David Silva, Director
David Silva grew up in Brockton, MA, and accepted Christ as Savior at a summer camp when he was 11 years old. He attended Trinity Baptist Church with his family, and was involved with the large and active youth group at that church, which is where he met his wife Jannett. Now married for over 35 years, they have a married daughter (with two young sons of her own!) and a son who is a research scientist. Both children are involved in local churches and ministries.
Throughout his life, David has served in many leadership positions within the churches he has attended, including missions committees and the deacon/elder boards, and was on staff as a full-time church administrator for 5 years.
In 2002, David, his wife, and his daughter were involved in a serious auto accident. David, paralyzed from the chest down, underwent a major spinal fusion surgery in Boston and was told he would never walk again. But God had other plans. After spending several months at a rehab hospital and many more months of outpatient therapy, David has the ability to walk again. It was a time of absolute trust in God and resting on his sufficiency.
It was David's volunteer work as a Bible teacher at a county correctional facility that opened the door to Compass Point Ministries. Having taught, discipled, and counseled over 25 men individually each week, he saw the tremendous need for a program that would help these men after their time was served. That experience led him to follow God's leading and begin Compass Point Ministries.
Jean Belizaire, Resident Supervisor
Jean Belizaire came to know God at the tender age of sixteen. As a teenager he was very athletic and his sport was Basketball, Day and Night! His teachers and coaches had said he had potential, but that he had a poor attitude and didn't put his best effort toward school. If he didn't have his way he would quit the games. Most of his friends were guys who used drugs and drank. He always thought that selling drugs was for "nobodys" and that he would never get "high" or "pump" (sell) drugs but before he knew it, he was selling drugs for a guy at school. Everyone thought he was cool because of what he wore, who he was dating, and because of how much money he was "pumping". He began to idolize criminals who had developed a name for their actions in Brockton. He craved a reputation, and began to rob and steal to get money. He started snatching purses and pulling knives on people to rob them.
In May of 1994, he was a 15-year-old freshman in high school when he was arrested for stabbing a seventy-three year old woman for her pocketbook in broad daylight. She had just finished grocery shopping with her great grandson who witnessed the attack. News about the crime and his arrest made the papers and the Sunday news. He was in big trouble and was sent to a juvenile facility in Boston where a Bible study was being offered to incarcerated youth. Being raised a Catholic, he had never studied the Bible like this before. Instantly a desire to learn what the Bible had to say was cultivated in him. The men who facilitated the study were ex-gang members, drug lords, and armed robbers who had been saved by the awesome power of Jesus Christ. Following each study they offered to pray for his upcoming court dates and for his salvation. After some struggles, he accepted Christ. He started to read literature about God, praying at night and sharing his new found faith.
Meanwhile, he was facing a 15-30 year sentence. He was tried as an adult for his crime and deemed unamenable to treatment in a juvenile facility. He started to immerse himself in the Bible and discovered the reason for his life was to teach and preach the gospel. He started to hold studies in his cell, counseling men individually, and passing out tracts to inmates and correctional officers. He received so much joy, though his future on the surface looked dim, that he said to God, "It doesn't matter if I never get out, all I beg of you to do is let me preach your word!" But God had mercy on him and he served an 8-10 year sentence. It was an adventure with God that would change his life!
Jean is now a Sunday school teacher, youth director at his church, Bible study leader in a juvenile facility and the Resident Supervisor for Compass Point Ministries. He is a different man because of the power of the Gospel. Therefore, Jean says with the apostle Paul, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:16,17)
Jean has been saved for 14 years now. He wants you to know that he is not perfect. No! He is far from what Christ expects from every believer, but there are things that have changed that have allowed him to know that the marvelous grace of God is at work in his heart. And his hope for the men is that this very same grace of God will be used through the staff here to help men grow with Christ as their Lord and Savior. We hope to help them receive a second chance according to the pure love of God, and to give them hope to become more like Christ every day. Jean asks you for your continued prayers.