A gun-toting evangelist, whose story was told in Hollywood blockbuster, Machine Gun Preacher, will talk about his remarkable life in Aberdeen next week.
Sam Childers, who was played by Tinseltown star, Gerard Butler, in the film, will discuss how he was transformed from a violent outlaw to an inspiring missionary at Destiny Church Aberdeen, on Greenhole Place, next Tuesday.
The event is being organised by Destiny Church, in partnership with local addiction recovery charity, Teen Challenge North East Scotland.
In his early years, Mr Childers was a drug-dealing brawler and member of a notorious bike gang.
But he subsequently reached a crossroads when he was almost killed in an extreme bar fight and shoot-out in Florida.
That night, he decided he had endured enough of the wild life he was living and moved back to his home state, Pennsylvania and became a Christian.
Mr Childers later went on a mission trip to South Sudan where the Lord’s Resistance Army, a rebel group led by Joseph Kony, carried out horrific attacks on innocent civilians, kidnapping children and forcing them to join their evil militia.
On stumbling across the remains of a young child whose body had been torn apart by a landmine, Mr Childers decided to devote himself to rescuing and helping children in some of the most dangerous areas of Africa.
Along with his wife, Lynne, he runs a number of orphanages across Sudan, Ethiopia and Uganda, where his organisation, Angels of East Africa, currently cares for around 200 youngsters.
Gordon Cruden, area manager of Teen Challenge North East Scotland, said: “We’re extremely pleased to partner with Destiny Church Aberdeen and bring Sam Childers to the north east to tell his powerful life story.
“This is a man who puts his life where his mouth is and his talk will give a clear presentation of what it means when people say that their life has been touched and transformed by God.”
The event, which is free to attend, will start at 7pm.
For further information, please contact Teen Challenge on 01651 891627 or visit www.tcns.org.uk
