Christian Action Commission

A Transformed Life, Transforms Many More Through Mission First

The name Lorenzo Bailey is synonymous with words like successful, intelligent, poised and star athlete.  This former Mr. Jim Hill High School turned Millsaps College senior psychology major is the captain of the varsity men’s basketball team, a scholar and a role model for young boys and girls in the Metro-Jackson area.  However, the man Bailey is today is not the result of an easy, privileged life. It is the result of a difficult life transformed by the investment of many individuals like Coach Willis Bridges, director of sports and adolescent ministries at Mission First in downtown Jackson.

“I grew up in a single parent home in Canton. Most nights I slept on the floor. I literally lived with rats some of the time. Life was always difficult, but when my family moved to Deer Park things seemed to change for the better; even though I thought they would get worse. My life changed when God showed me the promise of a better way,” Mission First intern Lorenzo Bailey said.

When Bailey moved into Deer Park, the odds were not in his favor. However, Coach
Bridges saw more than most could see.

“One day Coach pulled me aside and changed my life forever. He looked at me and told me that I was different. He told me that I could be set apart. That I could achieve. He told me I could do more, and he wanted to help me be what God created me to be,” Bailey said.

The words and actions of Bridges challenged Bailey to live for a higher calling every day. It helped him find a genuine relationship with God. Bailey found out what it felt like to have a Father who is always present with him.

“I came to know Christ the summer of my 12th-grade year. I knew I needed to go to church, but this day was different. I knew I had been trying to live by the 10 Commandments, but I never could get it right. That day, something in my spirit moved me. Then my body literally moved. The next thing I knew I was sitting in front of the church altar giving my life to Christ. That changed my life forever. Now, I just want to be His disciple - just one of His workers. I want to share His message,” Bailey said.

Bridges gave Bailey the opportunity to fulfill his calling by serving as an intern at Mission First, something he has done consistently since he was given the opportunity by Bridges.

Coach Bridges, a Millsaps alum, came to Mission First with a legacy of success, and continued his success at Mission First. His legacy includes coaching three sports for 17 years at the Mississippi School for the Deaf, and leading the football team to two deaf football national championship titles. Today, Bridges invests in young men like Bailey by connecting through a variety of athletic programs. The sports ministry of Mission First makes a dynamic impact in the lives of the youth of Jackson by investing in them physically and spiritually. It is a combination that makes for dramatic and meaningful results.

“Sports provide a safe outlet for our children and youth to relieve their tensions and stress which are so prevalent in our cities today. It also provides a backdrop for our youth to learn valuable lessons about life. Each young person is challenged physically and spiritually in every aspect of their life,” Coach Willis Bridges said.

Bailey follows Bridges’ model for ministry at Mission First and in his daily life. He hopes to invest in youth by meeting their needs and challenging them to find the excellence that they are capable of achieving. This ministry model, that is evident throughout the ministry of Christ, produces genuine life change. Children in the city thirst for this type of investment. Lorenzo Bailey and Coach Willis Bridges celebrate an incredible year with one of the Mission First teams during the annual Sports Banquet.

“If you meet students where they are, they will be open to you. You will be able to pray with them, minister to them, teach them to see God and have faith to believe that God and his plan for them is very real and active,” Bailey said.

The investment of volunteers like Bridges and Bailey challenges students to aspire for a better quality of life in every way - in school, with family, personally and spiritually.

“This summer, we had three children give their life to Christ. It’s thrilling to see what God is doing. It is hard to resist the kids. When you give and invest in them, they love you. Their lives are changed forever, but it makes you feel like a whole new person too,” Bailey said.

(Learn more about Mission First at http://www.missionfirst.org)