can I. So, we are looking to take ground for Jesus sake. Our call is to the frontlines, to those who the enemy has wounded but not defeated. To come alongside them to "fight the good fight of faith" 1Tim 6:12.

You may not be called to the same "battlefield", but one thing is for sure, we all are called to the same fight.  The enemy is real.

The Apostle Peter said:
1Pe 5:8Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.


So, my question is, are we all engaging the enemy in battle? Is your Christianity offensive? Or do you think that there is no war to fight?

Let us not be found MIA or AWOL when our Commander in Chief appears.....

Jesus ministers on the other side.....

Mar 5:1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.
Mar 5:2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.
Mar 5:3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain,
Mar 5:4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him.
Mar 5:5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.
Mar 5:6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him.
Mar 5:7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me."
Mar 5:8 For he was saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!"
Mar 5:9 And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many."
Mar 5:10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.
Mar 5:11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside,
Mar 5:12 and they begged him, saying, "Send us to the pigs; let us enter them."
Mar 5:13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea.
Mar 5:14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened.
Mar 5:15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.
Mar 5:16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs.
Mar 5:17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.
Mar 5:18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him.
Mar 5:19 And he did not permit him but said to him, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."
Mar 5:20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
This passage of scripture was the inspiration for the name Gadara, which was a gentile region that most of the religious folk of the day, would not dare to venture into. Yet Jesus Christ would make a deliberate visit to encounter someone that no one else would. He delivered this man and his life was forever changed. The compassion of Christ is so profound, reaching out to those who were outcasts, regenerating the spiritually dead, healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, and delivering captives from bondage.

According to a study by OJP's Bureau of Justice Statistics, almost 7.3 million men and women were under correctional supervision in the nation's prisons or jails or on probation or parole at yearend 2009. About 70 percent (5 .0 million) of the adults under correctional supervision at yearend 2009 were supervised in the community (either probation or parole) while 30 percent (2.3 million) were incarcerated in the nation's prisons or jails. At yearend 2009, approximately one in every 31 U.S. residents was under community supervision or incarcerated. An estimated 756 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents were incarcerated in state or federal prison or in local jails at yearend 2009. The majority will be released back into the population with strained family relationships, employment challenges, lack of education, and uncertain futures.

The mission of Gadara Ministries is to provide the formerly incarcerated with the training and tools necessary to break the cycle of prison recidivism, and become productive citizens by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. Gadara Ministries is a Christ centered organization that provides for their physical, emotional, mental, and deepest spiritual needs of the formerly incarcerated. Utilizing biblical principals we will transform character and change conduct to mold productive citizens.

To the point of no return......