A last resort became a new life in Christ.

Otis McClam
A recent family photo of Otis with his sisters. They now look to him as a family patriarch.

Otis, “My life was out of control… And drug use was the primary thing I wanted to address when I came in here to PGM.

My venture into drugs started with one little compromise. My first exposure to drugs was in my freshman year of high school. I saw it destroys some of my closest friends at a very young age – they two were just freshman‘s. “In my junior year, I made a compromise to try marijuana and it led to a whole new life. King David didn’t know that on that day he would have an adult street affair that would lead to a child and later murder… And so many coverups, just like me when we compromise the truth that God has revealed to us, it takes on a whole new life.

I became the guy that would try just about anything, except a needle with heroin. “Little did I know that one day, I would try crack cocaine. And unlike all the other drugs, crack cocaine devastated my life. It led me to homelessness for the first time, and I have been arrested between 20 and 30 times for shoplifting. I ate from dumpsters! All of this because of my addiction.

I was 17 when I meet my compromise, and that season lasted until I was 54 years old – that’s 37 years. “I found out about Pacific Garden Mission in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. There’s a program at PGM called Unshackled!. A loving Pastor friend of mine-I will always remember him-took me off the streets and allow me to live in his church. And while there I felt compelled not to listen to secular sports radio like I normally would. Instead, I listen to the gospel on Moody radio. That’s when I heard Unshackled! for the first time and I became a regular listener they were talking about this place in Chicago called Pacific Garden Mission and how God has use this place to restore people’s lives for well over 100 years.

Gentlemen l to r: Otis McClam, Ron Childress, Pastor Phil, and Sampson Green a solid pack of Christian man, Otis has now found a family of support, love, and fellowship at PGM.

“Finally I got desperate enough to come to Chicago, and here is where the contract is; I made a compromise decision to smoke marijuana at 17, and I made a conscious decision to come here and join the Bible program. Choices take on whole new meanings. And the life I have now… I have had steady employment for 14 years as of this September, which in the past was something I couldn’t do. But walking with God… He establish your ways.

“I was unreliable to my family – a derelict and someone who just couldn’t be relied on. And now, my family looks to me as a pillar. One of my sisters said, “Otis you’ve replaced our father as the patriarch of this family.” What a compliment! That would not have happened on my own. God has truly transformed me, and he is constantly transforming me still. Thank God for the counselors and the people who have allowed me to be transparent and have not been judge mental toward me.

When Otis came to Pacific Garden Mission, he saw it as his very last resort for intervention. Knowing he needed to break free of his life – crippling drug addiction, Otis was willing to do whatever it took to change. Soon after his arrival Otis surrendered his heart to Jesus Christ – and since that day, his life has never been the same.

This article first appeared in PGM News December 2021

About Carma Henry 24481 Articles
Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

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