Gateway to Heaven Christian Center

Consider donating to the Carter DePrince Jones Legacy Fund on Giving Tuesday,  November 29, 2022.

The Legacy Fund is administered under the Gateway to Heaven Christian Center,  a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization. 

Let me begin by first, personally, thanking everyone who donated to the Carter DePrince Jones Legacy Fund, over the last 9 months of 2022! Your support and generosity is greatly appreciated and we pray that you will continue to support this worthy Legacy Fund. If you have not had an opportunity to donate to the Carter DePrince Jones Legacy Fund…it’s not too late! Below, is information on why the Legacy Fund was established and how you can contribute to it:

The Carter DePrince Jones Legacy Fund  was established in March 2022 in memory of  a 12-year-old basketball player. The Legacy Fund falls within the parameters setup under Gateway to Heaven Christian Center, Inc., which is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Carter DePrince Jones, was no ordinary young man. He was an exceptional student and athlete at River City Science Academy Innovation (RCSAI), located on the Baymeadows Campus in Jacksonville, Florida. There, he served as an Associate Coach for RCSAI’s Girls’ Basketball Team; and as Center for the RCSAI’s Boys Basketball Team. Carter had a hearty laugh and a ferocious zest for life! He deeply loved his family, cooking, basketball, and God. He excelled in everything that he set out to do. In addition to playing for RCSAI’s  Boys’ Basketball Team, Carter played on the following teams: Team Brent, in addition to Jacksonville Magic H.O.P.E., Inc., an AAU Team, and the YMCA’s Youth Basketball League (YBL). 
Carter’s ultimate dream in this life was to become a professional basketball player. Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were among several of his favorite players. At 6’7” his family truly believed that Carter had a pretty good chance of realizing those dreams. Carter’s unprecedented love for, and mastery of, the game of basketball is just one of the reasons his family wants to keep his legacy alive. Carter’s parents, Colby and Alan Barcus, along with his grandparents, Pastor Carlton D. and Barbara A. Jones, and Leticia Fowler, will fully support the award of scholarship monies and other funds generated from the Legacy Fund, annually. These funds are targeted to off-set costs associated with the sport:  whether it’s used for basketball team registrations, entry fees into Basketball Leagues and/or training camps, team uniforms, transportation to and from practice or games, hotels for overnight stays, and etc.

To donate,  please use the following Gateway to Heaven Christian Center URL (it provides further detailed directions)

You may also opt to send a check, and note “The Carter DePrince Jones Legacy Fund,” directly to:

Gateway to Heaven Christian Center 
8640 Phillips Highway, Suite 21
Jacksonville, Florida 32256

Please ensure that you provide your contact information with your name, mailing address, email address and telephone number, so that we can send you an end-of-the year donations letter. 

As a result of funds donated over the past 9 months to the Carter DePrince Jones Legacy Fund, it gives me great pleasure to announce that the River City Science Academy Innovation’s Girls Basketball Team benefited. Carter loved his school as much as he loved the sport of baseball. He also loved being designated as an “Associate Coach” to the  RCSAI Girls’ Basketball Team, as you may recall from the narrative above. How befitting is it that the Gateway to Heaven Christian Center was able to “give back,” by drawing down funds from the Carter DePrince Jones Legacy Fund to  purchase basketball uniforms for the entire RCSI’s Girls Basketball Program. Please consider helping us to continue on this journey to keep Carter’s legacy alive! Help us to help disadvantaged youth who have a love for the sport as much as Carter had! Consider donating to the Carter DePrince Jones Legacy Fund on “Giving Tuesday,” and any other day, thereafter! All donations are welcomed and greatly appreciated; no donation is too small. Thank you, beforehand, for your support.

Warm regards,
Cynthia Jones-Jackson 
Executive Director 
Gateway to Heaven Christian Center

Our ministries include At-risk Youth, Campus Crusades, Community Development, Career Transition, and Financial Wellness in Duval County, FL 

Gateway to Heaven Christian Center (GTHCCenter), INC., is committed to spreading the word of GOD, by empowering, encouraging, equipping, and educating people to live more abundantly. Located in Jacksonville, Florida, Gateway To Heaven Christian Center is a 501 (c) (3) not for profit organization.  The foundation of GTHCCenter ministries is “economic empowerment.” Ministries include:

  • At Risk Youth:

Serving more than 100 children in Jacksonville, Florida’s North-side, Gateway To Heaven Christian Church has set a goal to teach the gospel from Genesis to Revelations. Children will participate in fun-filled activities throughout the year, while learning Biblical morals. Gospel song and dance, visual arts and performance ministries are examples of activities youth may participate in.

