About Us
HERE IS A BIT OF OUR STORIES
Background
Since childhood we both had toyed with the idea of full-time Christian service, but often these thoughts were pushed behind other "more profitable" desires. However, during our years in college, God began to unfold His plan for our lives. Because of the human service fields we chose in college, both of us had the opportunity to intern in social service agencies before receiving our degrees. Mike worked with excellent gang intervention and prevention programs near LA, while Tonya interned at a prominent community center in urban Indianapolis. So often we were frustrated with the limitation of the governmental programs to share Christ's love, which was our client's deepest need. We saw time after time that even the best secular programs are powerless to change the human heart.
God's Plan Unfolding
The summer of 1990 is when we first met each other serving as urban ministry interns with Here's Life Inner City in New York City. HLIC's Summer in the City project was our first real exposure to serving the poor from a holistic, biblical approach. It was then clear to us that God was calling us to the city on a permanent basis. The following year, we helped staff the first Summer in the City project in Los Angeles and were married the summer of 1992. In January of 1993, we joined the staff team of Here's Life Inner City- Los Angeles, the urban ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ.
We served as Los Angeles City Directors with Here’s Life Inner City (HLIC) from July 2000 to May 2008. We have been on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ since 1992. They have two children, Sydney and Zachary and have lived in Compton since 1998.
Prior to taking the role of Director, Mike served as the Short Term Ministry Opportunity Director as well as serving in the Compton S.A.Y. Yes! Center for Youth Development. At the Center, Mike coordinated the UP (Unlimited Potential) Program for junior and senior high students. The UP Program facilitated two student-run businesses, entrepreneurship training, computer skills classes, leadership development and college prepatory training.
Tonya became out Senior Staff mentor and trainer in Los Angeles. She helped create and faciliate our Human Resources department and specialized in discipling young urban women. She has had a profound impact on many lives since we have lived and served here.
Before coming to HLIC, Mike led urban after-school programs as well as interned with the Gang Intervention Unit in the City of Chino, California. Mike graduated with a Bachelors degree in Social Work in 1992 from Cal Poly, Pomona. Tonya graduated with a BA in Children and Family Studies from Purdue University.
We are currently on the Pro Soccer staff with Athletes in Action, the athletic ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. We use urban youth soccer as an outreach mechanism for professional and college soccer athletes.
Tonya continues to invest her life in many emerging urban leaders and trains church and ministry leaders in understanding the cultural framework of poverty.
Sydney
Syd was born in May of 1999. We had waited seven years before having children. We enjoyed our life and ministry before Sydney was born, but now everything takes on so much more meaning. We love being parents and being a family together in ministry.
Zachary
Zach came to us in November 2000. He has brought a whole new level of joy into our home. He is much more laid back than his extroverted sister! We are thrilled about the privilege (were not saying there are no challenges!) of raising a family here in such a diverse setting and with a staff family who loves them and daily builds into their lives.
Ramiro
Ramiro entered our lives in 1994 at the age of five years old. He and his family attended
As he entered college, he came to live with us. We are so blessed to be able to consider Ramiro, Jose and Marleny as part of our family.
About this Movement
THE MISSION
Our mission is simple, to come and remain together as individual people and organizations for the sole purpose of seeing Compton transformed into the city it was meant to be.
OUR VALUES
- Unity in uniqueness; To celebrate each others uniqueness and assets they bring to the table of collaboration
- Holistic; To work together to see all of Compton transformed physically, socially, economically, academically and spiritually
- Focused; To remain diligent and focused at the task at hand
- Long-term commitment; To commit to work through differences and opinions for the sake of the transformation taking place
OUR GOALS
- To see the physical infrastructure of our city be restored and modernized
- To see that every child in Compton has the opportunity for a world-class education
- To see that every resident and visitor of Compton can walk down any street in our community and be safe and feel safe
- To see that every resident of Compton has an opportunity for a stable, dignified job and career
- To see that the people of Compton walk in the dignity and integrity that they were created for
- To see that every person has an opportunity to tangibly see and hear about God's love several times a year
Compton History
From Wikipedia;
In 1784, the Spanish Crown deeded a tract of over 75,000 acres (304 km²) to Juan Jose Dominguez in this area. The tract was named Rancho San Pedro. Dominguez's name was later applied to the Dominguez Hills community south of Compton. The oak tree that marked the original northern boundary of the rancho still stands at the corner of Poppy and Short streets. The rancho was sub-divided and parcels were sold within the Californios of Alta California until the lands were ceded after the Mexican-American war in 1848. American immigrants acquired most of the rancho lands after 1848.
In 1867, Griffith D. Compton led a group of American settlers to the area in search of the mild Californian climate. The city was incorporated on May 11, 1889 and was named for Griffith D. Compton.
Compton grew quickly in the mid-1900s. In the late 1940s with the dismantling of segregation, middle class African-Americans began moving into the area, mostly on the west side. One reason for this was Compton's proximity to Watts, California, where a significant number of African-Americans lived at the time. However, the eastern side of the city remained predominantly white into the 1960s. Despite being located in the middle of a major metropolitan area, there remains at least one small pocket of agriculture from its early years.[2]
Compton, California, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Compton%2C_California&oldid=184770748 (last visited Jan. 16, 2008).
