Former drug dealer becomes pastor

[Bob Crowley]

While this is technically "news" as I lifted it off the ABC (Australia) news website, it probably belongs in a testimonial section.

It's about the son of Vietnamese refugees who settled in Western Sydney (which can be a crime prone area). He became a gang member and drug dealer, but eventually turned to Christ. He's now a pastor.

Tony was raking in thousands of dollars as a teen drug dealer. His 'darkest period' was yet to come

After abuse tore Tony's childhood apart, he joined a crime gang and became a drug dealer. It almost took his life, but a random street encounter changed everything.

www.abc.net.au

As far as I'm aware the suburbs in the following link are all in Western Sydney, but I could be wrong. I'm not at all familiar with Sydney's geography.

6 Worst Suburbs in Sydney - Soho Real Estate

There's no denying Sydney's stunning natural beauty, yet the wider Sydney area isn't perfect. Read about the worst suburbs in Sydney, Australia.

soho.com.au

The church he became involved with is called "The Potters House". I used to work with a bloke who attended one of their churches in Brisbane.

As usual there's some criticism of "The Potters House" network, but I take that with a big grain of salt. I could hardly think of a less manipulative person than my former workmate.

My wife and I once attended a "Potters House Church" in a place called Busselton in Western Australia in 2019 as there were no other churches with a suitable service time, due to other commitments on my part. They were quite pleasant, and while they were on the other side of the continent the pastor at least had "heard of" the chap I worked with.

It can be a small world at times.

 

[Bob Crowley]

As an aside to this, I watched most of the advertised session of the show called "Compass". I don't very often watch it but I did this time.

Compass is a half hourly show on religion (in all its forms) on ABC TV which usually airs on a Sunday night (and at other times for insomniacs).

... Gangster Pastor airs on Compass at 6:30pm, Sunday 14 May on ABC TV and on ABC iview....

One thing that surprised me was that they featured a female detective who early in her police career was posted to his suburb called Cabramatta. She was pretty switched on in my opinion. She got sick of not seeing much of a result with controlling drugs and gangs so she decided to talk to the gang leaders themselves about what they thought!

To my bigger surprise they returned the favour and made the comment "You cut the grass ... but you don't pull out the weeds." They also went on to say that their generation (of gang members) was lost, so she shouldn't bother about them. But she should concentrate on the up and coming generation and try to stop them from following in their footsteps.

I gather that she and the "gangster pastor" are now friends. He was also realistic about human nature quoting the old adage "If you find the perfect church, don't go there... Because you'll wreck it!"

 

[Pioneer3mm]

). He became a gang member and drug dealer, but eventually turned to Christ

It reminds of..the story.
- Nicky Cruz.
- in 'The Cross & the Switchblade' (the book)
- By David Wilkerson
---
Maybe..you heard/read about it.

 

[Bob Crowley]

It reminds of..the story.
- Nicky Cruz.
- in 'The Cross & the Switchblade' (the book)
- By David Wilkerson
---
Maybe..you heard/read about it.

I read the story many years ago when I was still a new Christian.

There are similarities, although I think Nicky Cruz gang environment might have been even more vicious.

I knew a chap in Perth (Western Australia) many years ago before I became a Christian. He was a practising Catholic by then, but he grew up in Singapore. This was before Lee Kuan Yew came into power.

Apparently the gangs were out of control and very violent. He said they made the Western gangs look like schoolboys.

According to this chap Lee Kuan Yew armed undercover cops and told them to start fights. If the gang members drew weapons, the cops started shooting. He said he lost some good friends at the time. Anyway his father sent him to Australia to get him away from the violence.

He didn't like Lee Kuan Yew very much, but I suppose something had to be done. Singapore these days has a very low crime rate overall, with exceptions in scamming and sex trafficking. The penalties are tough.

Crime in Singapore - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Crime rates in Singapore are some of the lowest in the world, with petty crimes such as pickpocketing and street theft rarely occurring, and violent crime being extremely rare. Penalties for drug offences such as trafficking in Singapore are severe, and include the death penalty.

Somewhere along the line he must have become a convinced Catholic, but I don't know the background.

 

[hislegacy]

Praise God! What a wonderful story of God's Redemption.

 

[Monowhite]

Not actually an uncommon mode of finding the light.
I often speak to a friend on the telephone and he told me he once knew a man who stole a milk-cart for jest (a joke) and unfortunately it was involved in a bit of an incident.
But much later in the milk-cart thief's life he married into a dairy farm.
I understand this isn't the same thing, but the 'message' is the same.

 

[RileyG]

Glory to Jesus Christ!

 

[The Lone Ranger]

I hope he does well.