PfE women
Lily's testimony: Amazed by the heart of Jesus
Sharon Coates
I first met Lily 17 years ago when she joined our toddler group. We chatted occasionally, and her children took part in our church's kids clubs and activities. Over time, we lost touch except through Facebook. I had no idea then that the safe space we offered - through friendship and community - would later become a vital part of Lily’s spiritual journey. It’s a beautiful reminder that God is always at work, even when we don’t see it. I’ll let Lily share the rest in her own words.
Lily's story *
I was raised within the Catholic Church, and often felt confused and unworthy. As a child, I was told that being born to unmarried parents made me a product of sin and destined for hell. That message of shame and fear shaped my early view of God. Church became a place of kneeling, confessing, and never feeling forgiven. That sense of never being “good enough” drove me away from both church and God altogether.
Ex-Mafia boss: ‘I’m asking for redemption’
Lydia Houghton
A self-confessed former “underboss of the most powerful organised crime family in the country”[US] has been baptised.
Salvatore Gravano – widely known as “Sammy the Bull” Gravano – underwent water baptism, declaring he’s asking for forgiveness “not from a judge or jury, but from God.”
From jail to Jesus: Ex-addict’s transformative journey
Emily Pollok
Just before he received his last prison sentence in 2019, Lewis Gibson was living in a homeless hostel. He’d been warned that he would end up in jail again if he continued on his drug-fuelled lifestyle.
‘I was in despair, because I knew I was going back to prison,’ Lewis explained. At a crisis point, Gibson turned to a United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) devotional he’d picked up during a previous stint in prison. In it, he read Romans 10:13: ‘Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.’