  •  Work-net through Campus Crusades:

Statistics have shown that participating in meaningful employment-related activities can improve a person’s chances of finding sustainable employment. GTHCenterC is committed to empowering and encouraging people to live more abundantly, through the use of education.  GTHCCenter, in partnership with Campus Crusades (cru), is committed to helping members of the community with job training and preparation.

  •  Community Development:

GTHCCenter’s service area has an aging population, with aging housing and infrastructure needs.  One of our primary goals is to go into these neighborhoods to provide financial literacy to our Baby Boomer population, in preparation of retirement. Personal financial literacy should extend beyond the ability to write a check, and balance a check book. It should encompass long-term vision and planning skills; and the discipline to use those skills daily.  Among other things, GTHCCenter intends to help educate residents on the importance of using community banks to obtain low-interest loans; and protecting oneself against predatory lending. Low-interest loans can be used to update homes with ADA (American Disabilities Act) needs, like handicap ramps, door widening, ADA standards for kitchens and baths, elevators, etc. Updated homes provide residents with an alternative to costly nursing or senior citizens’ living facilities. In addition, we are identifying master planning opportunities within our service area to attract and provide other community development services. Plans include restoring and re-energizing our aging neighborhood infrastructure and neighborhood retail centers. Our goal is to serve as a catalyst for public participation.  We intend to empower our citizens, and other not-for-profit organizations, the City of Jacksonville’s Transportation Authority, Jacksonville’s Electric Authority, JAX Chamber, and elected officials to improve our neighborhoods so they become walkable, and accessible to public transportation. Furthermore, we intend to partner with these entities so that we might find cost-effective solutions for upgrading Jacksonville’s entire infrastructure; and where possible, encourage, that utilities be placed underground.  Moreover, GTHCCenter intends to lead efforts to help restore our public parks and public space, which includes street lighting, landscaping, trash removal and community maintenance.

  • Affordable Housing:
  • Career Transitions:

As a part of its ministry, GTHCCenter will help Gateway to Heaven Christian Church’s congregation and members of the community to navigate today’s challenging employment environment.  It will do so, by sponsoring interactive resume building workshops and career counseling. In addition, it will hold simulated interview sessions, so that participants can practice interview techniques. GTHCCenter can partner with private and local businesses, non-governmental organizations, and local/state governments to host job fairs. However, this will be done on an “as needed basis,” contingent upon the overall needs of the community.

  •  Financial Wellness:

According to a 2014 survey done by PwC, the generational gap in employee financial health is growing.  PwC’s Employee Financial Wellness Survey tracks the financial and retirement wellbeing of working U.S. adults nationwide. This year it incorporated the views of over 2,100 full-time employed adults. While a 2013 survey showed that Generation X carried the heaviest financial burden, the 2014 results find that Generation X employees, along with Baby Boomers, appear to be recovering faster than Millennials (Generation Y). Employees benefitting most from the market gains are those who have savings and equity in their homes rather than those who are more reliant on their current incomes. Key findings of the PwC Survey:

  • Cash and debt: While Baby Boomers and Gen X employees have shown improvements, Gen Y employees who find it difficult to meet monthly household expenses increased to 41%. Of those Gen Y employees who carry credit card balances, 39% find it difficult to make their minimum payments.
  • Retirement: Overall retirement confidence rose to 40%. The percent of Gen Y employees who think it’s likely they’ll need to use money from their retirement plans for other expenses increased to 34%.
  • Financial stress: 24% of U.S. employees admit that personal finances have been a distraction at work. 60% of Gen Y employees report financial stress.
  • Healthcare: Healthcare costs are one of the biggest retirement concerns for 33% of U.S. employees. 59% of employees think that health insurance costs will increase as a result of the Affordable Care Act. Less than half of Baby Boomers are confident they’ll be able to cover medical expenses in retirement.

GTHCCenter’s’s goal is to empower people to make educated decisions to improve their financial wellbeing. Drawing upon the diverse skill sets and talents of Gateway to Heaven Christian Church’s Congregation, GTHCCenter will offer classes on “financial wellness.” These sessions will help to ensure that its members, and members of the community, have the wherewithal to combat financial peril. Each of the six aforementioned ministries provides outreach models for other churches and communities to duplicate and implement.