| LifeWay Covenant Community is a Christian therapeutic community that began 30 years ago by David Kirschke. David is a father of nine children and lives in Hungerford (30 miles outside Houston, TX) on the 200 acres of the ministry's property with his wife, Jennifer and his children (kirschkes.com). At a young age, David, whose father was a minister, also felt God calling him to the ministry.
Originally thinking he would be a missionary to Senegal, Africa, little did he know he would begin in the asphalt jungle of Houston's inner city. In 1974 he moved to Houston and founded a "Teen Challenge" program for drug-addicts and anyone with a life-controlling problem. His heart was burdened for those who were destitute---who had no hope and no place to go. He started by bringing in drug addicts and prostitutes off of the streets of Houston into his own home. The Lord blessed the program so greatly that it ran out of room in its Houston facilities. The rest is a miraculous story of God's provision and anointing on the ministry, as the Lord provided an abandoned high school, which would provide ample room where "whosever will" could come (straightway.tc).
The students and dedicated staff moved into the facilities, and its vision of Psalm 68:6 ("God sets the lonely in families") grew into a ministry, which became the only such program (Christian therapeutic community) in America taking in "whole families," unwed mothers, as well as single guys and girls into its residential training center. Its drug prevention program in the public schools has been the largest in Texas for 10 years, using the performing arts to challenge over 1/2 million students each year through over 1,000 school presentations (straightway.org).
In the last 30 years, thousands of people have come and found hope at the StraightWay Training Center and LifeWay's fellowship (lifeway.org). And the LifeWay Covenant Community continues to grow. Christians in search of a "cause," some of which are retired, and who desire to be used in an ongoing way to reach this generation through an "Elijah" (discipleship) ministry (Luke 1:17) in a truly New Testament Therapeutic Community, have been relocating to Hungerford to be mobilized into this vital, ongoing ministry.
What started as a refuge for the hopeless has become a "city of refuge" and habitation for many, who are "blowing a trumpet in Zion" and reaching and calling those without a "life-purpose" to come into "Father's House." Status: N/A | Community location is placed at the center of the zip/postal code, city/state, or city/country (not based on street addresses) |
Population Members(adults and children): 150 | Government Decision Making: By a group of elders or other leaders Leadership Core Group: Yes | Labor and Money Financial Style: Members have independent finances Open to Members with Pre-existing Debt: Yes Labor Contribution: (Members have outside jobs. Work in the community depends on their schedule, but volunteering when possible (phones, etc.) is encouraged) Regular Fees: Yes (If member has outside job, a regular tithe to the church would be expected, since this is a church-related Christian Community.) | Land and Buildings Rural Area: 200 acres (80.9 hectares) (150-acres of that is privately owned and being developed for member-owned housing) Land Owned By: Individual community member(s) (This applies to 150 acres of the 200. The other 50 is owned by the 501-c-3 non profit corp.) Number of Residences: 20 (Consists of about 16 houses, 2 floors of apartments, and 2 dormitories) | Food, etc. Percentage of Food Grown: 1-5% Share Community Meals: 1 time/week Dietary Choice or Restrictions: Diet is up to each individual Dietary Practice: Omnivorous Alcohol Use: Used occasionally | Social Factors Common Spiritual Practices: Yes (Christian covenant relationships building the Body of Christ) Which Spiritual Traditions(s): Protestant/Lutheran (non-denominational, charismatic) Educational Style(s): Other (Both public schooling and home schooling based on individual preference) | |
