Nicky Cruz: “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation" The year was 1958. Nicky Cruz was a warlord with the Mau Maus, one of the most violent and ruthless gangs in Brooklyn. David Wilkerson was a small-town country preacher in Pennsylvania—but he had a heart for the lost and [...]
Enrique's Story Enrique grew up in an abusive home and started using drugs when he was only seven years old. His mother tried to keep the family together, but also suffered from abuse at the hands of Enrique’s dad, who one day took the children and disappeared. Enrique’s mom searched for her [...]
Michelle's Story: A Place of Second Chances As one of our supporters, I know you understand how destructive drug addiction is. For some, the lure of a drug’s empty promise can be very hard to resist. This was the case for Michelle. Michelle first came to us in 2012, bound by an addiction [...]
From Chaos to Redeemed: Michael Mericle's Story “God stepped into my life in the midst of the wreckage and the chaos that I had created and sought me out. ” - Michael As a 13-year-old growing up on Coronado Island, Michael followed his older brothers into the local beach culture. [...]
REFRESH Pastors’ Conference – Session Videos TCSC has a passion for supporting the pastors we partner with as together we reach into our communities to further the Kingdom of God. Each year, we host a pastors’ conference at Benedict Castle (home of Teen Challenge of Southern California) to encourage and refresh pastors from [...]
Elizabeth Goodban's Story Even though Elizabeth had been raised in a Christian home, she decided to go her own way and follow the party crowd. When she graduated from high school, she felt free to do whatever she wanted. Unfortunately, that included more poor decisions. She had two children over the next [...]
Jeff found himself in jail. Again. He’d exchanged the values he’d learned in a Christian home for a lifestyle centered in defiance and rebellion. He ran with new friends in a world centered around skateboarding. For him, it was a path that eventually led to a steady stream of drug use and bad decisions. [...]
A Family Restored, Ashley's Story Ashley’s story is different because she never used drugs but was addicted to heroin and opiates from the day she was born. Her father was a drug dealer on the streets of Fresno and her mom used drugs every day of her pregnancy with Ashley. Within two weeks, [...]
Life, Family, and Purpose Restored: Mike Jone's Story His brother, a Superior Court judge, kept an aluminum bat by the door in case Mike showed up. You’d never know it to see him today, but Mike was a 16-year meth addict with a history of violence. Mike watched his siblings go through college and [...]
Addict to World-Changer, Tom Tiemens In 1968 Teen Challenge of Southern California was in its 5th year. Tom was in his 22nd. He was 6’1” tall but weighed just 135 pounds. Drugs were killing him. When he got arrested again his probation officer offered two choices: prison or Teen Challenge. “I didn’t want [...]
