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Our Staff 

Reverend Darlene Watley

For many years, the Rev. Darlene Watley desired to make a tangible difference in the lives of people, particularly those who affected by substance abuse, homelessness and mental illness. As a person in recovery, she had first-hand experience in surviving a disease that can swallow your life, destroy your outlook and drown you in depression. But, thanks to the help of others, she turned her life around and wanted to help others achieve that same stability.

So, in 2002, Rev. Darlene Watley decided to transform her dream into reality by starting Chosen Gospel Recovery Ministries and 16 years later, the nonprofit is changing lives all around South Los Angeles. Chosen Gospel Recovery Ministry offers person-to-person outreach to the homeless and addicted, transitional housing for women and children, and spiritual enlightenment to the lost and confused. The group’s educational component provides various skill-building training in communication, conflict resolution and eliminating risky behavior.

Describing her fulfillment since founding the ministry, Rev. Darlene Watley declared, “It’s a desire of mine to give back to my community and this is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life besides giving birth to my five daughters. To serve others is the most rewarding thing I could have ever accomplished.”
Rev. Darlene Watley, who also serves as pastor of Faithful Zion First Fruits Ministry, utilizes space attached to the church building to run Chosen Recovery’s programs. The campus contains a sanctuary, a daycare and seven rooms attached to the edifice where women and children can reside for up to a year.
“We reunify women with their children through our program. We get DCFS cases closed. We educate and empower our women to understand things, like risky behavior, that caused their homelessness. We help them build skills and we work with them hand-in-hand,” she explained.

The housing divisions are named Ruby’s House I, II and III, after a woman with the same name who Rev. Darlene Watley said “took me in during my darkest hour, loved me with the love of Christ and pointed me in the direction of recovery. My program is designed on my experiences with her.”
Music is another arm of Chosen Gospel Recovery. Singing “chosen gospel recovery songs” in a variety of styles, Rev. Darlene Watley and group members regularly appear at churches and social events around Southern California. Also every October, they are featured performers on the Wave stage at the Taste of Soul, L.A.’s largest family festival. “The music ministry where we are able to open up the portals of people’s soul to minister to them through songs, many of them that we’ve written and vocally arranged ourselves,” said Rev. Darlene Watley, who added that Chosen Gospel Recovery released a CD of their music.
In addition, spiritual nourishment takes place via Faithful Zion Faithful Zion First Fruits Sunday worship services and weekly Bible Study and prayer meeting. Choir rehearsal and liturgical dance practice also occur during the week.
“Our members are people that were non-believers, out of the church, from different religions, different cultures, bound up by drugs and alcohol, suffering from mental illness – all of the people that society says are throwaways and they were stigmatized by that. But they’re up in here praising God and serving one another. That’s what God wants us to do,” she shared.
To keep the all of the ministry’s programs operating, Rev. Darlene Watley credits the assistance of her co-pastor, the Rev. Carolyn “Cookie” Brown, and Faithful Zion First Fruits ministerial team who share their talents and expertise in several capacities. As for funding, Chosen Gospel Recovery organizes fundraisers as well as accepts financial donations and contributions of items like furniture, blankets, towels and toiletries. Sponsorships and mentorships are available as well to aid youth and college students.
“This ministry is the Great Commission in full effect.
This is what the Bible tells us to do,” said Rev. Darlene Watley.
“Our statement of faith is based on Acts 2:42-47. They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and fellowshipped to the breaking of bread and prayer. That’s what we really practice here.”

Chosen Gospel Recovery Ministry
For information or to volunteer or donate, call (323) 244-6902.

Rev.DarleneWatley@cgrinc.org
Rev. Darlene

Tameisha Poindexter

With nearly 20 years of finance and accounting experience; and millions if not billions of dollars reconciled under her watchful eye Ms. Tami Poindexter has graciously leant her expertise to Chosen Gospel Recovery Inc.
Currently Ms. Poindexter holds the position of Chief Financial Officer however, the title that she holds most dear is mom. She has been blessed with two biological children and a few additional children that God saw fit to be in her care.
Ms. Poindexter gives the same level of attention, care, and concern to the financial business of Chosen Gospel Recovery Inc that she gives to her beloved children.
Ms. Poindexter possess the ability to multiply whatever God leads to her hand.
With a heart to serve she continues to be a blessing to this ministry and organization. As God grows Chosen Gospel Recovery Inc, she is at the helm to be sure that we are financially prepared to go wherever we are called and do as God commands.

