rival, as they were entering the building, one of
the girls (accompanied by her pimp) yelled out
to them "I know a Scripture from that book!"
She was referring to the Bible that Major Jerry
always carried with him. They approached her
and asked, "What is that favorite verse?" She had
learned it as a young girl��Isaiah 40:31. They in-
vited her to the corps and she came by a few days
later. Months went by and one of the girls was
murdered. "Scripture Girl" came to the majors
and told them they wanted to attend the funeral,
but it was an hour away and they had no trans-
portation. Majors Jerry and Nancy offered to take
them to the funeral on one condition��their pimp
had to come, too. Two men and two women ended
up riding in the van. Major Nancy describes this
as a turning point in their ability to reach the
men who were the pimps and drug dealers in the
the meal. A drug dealer came into the building--
and passed out shortly after his arrival. A few
weeks earlier, a Christian nurse from a local hos-
pital had started attending the corps and immedi-
ately diagnosed the situation as a drug overdose.
After calling 911, Major Jerry and the nurse went
to the hospital to be with the man. He survived
and credited them with saving his life and leading
him to become a "regular" at the corps building.
ministry to the drug dealers and pimps. One of the
girls set up a meeting with a well-known dealer.
A casual pizza lunch was served at the corps for
the dealer, the girl and Majors Jerry and Nancy. A
few weeks later the dealer wanted Major Jerry to
meet him at a private location. As Nancy prayed
fervently back at the corps, Jerry listened as the
drug dealer asked the simple question, "Is there
any hope for the likes of me?" Through the minis-
try of Major Jerry and the practical and spiritual
help of the Adult Rehabilitation Center, this man
Salvation Army Temple Corps was dying as sol-
diers relocated to the suburbs and the neighbor-
hood became a hot spot for drugs and prostitu-
tion. Crime had risen to the point that the corps
building was kept locked even during the day, and
the Social Service office had moved to another lo-
cation. Majors Jerry and Nancy Curttright were
sent to this corps in the brutally cold month of
January, and immediately began to ask the Lord
to show them who was in their neighborhood. A
front page story in the newspaper listed the top 10
criminals in the city, and the majors had already
met most of them during their first few weeks.
Taking Jesus to the streets became their mission,
so they took the first big step: they unlocked the
door, literally and spiritually! Realizing that the
people who lived on the streets were not welcome
utilize the corps restrooms, began serving coffee
and doughnuts and offered them a warm place to
rest.
was known for drugs, crime and prostitution.
Word began to spread that the Lake Street Salva-
tion Army welcomed everyone, and people started
to trust the unassuming couple who loved them
building for
warmth and safety,
the men remained