Robert Cinnamon
Work Experience Coordinator
I came from a broken home. My parents divorced when I was six years old. My father had been married five times by the time I was 14. I started smoking pot at the age of 13. When I was 14 I started running away from home. At 15 I started taking my mother's diet pills and by 18 I was doing cocaine. When I was 19 I was introduced to meth which started many years of pure hell for me, my wife, and my kids. Meth had ruined every relationship I had, and took everything that was left. In 1995 I asked Jesus into my heart yet struggled with this addiction and other addictions for a few more years until I couldn't take that lifestyle any more. I took steps to change it. I moved out of the town I was in, I moved into a stable situation. I dove into serving at the church where I was discipled, and grew in my relationship with my Lord.
Having been freed from this 20 year addiction to meth, I felt God calling me into the ministry to help others trying to find freedom from addictions. A year into my sobriety I enrolled at Salem Bible College. After graduating I enrolled into Corban College where I majored in Pastoral Studies. In my senior year at Corban I recalled a radio advertisement for Teen Challenge that I heard my freshman year. It had struck a chord with me and had stayed in my thoughts almost daily since. I called Portland Teen Challenge to see if I could do my ministry practicum there and they asked me to come in to talk. I immediately volunteered for 16 hours a week and learned what this ministry was about. Six months later, on June, 1 2006 I was hired as Work Force Coordinator and currently I am the Program Coordinator. Praise God for his enabling grace that carries me through every day of this incredible journey he has set me on. All the glory to Him!
Matthew Morris
Intake Coordinator
After years of traveling with music as the vehicle, working on many recording projects, supporting many mainstream bands in large secular venues, Matthew found himself dissatisfied, empty, and still wanting more. Being weighed down with many addictions, he was sinking fast and soon lost everything. Praise God that it is only in our weakness that perfects His strength. God found Matthew at the bottom and explained that the song in his heart had been placed there by Him. All the despair was due to misusing the gifts that were given to him for the King's glory. He was drawn to Teen Challenge and God met him mightily there. During his time as a student it was made clear what purpose God had made him for. Matthew is now a worship leader and intake coordinator (formerly the outreach coordinator) on staff at Portland TC. He lives in the metro area, re-united with his wife and children, living a life that strives to glorify his Savior Jesus Christ.