Mission USA -- Our History

Glen Fitzjerrell began his career in Texas where he grew up, working as a prison chaplain of the nation’s top juvenile correctional facility. Eventually however, Glen left his beloved Texas and moved to Chicago more than a decade ago to work under Gordon McLean, a man considered by many to be the top innovator in the field of at-risk teen ministry. As Glen got to know Chicago gang members in prison and on the streets, he was surprised to find how open they were to Christianity. Once he understood the gang culture, it was a relatively simple matter to introduce many gang members to the Lord.

Unfortunately, the local churches were not meeting the gang members' needs for continued spiritual growth (discipleship). We began to ask ourselves if this lack of proper outreach was due more to a lack of training and equipping, rather than a lack of willingness to obey the Biblical command to minister to “the least of these” (Matthew 25:31-46). As we talked to pastors and church leaders, we found this to be the case in many instances. This began to open the door to bridging the gap to meet the needs of ex-inmates.

In 1996, Glen founded Mission: USA to meet these long term needs for gang members and ex-offenders. Since then, Mission: USA's reputation on the streets and in prison has become contagious.

Years of experience taught Glen that gang members who want to leave their gang must have a long-term support program to replace the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs that the gang serves in their lives. When they leave the gang they are in culture shock and do not know how to function successfully in a gang-free world. This led to the development of THE BRIDGE program.