Eric quickly felt the consequences of his drug use as he was estranged from his family, lost jobs, experienced homelessness, and was in and out of jail.
Eric grew up in Cleveland, OH. Like many we serve, he began drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana in his youth. At the age of 24, he was introduced to crack cocaine and became bound by an addiction that would rule his life for the next 13 years.
Eric quickly felt the consequences of his drug use as he was estranged from his family, lost jobs, experienced homelessness, and was in and out of jail.
After a stint in prison, Eric tried in vain to restart his life by moving to Chicago to stay with his brother. Speaking of that time Eric said, “I changed my location but not myself. I got right back into doing the things that I was doing before, only seven times worse. I was quickly losing jobs again, back to being homeless, and then back to prison.”
What Eric truly needed was for God to change him from the inside out.
For nearly a decade Eric continued his life on the streets of Chicago engaged in mischief to fund his addiction. He was well-known on the streets for his criminal activity, addiction to crack, and the shoulder length dreadlocks that became a kind of personal trademark.
Eric first heard of Teen Challenge when he was approached outside of a liquor store by a local pastor who prayed for him and offered to pay his way through the program. But Eric wasn’t quite ready to let go of his former life. When it came time to get on the Teen Challenge bus, cut his dreadlocks, and enter the program, he changed his mind and ran back to the streets.
Shortly after, the pressures and stressors of street life intensified. Eric found himself at the end of his rope and back in prison for violating parole. Eric knew he couldn’t make it on his own. Upon his release he ran back to the pastor who had told him of Teen Challenge and symbolically left his old life behind by cutting his dreadlocks as he left for Teen Challenge.
Eric went through 4 months at a Teen Challenge induction center and was then sent to Pennsylvania Adult & Teen Challenge (PAATC) in Rehrersburg, PA. As he progressed through the program, Eric steadily submitted himself to Christ and the shackles of addiction fell off. “I was being challenged with my old ways of thinking, and I was changing. My mind was being renewed and my being was being sanctified…and discipleship took place.”
Not only was Eric’s life transformed at PAATC, but he went on to help a multitude of others as he served on staff at PAATC in various leadership, management, and director roles for over 15 years. Eric’s lasting impact for the Lord can still be felt throughout the various campuses and programs of PAATC.
When asked what he would say to the generous anonymous donors who gave so that Eric could go through our program, Eric said “Oh man! After saying thank you a thousand times …it would be an encouragement to continue to invest in people. Sow into people’s lives through PAATC and do not give up.”
Today Eric continues to follow the Lord’s call for his life as a joy-filled husband and the father of two wonderful children. Eric has also answered the call to pastoral ministry and serves as the Pastor of Koontz & Waterside Churches Of The Brethren in Bedford County, PA.
Your gift does so much more than end addiction. Through it you become a part of the story of how Jesus is making people whole, bringing healing to families, growing His church, and bringing blessing to the community! Thank you for making this complete transformation possible.
