Second's Place

We live in an age that is detrimental to young people everywhere. Our children are facing dangers today worse than any other time in history. If there isn’t something done to guide our children and redirect their passions, the end result will be catastrophic. Unfortunately the young African-American male is extremely vulnerable to a life of despair and degradation. The young African-American male is an “endangered species”, he has been marginalized, victimized and villainized. 

African-American boys develop cognitive processing errors due to environmental dictation and cognitive economical disadvantage. This manifests itself in a hood mentality defined by William Tutt, CBT in his published work “Psychotherapy Urban Outlook” the subconscious awareness with an outwardly expression due to5 environmental dictation.

It is evident that the field is not level, there are inherent disadvantages of the young African-American male that is not faced by any other race or class of people. However, it is built within the young African-American male to overcome the disadvantages placed before him. He must be equipped with the proper tools of navigating the course of life.

Second’s Place is out of my life’s purpose. March of 1994 my wife was pregnant with our third child, one Sunday morning she complained that she was experiencing some major pain. I went to church and she stayed home. Before church was over I was summoned back home my wife was rushed to the emergency room. My wife was very ill and as a result, the child she was carrying would be stillborn. The hospital staff told us to name the child as if he would survived, we named him Charles Wade Parker, II.

Second’s Place is my response to him, the love and the lessons I would have poured into Second, is what I now know is my life’s purpose to pour into other black boys. Second’s Place design is “Lessons a Father would teach his son”. Pastoring is the call upon my life, being a father to boys who have no father in the home is the purpose of my life.

I was rescued by a loving and caring man who poured into my life so that I can have a life, a life of hope and not despair; a life of character and integrity, a life worth having. It is my desire, to do the same on a larger level pour into young men who have no hope. I believe my life has been purposed for such a time as this. The despair around us is but an opportunity for us."

-Pastor C.W. Parker-

Second’s Place is determined to help and change social family dynamics by instilling core values and lessons a father would teach his son on how to be Man. Luke 2:52 says, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and Man. Jesus grew intellectually, physically, spiritually and socially”. With these specific areas in mind Second’s Place is designed to help boys ages 12-17 grow into men that God, society and their peers can have respect and honor for as real men. 

The goal of the program is to equip young men with functional tools that will guide them through adolescence and prepare them for adulthood. Second's Place is a character building program. It address the needs the life of the young man to have proper disciplines that will allow them to make positive decisions. Young men will discover a purpose of life. When a young man understands his purpose he is able to have a pattern of life that will fulfill life's purpose. Character and purpose. Character and purpose in the life of a young man prevents him from choosing detrimental and destructive path to a path that is practical and productive. 

While being a Christian is not a requirement, the young men would be asked to participate in a weekly discussion group that focuses on character of men in the Bible. This will help them to see the advantages and the disadvantages of making wise and foolish decisions in life. They will also be asked to attend the church of their choice each week. I believe it is important for a young man to have some spiritual foundation in life; this will aid in their character and integrity and promote moral living