EX-LEADER OF STREET GANG TO SPEAK HERE

The Rev. Nicky Cruz, ex-gang leader and subject of the bestselling book "The Cross & the Switch~blade," will serve as guest speaker at the seventh annual fund-raising banquet of Mid-America Teen Challenge.

The banquet will be held Friday at 7 p.m. at the Show Me Center.

Cruz was one of 18 children born in Puerto Rico to a family whose parents made their living as spiritualists, serving as mediums and sorcerers, according to Teen Mid-America Challenge.

At the age of 15 he was sent to live with a brother in New York City after his parents rejected him at an early age. In a spiritualistic trance, Teen Challenge said, Cruz' mother called him a "Son of Satan," hurling curses at him.

Later, Cruz went on to join the Mau Mau street gang, eventually becoming gang president. His life soon became surrounded by an endless cycle of drugs, alcohol, and brutal violence, with Cruz leading his gang in destructive gang "rumbles," beatings and killings.

In 1958, Cruz met the Rev. David Wilkerson, who was preaching to street gangs. Threatened by the preacher's invasion of the gangs' "turf," Cruz was determined to get rid of Wilkerson. But at a rally held by Wilkerson, the reverend's message made Cruz repent and give his life to God.

Cruz, after attending Bible college, became a director of Brooklyn Teen Challenge. He later started Outreach for Youth Ministries Inc. Through his ministry Cruz has visited 15 countries and spoken to more than 30 million people, Teen Challenge said.

The events leading to Cruz's conversion are detailed in Wilkerson's book "The Cross and the Switch~blade," also the subject of a feature-length movie. Cruz has written several books, including his auto-biography "Run, Baby, Run," and the best-seller "Devil on the Run."