Urban Renewal

Drs.Tony and Lois Evans revitalize inner cities and souls from the inside out

by Natasha Spinks

 
In a society that donates millions annually to combat the war on poverty, Drs. Tony and Lois Evans have a found a successful way of providing a hand up rather than merely giving a hand out.

As a result of growing up in the inner city of Baltimore, Maryland, Dr. Tony Evans is no stranger to adversity. He saw the challenges that urban kids face in trying to rise above the poverty, family disintegration, violence, promiscuity, and chemical addictions that breed hopelessness in so many young people and their families. However, a powerful transformation occurred in Dr. Tony Evans and his family that motivated him to rise from the pit of poverty — the transformation of his faith. “Tony will never forget when his father received Jesus Christ personally, brought his faith home, transformed their whole family, and gave them a different world view.” says Dr. Lois Evans.

Dr. Tony Evans’ faith in God pushed him to pursue a career in ministry. His fervor can be felt when he preaches from the pulpit, and his outstanding accomplishments in ministry testify to his commitment and faith. Since earning a doctorate degree from Dallas Theological Seminary, Dr. Evans has served as associate evangelist with the Grand Old Gospel Fellowship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, helped organize and served as vice president of Urban Evangelical Mission, has served as chaplain for the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, and currently serves as chaplain for the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. He is founder and president of The Urban Alternative, an organization designed to bring comprehensive renewal to urban America through the church. He has published over twenty publications, hosts “The Alternative with Dr. Evans” radio broadcast, speaks on the Promise Keepers’ platform, and is in his twenty-eighth year as senior pastor to the 7,000-member Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship church in Dallas, Texas.

Dr. Lois Evans has worked with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, the Grand Old Gospel Fellowship Ministry, and Dallas Federal Savings and Loan. Serving alongside her husband, Lois Evans currently acts as senior vice president of The Urban Alternative. She also serves on the National Religious Broadcasters Board, Dallas Baptist University Woman’s Auxiliary Board, and the Dallas Mavericks Board, and is a member of Leadership Southwest, sponsored by Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce. Along with publishing articles and books, and recording albums as an accomplished singer, Dr. Lois Evans is president of the Global Pastor’s Wives Network and founder of The First Lady Ministry.

While Tony Evans was able to rise out of poverty and achieve more than most people dream of, his compassion for urban youth and families has never ceased. Because of this compassion, Drs. Tony and Lois Evans and Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship created Project Turn-Around (PTA), allowing God to work through them and affect change in communities globally. “Through Project Turn-Around, we are seeking to multiply millions of times over the transformation that happened to me in the lives of other high-risk youth and their families throughout urban America,” says Dr. Tony Evans.

Project Turn-Around is a social outreach with the mission to rebuild communities from the inside out with a comprehensive faith-based program designed to improve and enrich the lives of urban youth and families. The philosophy of Project Turn-Around emphasizes the importance of moral and spiritual foundations upon which lives are built in order to influence permanent change and growth. Created in 1985, Project Turn-Around is a local outreach of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship and is being expanded nationally through The Urban Alternative. Dr. Tony Evans views the church as the best avenue to connect to and change the lives of those who are struggling to escape the vicious cycle of poverty. “The church is the best social service delivery system in the community. It provides a natural context to identify and address the needs of high-risk students and their families,” he says.

For the past eighteen years, Project Turn-Around’s program initiatives have addressed the critical needs of at-risk youth and families with an array of services. Among its benefits, PTA has afforded many who were formerly hopeless and desperate the opportunity to earn a GED, learn to read as an adult, and acquire the necessary skills to obtain a job. PTA has developed comprehensive outreach for urban youth that includes mentoring, tutoring, and family support services which focus on saying no to drugs, staying in school and out of gangs, and choosing sexual abstinence.

The Urban Alternative and Project Turn-Around have had such an astounding impact on society that President George W. Bush visited Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in October 2003 for one of the church’s high-energy worship services and for the dedication of the newly-built Education Center. President Bush and Dr. Evans have worked hand-in-hand to inspire the use of federal dollars to fund faith-based programs. At the service, President Bush summed up the mission of Dr. Evans and Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship: “I’m glad to be with people who are transforming a community one heart and one soul at a time.”

When asked what he feels to be the most extraordinary change he has seen since the inception of Project Turn-Around, Dr. Tony Evans says, “These kids now have hope because of the investment in their lives through Project Turn-Around. Reaching out to the less fortunate is at the very center of the heart of God. To not do so is to miss God’s heart and will, and I do not want either our congregation or me missing God.”