STORIES FROM RELEVANT MEMBERS "We overcome by the word of our
testimonies..."
Seven year old
Piper said goodbye to her grandfather just as he took the wheel. What
happened next, amazed the whole neighborhood.
Piper's
granddad had just celebrated his 82nd birthday when he dropped his
daughter (Piper's mom) and family off at their house. His daughter
had driven his car home so after they unloaded, he took the wheel and
just as Piper walked behind the car toward her house, he confused the
gas for the breaks. Lunging forward, then back, he knocked down
and completely ran over Piper and finally came to rest on the curb
before he gained control. Amazingly, the wheels of the car missed
her entirely and because the curb had lifted the car up, the
undercarriage cleared her face. The sirens drew the neighbors out
of their homes and they gathered by the road to watch paramedics work
tirelessly to strap down and transport Piper. The grief and shock
of the crowd became awe and relief as what happened became clear.
She was treated for the scratches on her back and released the same
night. Piper's Dad has promised her a shirt that reads
"I Do All My Own Stunts." We vote for one
that reads "My Guardian Angel Works Overtime!"
Sexually
molested as a child, Chastity became addicted to cocaine, ran from
police and lost custody of all nine of her children...what happened
next?
Chas
doesn't look like she could have 9 children. She's only 32.
When she was five, Chastity's mother left her with her grandmother where
her step-grandfather continually molested her until she was ten years
old. She began doing drugs at eleven and was addicted to alcohol,
cocaine and heroin. A string of lovers gave her children she
couldn't care for. One by one, she lost them all to the foster
care system. In an effort to escape from authorities she moved to
Florida. Eventually, she was caught and extradited back to New
York where she was jailed. Imagine her surprise to be in a cell
across from her own mother. It is there that she encountered a
woman who had a passion for ministering to incarcerated women. She
gave her life to Christ, got out of jail and went to court to fight for
her kids. Today, Chastity has full custody of all nine of her
children. Her oldest, Brandon, graduates this year. (2007)
She attends Relevant Church alongside her mother who was also
miraculously delivered from drug addiction. Chastity's experience
has given a tremendous burden for mothers who have lost custody of their
children due to addiction. She founded One Woman At A
Time, a
support group that ministers to the needs of these women. Chastity
can often be overheard telling them..."There's no high, like the
Most High."
A
Felon by the time he was 16, Mark discovered a sustaining grace.
Mark has been institutionalized more than half his life. An
abusive childhood led him to find comfort in a bottle. He was put
on probation at age 13. At 14 he went through the Scared Straight
program. He didn't scare easy. At 16 he began injecting
heroin and cocaine. To support his habit he had to rob the very
drug dealers who supplied him. He was charged with first degree
robbery and did ten years in prison. In 1988, Mark was drunk and
high in prison when he came to the realization that only God could save
him.
"Fear, worldly counsel, drugs...nothing helped me," he
says. "God healed me."
Mark attends Relevant Church and has a special passion for imparting the
love and healing power of Christ to young adults.
"Whose
report will you believe? We shall believe the report of the
Lord!"
Six
o'clock in the morning is early for most people but not too early for
Jackie who was one of a handful of people to show up at the church for
morning prayer. The Pastor had opened the doors to all who wanted
to pray for the community and for personal needs. Jackie made
known her need for physical healing and prayed together faithfully with
the others.
It was a headache later that month that prompted her to visit the
doctor. It wasn't a new experience for her. She'd been to
the doctor a lot in her lifetime. A lifestyle of hard living left
Jackie with Hepatitis C which, in turn, ravaged her organs and left her
with cirrhosis of the liver. This latest trip to the doctor
for her headache led to blood work and then a surprising phone call from
her physician.
"Your liver is regenerating," he told her.
"What...regenerating?" Cirrhosis of the liver is said to
be irreversible.
"It's like nothing I've ever seen," he told her.
"It's amazing."
The healing God did with her liver pales in comparison to the healing He
did with her soul. Jackie was just baptized and attends Relevant
Church along with her sisters.
Relevant
Church attendees, if you have a testimony you'd like to share on our
"Stories" page, please let me know! Email me at RobNRhonda@yahoo.com
Piper's
granddad had just celebrated his 82nd birthday when he dropped his
daughter (Piper's mom) and family off at their house. His daughter
had driven his car home so after they unloaded, he took the wheel and
just as Piper walked behind the car toward her house, he confused the
gas for the breaks. Lunging forward, then back, he knocked down
and completely ran over Piper and finally came to rest on the curb
before he gained control. Amazingly, the wheels of the car missed
her entirely and because the curb had lifted the car up, the
undercarriage cleared her face. The sirens drew the neighbors out
of their homes and they gathered by the road to watch paramedics work
tirelessly to strap down and transport Piper. The grief and shock
of the crowd became awe and relief as what happened became clear.
She was treated for the scratches on her back and released the same
night. Piper's Dad has promised her a shirt that reads
"I Do All My Own Stunts." We vote for one
that reads "My Guardian Angel Works Overtime!"
Chas
doesn't look like she could have 9 children. She's only 32.
When she was five, Chastity's mother left her with her grandmother where
her step-grandfather continually molested her until she was ten years
old. She began doing drugs at eleven and was addicted to alcohol,
cocaine and heroin. A string of lovers gave her children she
couldn't care for. One by one, she lost them all to the foster
care system. In an effort to escape from authorities she moved to
Florida. Eventually, she was caught and extradited back to New
York where she was jailed. Imagine her surprise to be in a cell
across from her own mother. It is there that she encountered a
woman who had a passion for ministering to incarcerated women. She
gave her life to Christ, got out of jail and went to court to fight for
her kids. Today, Chastity has full custody of all nine of her
children. Her oldest, Brandon, graduates this year. (2007)
She attends Relevant Church alongside her mother who was also
miraculously delivered from drug addiction. Chastity's experience
has given a tremendous burden for mothers who have lost custody of their
children due to addiction. She founded 
Six
o'clock in the morning is early for most people but not too early for
Jackie who was one of a handful of people to show up at the church for
morning prayer. The Pastor had opened the doors to all who wanted
to pray for the community and for personal needs. Jackie made
known her need for physical healing and prayed together faithfully with
the others.