When he first stepped into the Community Grocery, Andy couldn’t have imagined how the store would change not only his life, but his whole family. From not speaking to his son for five years, today they are a family with Jesus at their heart. This is their story.
Andy: ‘I’ve always believed in God and went to church until I was 17 and going out with my mates took over.
‘Over the years, life wasn’t easy. Yes, I have an amazing wife, Karen, and fantastic kids but I struggled with drink and drugs and did a lot of things I wasn’t proud of. It got so bad that my eldest son, Andy Jr., and I barely talked for five years. I thought I’d lost him.
‘In 2022, knowing money was tight, my daughter said I should go to the Community Grocery. ‘‘They do great deals that would help you,’’ she said. I was blown away by the choice in the store and what I could get for £5, but what caught my eye more than anything was the huge ‘Welcome Home’ sign in the church that the grocery is joined to. As I signed up as a grocery member, Dan not only told me how the store worked but about the support courses and church services too. It sounded good, but if I’m honest I didn’t think much more about it.
‘Around this time, my son Owen started asking if he could go to church. I kept saying ‘‘yes’’ without any real plans to take him, as Saturday night was the evening I could have a serious drinking session. Owen kept asking, then the following May, we found five suicide notes he’d written crying out for help. Straight away, I knew I had to take him to church.
‘Two weeks later, Owen and I were at Lighthouse Church – the Community Grocery partner church. That Sunday, there were six baptisms. As I listened to people’s testimonies and the worship, I felt something inside me break and I’ve not looked back.
‘Just weeks later, I’d been able to cut down my drinking and stop smoking weed – something I’d tried to do before and failed. Every Sunday, I was in church.
‘One week I said to God in my head, “I need Pastor Rick to pray with me.” The next thing I knew he was there and praying. The floodgates opened. I knew God had heard me and loved me. I gave my life to Jesus, and I shared my biggest desire – I wanted Andy Jr. back.
‘Owen had been coming to church with me every week and you could see how much he loved Jesus. A few weeks after, he decided to get baptised and invited the whole family to come and watch.
‘I didn’t think his mum, Karen, would come but, to my surprise, she said she would go to support Owen but wasn’t going to become a Christian! What a day it was.
‘As Owen shared his story, you could see how God had changed him from a young man battling dark thoughts to someone full of hope. As we celebrated, Karen said how much she’d liked church and to our surprise started coming along, and gave her life to Jesus on Christmas Day!
‘Despite not talking to me, Andy Jr. regularly spent time with Owen and our daughter Teagan. Owen kept telling Andy Jr. about how his mum and I had changed. As he dropped them home, Andy Jr. reluctantly agreed to come into the house. I took him into a room and said the only thing that mattered. ‘‘I’m sorry.’’ I told him I’d not been the dad he needed and that I wanted to make a new start. I also mentioned that Karen was getting baptised the next week and that we’d love him to be there.
‘That Sunday, he came saying he needed to“see the change to believe it.” In front of 300 people, Karen shared how Jesus had turned her life around, before turning to Andy Jr. and apologising to him in front of everyone. After seeing his mum come out of the water, Andy Jr. got out of his chair and went up onto the stage, grabbed the microphone and said, ‘‘the change in my mum can only be Jesus.’’
‘We’ve not looked back. I have my son back. He and Teagan have become Christians too and every day our family WhatsApp group is filled with Bible verses and worship songs. Jesus is my whole life, my saviour and number one.’
Andy Jr.: ‘Growing up, life was tough. Home was very volatile, and I was badly bullied at school. The only place I felt safe was at Nan and Grandad’s, so when they offered to take me to Sunday School I jumped at the chance – not because I wanted to hear about Jesus, but because I got to spend time with my grandad. ‘As I got older, I developed a temper, getting kicked out of three schools, which didn’t help at home as it put more pressure on Mum and Dad. As a teenager, I got caught up with drink and drugs, and was regularly in fights. When I was 17, my grandad died and I spiralled.
‘For the next four years, I was in and out of work and my relationship with Dad went from bad to worse. At 21, I saw an advert for the Royal Navy and decided it was my way out.
‘A month into my Navy training something happened, and I got kicked out. I felt like a failure and was in a dark place. I was determined I wasn’t going home, so moved away from Telford with my partner, and stopped talking to my parents.
‘But I knew I still needed to be there for my brother and sisters. As we spent time together, my brother Owen told me he and Dad were going to church. Knowing he was having a hard time, I thought it was good for him. But then Owen started saying, “Mum and Dad are doing better, you should come and see them.” I wasn’t ready so said, “no”. A few weeks later, Owen mentioned he was getting baptised and begged me to go. But I couldn’t, I wasn’t going to ruin Owen’s special day with an argument.
‘The next time I saw him, Owen said Mum was going to church too. Then I knew it was serious! Dropping them home, I didn’t plan to go in, but when Mum opened the door, she looked totally different. She looked happy. I found myself getting out of the car saying, “Owen’s been asking me to come in, is that OK?” She quickly said, “yes.”
‘Inside, Dad took me into the living room and it was like I was talking to a different person. He gave me the one thing I wanted more than anything, an apology. ‘‘I’m sorry for how things were when you were younger’’, he said, before telling me it wasn’t my fault. A huge weight lifted off my shoulders. As we talked, he invited me to Mum’s baptism.
‘Seeing Mum stand up at her baptism and say sorry to me in front of so many people broke me. I needed her to know I forgave her, so found myself on the stage telling people the change in her could only be Jesus.
‘Seeing what God had done in my family made me start asking questions about Jesus and going to church. As I read my grandad’s Bible and listened to worship songs, the words hit home and things in me shifted, until one day I knew I needed to give my life to Jesus. A few weeks later, it was my turn to get baptised. What a day! As I came out of the water my anger had gone and I felt deep happiness instead.
‘Jesus is my saviour. He’s saved me from myself. God pulled my family back together and I have the family I always wanted.’
