Trapped by Gangs, Rescued by God: Escaping Gang Life

Trapped by Gangs, Rescued by God: Escaping Gang Life is a true-life account of A.V. Strong, Jr. As you read his story you will find how he willfully chooses a life of mischievous behavior as a young child to wake up to the realities of his choices.
You will find how the power of a mother's love and a father's godly words helped provoke their child to become something more than a gang banger. You will read about the pain Strong suffered due to his decisions to play with those who played with death.
The faith instilled in Strong as a youngster grew in him as he had to pull on that faith to go forward in life and become an upstanding citizen and mentor. His successes are a result of God in his life combined with the willingness to change.

Dr. A.V. Strong, Jr. is a high school graduate of Cholla High School, in Arizona. He earned his B.A. in Criminal Justice/Political Science from Temple University in Philidelphia, Pennsylvania. He earned his Master's of Divinity from All Saints College in Memphis Tennessee. In 2005 he received an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from International Community College and Seminary in West Columbia, South Carolina.
Dr. Strong has also graduated from the Criminal Justice Police Academy in South Carolina in 1989. His professional experience in the Gang Task Force under the Richland County Sheriff's Department, and Columbia Police Department combined with his experiences in the United States Army has helped prepare and season him for the current position he holds as the Executive Director of A Better Way Incorporated Project "Go" (Gang Out) in Columbia, South Carolina.
As a man of God, Pastor Strong loves the youths he mentors. He currently works in his area of expertise as a motivational speaker and worker with youth who are gang affiliated and/or at-risk of criminal behaviors and afflictions. He attributes his success to the Lord Jesus Christ.