MCDONOUGH, Ga. — A former drug dealer, Terrell Scott, has returned to the streets of McDonough, not to wreak havoc, but to save them by opening a new youth and community center.
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The Malachi Project, a 6,000-square-foot facility located near Rogers Street and Church Circle, aims to provide a safe space for the community’s youth. Scott, now a pastor, was once known for causing trouble in the area but is now committed to healing it.
“I was so excited. I could have done a dance, but I was in a McDonough City office, so I contained myself,” said Pastor Terrell Scott upon receiving the certificate of occupancy for the new center.
“Why not the very place that we once wreaked havoc. Why not take the opportunity to bring something good to a place that was once devastated with heartache and pain,” said Brandy Scott, Pastor Scott’s wife.
Channel 2 Action News first reported on the Malachi Project nearly three years ago. The project was funded by Scott’s nonprofit, The River Refuge, in collaboration with local churches and businesses, raising $1.5 million to bring the center to life.
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Earlier this year, Terrell and Brandy Scott published a book detailing their journey from a life of crime to one of redemption and community service. The center will soon begin hosting after-school classes, fulfilling Pastor Scott’s mission to mentor the community’s children.
“I was in prison and lost. God saved me, and now I can come help save others. I’m so grateful,” Pastor Scott told Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen.
The first Sunday service at The Malachi Project will take place this Sunday at 11 o’clock, marking a new chapter for the community and for Pastor Scott’s mission to give back.
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