Teen Challenge celebrating 40th anniversary with celebration dinner

When E. Paul Jackson and seven other men gathered at a St. Louis Holiday Inn in October 1968, the group dreamed of a ministry to help men recovering from alcohol and drug addictions.

Two years later, that dream became reality when about 25 men entered the doors of Teen Challenge Mid-America off County Road 621 in Cape Girardeau County.

Today, the ministry has more than 100 students participating in the program that uses Christian principles and initiatives to help them turn their lives around.

"As Christians we operate by faith," said Jackson, who has remained on the board since the local ministry's founding. "We felt like this concept would work here, but never could we have envisioned what has happened."

Jackson and hundreds of supporters of Teen Challenge Mid-America will gather April 17 at the Show Me Center to celebrate the ministry's 40th anniversary. In a DVD to be played at the free event, Jackson and others will speak about the ministry's history and its effect on the men it serves. The program will also feature testimonies from graduates of every decade, songs by the New Creations choir and a few tunes by the current student body.

Since the ministry was formed, 66 percent, or 3,911 of the 5,958 people, who entered have completed the program, according to Teen Challenge Mid-America executive director Jack Smart. Some students grew up in a Christian home while others never heard of Jesus Christ before taking part in the 14-month program, which includes four months at an off-site induction center where men are introduced to Christianity and the final 10 months on Teen Challenge's 263 acres north of Cape Girardeau.

While in Cape Girardeau, the men participate in 16 hours of Bible classes weekly, an optional GED preparation program, one-on-one counseling sessions and the work-oriented activities such as woodworking, cutting firewood, doing chores for members of the community and picking strawberries for the ministry's annual strawberry sale and festival.

This year's strawberry festival is scheduled for May 29 and will include train rides, complimentary strawberry shortcake, picking of strawberries for children, puppet shows and face painting. Strawberries will go on sale mid-May through early June, though the location for the sale in Cape Girardeau has not been determined.

Despite the education and work experience the students receive, Smart said, the most important part of the program is the spiritual education and discipleship, which he says is the main reason for the students' transformation. In addition to Bible classes, the students attend three chapel services, seven scheduled prayer times and two Sunday services each week.

"We go through ups and downs spiritually with our student body," Smart said. "There are times when they're serious about Christ and others when they aren't. But in the end our students find the hope that is Christ and many times overcome their addictions thanks to him."

Teen Challenge was originally founded in 1958 in New York.

The local ministry, founded Oct. 5, 1970, began on a 263-acre farm donated by Roy P. Johnson and his wife, where the ministry has its offices today. By 1972 difficult financial times forced downsizing of the staff to its director, the Rev. Herb Meppelink, a secretary and one other staff member.

But the ministry soon began to recover from its financial troubles. Under Meppelink's leadership, 13 buildings were added to the campus and a second story was built onto the dorm, according to the Teen Challenge website.

When Smart came on board as director in 1979, the ministry had 55 students in the program and 13 staff. Today, the ministry serves 135 students and 23 staff members. Additionally, during Smart's tenure a new chapel was added in 1994, a new wing to the main dorm was added in 1995 and a learning center, gymnasium and dormitory expansion were completed in 2008.

Smart said that while he's thankful for the 40 years the ministry has been around, he's already begun to think ahead to what the future holds for Teen Challenge.

"We're just starting to scratch the surface," Smart said. "If the Lord is good to us and we get another 40 years, we can help thousands and thousands more."

To attend the 40th anniversary celebration, call 335-6508 for reservations by April 9. Though admission is free, Smart said donations will be accepted.

bblackwell@semissourian.com

243-6635

Pertinent address:

303 MATC Lane, Cape Girardeau, MO