Tami.Poindexter@cgrinc.org
Tammy

Reverend Carolyn "Cookie" Smith

Identified at age 12 as a coloratura soprano, Rev. Carolyn “Cookie” Smith whose mother and grandmother also were ordained ministers--is a Los Angeles native.
She studied operatic voice at Louis Pasteur Junior High School under the late Alta C. Dale, and in private training with the late coloratura Armanda Chirot.
She matriculated in music at Saint’s Academy, in Lexington, Mississippi--performing throughout the United States with the Academy Choir and band – and after graduating pursued collegiate music studies at Warner Pacific College, Portland, Oregon. Rev. Cookie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from the University of Phoenix, and a graduate of the African Methodist Episcopal School of Ministry in Los Angeles where she was licensed as Itinerant Elder.

”Rev. Cookie” has 4 beautiful children and 10 grandchildren.
She is also a newlywed of 3 year to Ronald Smith. Rev. Cookie was a 40-year member of Bryant Temple AME Church Choir, and during that time served her church as Associate Minister and Itinerant Elder. In addition, she appears regularly as a member of the Chosen Gospel Recovery Singers, a female Christian group whose performance receipts are devoted to the support of Chosen Gospel Recovery Ministries for Women and children. The Chosen Gospel Recovery Singers provided singing and preaching every Sunday with Bryant Temple AME Church at the Amistad Foundation Rehabilitation Center in Los Angeles for many years.

Rev Cookie is now serving as Co-Pastor with Rev Darlene Watley the Pastor of Faithful Zion First Fruits Ministry and continues to sing in Chosen Gospel Recovery raising funds for the Ruby Houses, working and teaching Bible Study every Monday night to those that need to know that God is first and will always come first not just in their lives but in the lives of many that need to change for the sake of God’s kingdom to continue until Jesus returns for us. She knows that God has blessed her and will continue to provide her with the skills she needs to follow the path he has cut out for her life.
Cookie

Markiesha Guy

Ms. Markeisha manages 3 of our houses of Chosen Gospel Recovery, Inc.
known as the Ruby’s Houses. She is a very reliable person, and she holds the ability to be supportive on so many levels here at Chosen Gospel Recovery Inc.
Ms. Markeisha is always up for a task even when it’s not easy and she gets the job done. Ms. Markeisha has a heart to serve and has been a tremendous blessing to our agency and organization and is committed to the work most importantly to the Lord Savior Jesus Christ.
Ki-KI

Veronica “Bonny” Taggart

Bonny Taggart met Pastor Darlene in 1993 when she was the Director of Homeless Services at WLCAC and Darlene was an Outreach Worker for Prototypes.
They bonded over the shared passion of helping women and families and the common cause of doing good work. Bonny served in homeless services from 1987 until 2007, with most of that time spent in South Los Angeles.

Bonny holds an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and completed certificate programs in Domestic Violence Counseling (California Coalition for Battered Women) Batterer’s Treatment Facilitators (California Association of Batterers’ Intervention Programs.
Over the years, Bonny has become a prolific and proficient freelance grant writer and nonprofit consultant for organizations across the U.S.

When she and her husband “retired” and took off cruising around the world in 2007, even out there she had to “do good” out there and started writing grants for the women’s organizations and other nonprofits that try to help the underserved people of the Pacific Islands, including the Marshall Islands, Guam, Palau and American Samoa.

Now that she is home and semi-retired, she continues to support the work of organizations that are making a difference in the lives of people who need it the most.

Bonny.Taggart@cgrinc.org
Bonny

Our Mission

Our mission is to promote the well being and self-suffiency of chronically homeless families and individuals through supportive housing, drug abuse recovery, life skills building, creative communty out-reach and an array of collbaborative services.

Proverbs 22 : 1 - A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.