Gang leader transformed

Rev. Keith Ivester
State Director
Youth and Christian Education
Columbia, Maryland

In 1989, I was serving as State Director of Youth and Christian Education for the Church of God in California. Each summer, we held camps for our youth and I foolishly said, "We'll take anyone. Bring them on." Reverend Dennis Adams from San Francisco took me at my word. Little did I know the people he would find as he travelled the streets of San Francisco asking teens if they would like to spend a week at camp.

When the group he recruited arrived on Monday, things became interesting. I later found out they were members of two of the worst gangs on the west coast, the Bloods and the Crips. They drew a line down the trail and the Bloods were on one side and the Crips on the other with their knives drawn daring the others to step over the line. We de-armed them as well as we could and I told the staff to start praying. I told the camp evangelist, "Something is wrong and you had better really preach tonight!"

At the altar call, I felt impressed to pray for a young man who was kneeling at the altar. As I walked away, I felt a tap on my shoulder and he was standing behind me with tears streaming down his face. He said, "Give me some more of this. I've never felt this good in my life." I didn't know what to do but I said, "You must want the Holy Ghost." He said, "I don't know what that is, but if it is more of this, I want it." I told him to raise his hands and I laid my hands on him. He began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave the utterance. Little did I know this was the leader of one of the gangs.

Later, he helped pray four of his gang members through to salvation and marched them over to me. He said, "Hey, Preach, give it to them just like you gave it to me." During the week, they also received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Before the week was over, the Bloods and the Crips marched into my office together and handed me their bandannas, meaning they were forsaking their gangs, surrendering what was previously the most important thing to them. I keep the bandannas in my office and during trying times they remind me of God's power.

Later that summer, I went to San Francisco to preach. As I was locking my van, I heard a voice behind me calling from the door of the church. It was one of the former gang members. He said, "Hey, Preach, come on in. I've got a bunch more of them in here for you."