Meet Frankie Holbrook of Shine His Light Ministries in Downtown, Southwest

Today we’d like to introduce you to Frankie Holbrook.

Frankie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Jesus called me to street ministry a little over two years ago. He gave me direct orders to go out and shine his light in the darkest places across the nation. He tasked me with being his hands and feet on the streets. We minister to the lost, the addicted, the prostitutes, the alcoholics, and the most broken. Most of the people we minister to will never make it into a regular church. So, we bring the church to them. We love them just like Jesus right where they are. Since being called to ministry, I have ministered to people on Skid Row in California, the Wild West in Jacksonville Florida, the South Side of Chicago, Northern New Jersey, New York City, and most often right here in Atlanta in a place we fondly call “The Bluff”. This area of Atlanta has been named the 5th most dangerous place in the nation, and it has inspired such movies as “Snow on tha Bluff” back in 2011. There are a lot of lost souls here. There are pockets of poverty that are more like a third world country than the rural suburbs of Buckhead and Roswell. We go to these dark places and minister to the folks out on the streets. We let them know that Jesus still loves them, and he offers forgiveness no matter what you might have done in the past.

I have held many events in The Bluff. At our “Crunk for Christ”, Christmas Event this year, we served 500 people a full Christmas meal, put on a Holy Hip Hop Show with rappers from across the country, gave out gifts to each person there, and gave away over 1000 blankets. We saw people delivered from alcohol and crack cocaine right in the street. Just like any of our many events throughout the year, we shined his light all over the neighborhood. We brought church to the streets and Christian Hip Hop to the hood.

I am a preacher, teacher, and all-around inspiration seeker. I simply go where God leads. In the past 2 years, he has led me to Grand Marshall the MLK parade here in Atlanta. He has led me to speak in front of 1000’s of people, I have performed in front of Alveda King and the King family at Historic Ebenezer. I have partnered with Floyd Mayweather Sr. for a speaking tour in some of the roughest schools in Atlanta, Carver High School, and Booker T. Washington. I have filmed some of the most amazing people. I have written books, I have written Christian rap music. I have stood on stage with t.v. personalities, sports greats, civil rights leaders, and ambassadors. I have been on the news, and I have been on radio. I have had so many phenomenal opportunities and met so many amazing people along this journey, but my greatest achievement will always be the souls I have saved. His light shines through me. He allows me to spread his message across the world. Shine His Light Ministries now has support from all over the world, and I get messages of gratitude from all corners of the globe. Our message is more important now than ever. There are half a million people living on the streets any given night of the week. There are 260 overdose deaths daily. There are more than 100 suicides per day. There are 20 to 30 million slaves being traded and sold across the world. We must do what we can wherever we are to spread love and light. I promised God that I would do what I could, with what I have, wherever I am, and I have kept that promise. In return, he has increased my influence. He has expanded my territory, and I know there is even more to come. We will not stop sharing the love of Christ, and as for this little light of mine, I am going to let it shine!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been an easy road. Sometimes, we go into some rough areas, and we are fearful of what might happen, When you are ministering on Skid Row or the South Side of Chicago, you do not know what to expect. It is completely unpredictable. I do not go to the same area, at the same time, on the same day each week like a pastor in a church. God leads where he wants me to go, and I simply follow. When we were on Skid Row, we were threatened by several people. When we were on the South Side of Chicago, we walked up on a trap house and almost didn’t get to walk out, but we not only walked out, we also helped a heavy hitter and drug dealer get saved. He was on the run from the police. He was scared as anyone would be. You see, drug dealers and criminals are scared too. They love too. They pray too. They are no different than you and I. They just made some awful mistakes that led them down a path of sin, and because of this, they are separated from the saving grace of Christ. God loves them too. He wants everyone to be saved. He does not go after the 99 sheep that are on the right path… he goes after the one who is lost. When we are doing this work, it is tough. If I did not have his strength and light to guide me, I would never be able to do the work I do. There are many times that I want to give up. I feel like I am not doing enough, I am not good enough, I am not strong enough, but just when I get ready to walk away from ministry, my phone rings or someone writes me a letter or someone posts something to thank me for something I didn’t even remember doing, and I get right back out there. Even though the journey may be hard, the road may be long, and we don’t always know where we are going, when we get there, we always shine his light.

What else should our readers know?
Shine His Light Ministries is a ministry for the homeless, the lost, the broken, and anyone who needs to know Jesus still loves them. I am the owner and founder. Shine His Light Ministries was born out of a call I had from Jesus to shine his light in the darkest of places. We have been around for almost 2 years. We have held many hip hop shows and outreach events, we have ministered to people across the nation, we have helped clothe and feed 1000’s, and we have provided shelter to hundreds. Whether we are sharing a message with 1000 people or praying on the street with one person, whether we are paying for a room for the night for one person, or feeding a group of 500, we believe we are doing the work of Christ here on earth. We are going outside the four walls just like the disciples did. We are going to the highways and byways where the lost can be found. We are shining his light in places that have become truly dark. We are shining a light on subjects like homelessness, and trafficking. Other groups may serve the homeless or speak about issues in the areas we serve, but we actually go into these areas, we actually develop relationships with these people, and we never just serve the food, we also serve his word.

What were you like growing up?
I grew up in Forsyth County Georgia, and up until about 25 years ago, it was a mostly all-white county. It was on the news as one of the racist places in the nation, and Hosea Williams and Oprah Winfrey even marched here back when I was young. I was never quite like the people there. I always loved to perform, dance, and act. I wanted to live in the city, and I did not understand why anyone wouldn’t like someone simply because of the color of their skin. I performed in every single play and wrote my first book before I was 12. I started going to Atlanta and seeking out auditions when I was in my teens, and I never looked back. I performed in commercials, dance t.v. shows, plays, but I always struggled with addiction. I was in New York on the streets by the time I was 18, and I was homeless on my own not long after that. I learned some hard lessons at a young age. During my 20’s, I was completely lost. One of the reasons I believe I am called to the streets, to the lost, the addicts, the prostitutes, and the suicidal drunks, is because, at some point, I was all of those things. I overcame every single one of them through the love of Christ.

Flash forward to last year, and this white girl from the most racist county in the nation was Grand Marshall in the MLK Parade. I was walking beside some of the leaders of the civil rights movement and many folks who probably marched on Forsyth County back in the day. It is ironic how we come full circle sometimes. All things begin to make sense, and you begin to understand why you went through the tough times you did. He allows you to go through the pain so that you can grow and so that you can help others. Now, I speak out against racism any chance I get, and my performance skills are used every now and then. I am an ordained minister who has cleaned up my act, but I never forget where I came from, and I never forget where I am going.

Contact Info:

• Address: 252 Atlanta Rd.
  Cumming, Ga 30040
• Website: www.shinehislightministry.com
• Phone: 7706558055
• Email: windsorfrankie@hotmail.com
• Instagram: @shinehislightministries
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shlministry/
• Twitter: @golftech5
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/shine-his-light-ministries-cumming
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/Dirty-Knees/dp/B07RP34H66

Image Credit:
Ryan Chloe Kriser

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