Our Story, Vision, and Plan
Our Story
My name is Thomas Morgan. In our cartoon, I play Saint Thomas.
JC's TRAP House started with my son. Dalquon trusted me with something big: he told me he wants to become a pastor. I was amazed, and it lit a fire in me. That's why I'm building this church, for him and for his brothers, Elijah and Devonte.
Every character in our cartoon is someone real to us. They're my friends: Pastor JR (Rev. J. Rannie Williams), his wife LaSonya, her twin sister LaTonya, and their children. And of course, Jesus. Saint Michael has been watching over me since the day I was born.
The devil in our story is real too. He's been chasing Dalquon, the boys, and me like a wolf. This is our story, and this is how we're building JC's TRAP House.
For about twenty years, I've dreamed one idea after another. I drafted documents and even made filings: group homes, assisted living for our elders, and the Dale Wilson Morgan Academy of Life Sciences, named for my dad and my grandfather, a school where young people ages 18 to 24 could learn how to live life, with the lessons my dad taught me passed on to kids who didn't have a dad. My friends LaSonya and LaTonya listened to every one of those dreams. We looked into government funding more than once, but every time, we stepped back. We didn't want to get into those muddy waters. Then, all at once, it came together in one moment, by a revelation I can hardly describe. Every one of those dreams became one house: JC's TRAP House.
I'm fighting cancer, and JC's TRAP House is the last thing I'll leave my boys. I want it to be their home base for the rest of their lives, a place that keeps them on the right track and opens its doors to anyone in Los Angeles locally, and the world via the internet, who needs truth, restoration, and prayer.
And when I'm in heaven, I'll still be Saint Thomas, doing exactly what I'm doing now.
Our Vision
A new kind of trap house, where people get free.
Truth. Restoration. Prayer. A second start for everyone.
Jesus Christ’s Truth, Restoration, and Prayer House (JC’s TRAP House) is a new Baptist church and Christian mission in Compton, California. We are a California nonprofit religious corporation (registration pending).
How it started
A Call to Serve from Jesus, nothing else.
What TRAP means
TRAP = Truth. Restoration. Prayer.
A lot of us know the word “trap” from the street. We’re taking it back. Here, a TRAP house is a place of freedom, not a place where you get stuck.
Who it’s for
We’re building this for young adults, ages 18 to 30, in and around Los Angeles, California. And everyone is welcome. If you want a fresh start, steady ground, or a church family, come as you are. The door is open.
What we see
- Truth. God’s Word, preached plainly.
- Restoration. Walking with people toward a second start. Our goal is to offer faith, mentorship, and job and life-skills training that help people get back to work and back to family.
- Prayer. Open doors, open arms, and people who will pray with you.
“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.”Matthew 11:28 (WEB)
Our story, in a cartoon
We’re making a cartoon show, and every character is based on someone real to us. Meet Jesus, Dalquon, Elijah, Devonte, Saint Peter, Saint Thomas, Michael, Ms. Dee, Ms. Patty, and more.
Our Plans to Build
We don’t have a building yet. We’re starting with what we have: our story, our cartoon cast, and a community we’re inviting to build this with us.
We plan to grow step by step. Each step opens only when the one before it is ready.
Step 1: The ministry
Worship, sermons, and media on YouTube, TikTok, and X, plus our cartoon show. This is where we start.
Step 2: Youth Services
Our goal is to serve young adults ages 18 to 24 who are coming out of foster care or experiencing homelessness. We plan for them to learn trades through supervised training and help build what comes next. Housing and residential programs would require state licensing before opening. This step opens only when Step 1 is funded and the program is ready.
Step 3: Adults, seniors, the ranch, and the fleet
As God provides and as gifts allow.
Saint Peter’s Tally
Our first goal is $25,000 by January 1, 2027, so we can rent a place and pay the bills to open our doors. Saint Peter is keeping the tally. After we open, we’ll start raising the $25 million to build.
This is a goal, not a promise. We promise to show up, tell the truth, and report back.
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.”2 Corinthians 5:17 (WEB)