Hawaiian Gardens
Profile in Mission: Barry and Terryl Bruce
Ministry
Urban Outreach
Location
Hawaiian Gardens, California
Partner
The Way Out Ministries, Inc.
What Need Is God Showing Us?
Hawaiian Gardens, a small urban area in Los Angeles County, California, has a hardworking blue-collar population that is 80 percent Latino. It also has one of the highest per-capita crime rates in the United States, and many families live in poverty. The people of Hawaiian Gardens–especially young people who might otherwise turn to gangs for acceptance–need to experience Christ’s love and compassion.
What Is God Telling Us to Do?
In the early eighties, friends Barry and Terryl attended an RCA church that was separated by a chain link fence from the city of Hawaiian Gardens. On the other side of the fence was a neighborhood plagued by gangs, illicit drugs, and alcohol. After they were married, Barry and Terryl Bruce did mission work with indigenous people in Guatemala, Tahiti, and New Zealand. While they were in New Zealand they responded to God’s call to urban ministry in the United States. In 1984 they moved to Hawaiian Gardens and founded The Way Out Ministries.
How Are We Doing What God Is Asking?
Through The Way Out Ministries, Terryl and Barry Bruce coordinate weekly youth clubs, support groups, Bible studies, and a referral network of service agencies. Terryl is also the principal of The Way Out Ministries Christian Academy, a private mission school for low-income junior and senior high school students. Barry serves as pastor of a contemporary church in the community that was planted by The Way Out Ministries in 2003. “Every service we provide also introduces people to Christ, who is the essence of life and hope,” say the Bruces. “We measure success in changed lives. We are a discipleship ministry and, therefore, are working with families on long-term goals. Each year, individuals and families within our ministry change. Dysfunctional families are becoming functional in Christ. Family members are graduating for the first time in family histories. Christ is making a difference!”
Who Is Our Partner?
The Way Out Ministries, Inc. is a nonprofit community development organization whose programs are funded through a combination of grants from public and private agencies and gifts from congregations and individuals.
Up Close and Personal
Barry and Terryl Bruce have three children, Ryan, Rachel, and Michelle, all of whom are actively involved in ministry. Ryan plays the drums in a Christian band, Vital Substance, and works part-time in The Way Out Ministries’ performing arts programs and outreaches. Rachel and Michelle participate in various outreach programs at The Way Out. The Bruces enjoy spending time together as a family and with members of their community. “The people in our mission field have become our people, and we love them,” they say.