Earl was an atheist when he came to Hope…but he had a godly mother and a loving sister and brother-in-law who were praying for him. Long story short, God interrupted his unbelief and re-directed his life in amazing ways. He stayed at Hope for three years after graduating and brought his 12 year old son to live with him because the mother could no longer handle him, something we had never done before. His natural leadership ability and his passion for the Lord have been important factors in establishing him in a responsible position with Times Square Church in Manhattan and blessing him with a wonderful wife.
Jack Roberts, Director of Hope Christian Center
My name is Earl and the first 47 years of my life was spent pursuing crime: counterfeiting, loan sharking and any other illegal ways of making money. I had rarely ever been legally employed. I had houses, cars and money. But I was always empty inside, never satisfied and especially went after the ‘scams’ that had the most risk. I spent one-third of my life in federal and state prisons for manufacturing and smuggling narcotics. I was completely immersed in criminal behavior. The things of God were foreign to me.
I thought my mother and sisters who were praying for me were not normal. However, through a chain of events, I ended up in Hope Christian Center. My brother-in-law Vernon and a pastor he contacted talked me into entering this center. I figured out of respect for them, I would go for a few days. Once there, something began to happen. I heard the Bible preached and it started to have an effect on me. More and more, the things I thought were not normal, I realized were the truth.
One night, I cried out to God and told Him I knew nothing about His ways, but if Hew as real; I would need Him to show me. He would have to change me. I knew I had no idea how to follow Him for my heart was wicked. True to His word, He has started to create in me a clean heart. Instead of receiving my wish to die, I was reborn. He has given me a new life I never dreamed of.
During the past 16 years, the Lord enabled me to go back to school, provided me with legal employment, and placed me in a leadership position in my church and given me a desire to work with other men who have background similar to mine. I return to Hope Center regularly and share with the men about the faithfulness of God in my life. I now blessed with a wife and have custody of my teenage son who also wants to follow Christ. My mother and Vernon who prayed for me all those years have gone home to be with the Lord, but Christ’s work in me continues on.
Now instead of going out to eat with gangsters, I go out to eat with pastors. I am a changed man.