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Former Rap Artist Now Serves Covenant Church
By Craig Pinley
LOS ANGELES, CA (July 10, 2003) - In the early 1990s Stephen Jean-Marie, or
"Cue" as he is known, seemed to have everything he ever wanted. His rap
group, The College Boyz, had a hit record and a contract with Virgin
Records.
But something was missing.
"I was living large, but I started feeling empty and I started praying
to God," said Cue. "I remember being in Seattle performing in front of
60,000 people. We got off the stage and it was the greatest feeling and
yet minutes later I felt so empty. I started praying, 'Lord, please take
this away if I'm going to lose my soul.' "
Soon afterwards, Cue went to see the film "Malcom X," about the civil
rights leader murder in the 1960s. "It really spoke to me," said Cue. "I
thought God was saying to me, 'He died too soon.' I was considering
becoming a Muslim and I felt God was tugging on my heart. I thought God
was telling me to care for my people."
When Cue went to church with a friend a month later, the pastor's sermon
that day also centered on Malcolm X and his premature death and the
message hit home again. Cue returned to the same church not long after
with another friend named Vennis Price and dedicated his talents to
Christ, transforming his life in subsequent months. Within two years he
had become an ordained minister with the Faithful Center Bible Church in
Inglewood, a megachurch known for having bought the former home arena of
the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, The Great Western Forum, to house its
worship services.
Cue (pictured right) now uses his creative talents through Newsong
Community Church, a Covenant church in Irvine, California, to change his
corner of Los Angeles for Christ. He is serving as full-time director of
a multifaceted ministry created by Newsong to be run in the city's
Crenshaw neighborhood.
The new ministry, THE SHAW, a Newsong Community Development Corporation
in Crenshaw focuses on Sports, Health, the Arts and Worship. It is part
of Newsong's JAC (Justice Advocacy and Compassion) ministry paradigm.
Cue's ministry has also aided a new Covenant church being planted in the
area, under the leadership of pastor Adam Edgerly. The church plant has
grown from 120 people to over 200 during the past four months.
"Crenshaw is a place where there is a high youth population and over 60
percent of families are led by a single parent - in most cases, the
mother," Cue said. "Economic injustices, gang violence, and lack of
resources are all realities for the community. As we make preparations
for launching this new ministry in Crenshaw, exciting things are
happening and we definitely know that God is in the house."
Los Angeles is a long way from where the 38-year-old Cue grew up. Cue
was born in the West Indies and spent much of his childhood in Texas. In
high school, he was kicked out of his house and was on his own for the
bulk of his adolescence. A group of guys asked Cue to be a bodyguard for
their band during the 1980s and he eventually became the band's manager
and started rapping. He also got involved in selling drugs and became
known by local police for his illegal activities. In fact, he watched
from a block away as agents came one night and raided the drug house he
worked and lived in.
Things went smoothly for a while after Cue moved from Texas to
California in 1989 with his music group. In 1991 Cue became a Virgin
Records recording artist, eventually working for four years out of Los
Angeles. The College Boyz produced a hit song called "Victim of the
Ghetto" that received national acclaim and helped get the group on
television's "The Arsenio Hall Show" and some music videos.
Cue initially connected with Newsong Community Church through its
associate pastor Darryl Brumfield, who knew Cue's friend Vennis Price.
Newsong pastor David Gibbons recognized Cue's unique talents and sought
to use them for JAC ministry near where Cue had once performed. A group
of 16 people began ministering to areas of South Los Angeles last fall
through THE SHAW and their efforts have already helped the neighborhood
in a variety of ways.
On Halloween, 2002, Cue and company had the chance to partner with an
existing sports, recreation and community center to facilitate
activities for the children in the neighborhood. This spring, the group
led an April 19 Hip Hop Easter worship celebration in conjunction with a
local parks and recreation department. It also coordinated a health
survey in the area on April 26 and followed up with a health and fitness
fair on May 31. Cue hopes that THE SHAW would eventually start a record
label, run basketball leagues, and open a coffee shop. It also has
partnered with Kingdom Music (a Christian record label based in San
Diego) to coordinate a 2005 gospel Hip Hop conference in Los Angeles.
"THE SHAW is focused on community transformation," said Cue. "These
initiatives will enable us to have a presence in the community. Our core
group is more committed than they were before and God is moving.
Although we have had difficulty with the price of real estate, we are
hoping that God would send the funds soon to get a building for THE
SHAW. And we haven't allowed that to stop us from moving forward. We're
excited about what God is doing. People are making decisions for the
Lord and we've made many friends and built lots of relationships."
If you're interested in knowing more about THE SHAW community
transformation center or other Justice Advocacy and Compassion
ministries being created at Newsong Community Church, email Stephen
"Cue" Jean-Marie at cue@newsong.net or call the church 949-477-0700 ext.
232.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
