By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Sam Childers at first didn’t like the moniker ‘Machine Gun Preacher’.
It was a title given to the charismatic missionary during an uncomplimentary story in the US press, he told an enraptured audience of 800-plus students and staff at Lighthouse Christian College, Cranbourne, on 23 August.
He said God told him to “claim the name”.
It would be a marketing tool in which to share his testimony across the world, he said. It led to a clothing line, a motorcycle brand and a biographical Hollywood film.
But the US-born preacher now lives in Africa and leads Angels of East Africa aid group which provides 12,000 meals a day and houses 380 orphaned children.
“God can take something that’s stupid and take it clean to the top if you’re willing to stand up for Jesus Christ.”
Still, people think he’s “some crazy guy with a gun”, he told students.
“What does a preacher do with a machine gun? Well it’s good for offerings,” he joked.
He often gets aske
d about his “kill count” as a missionary that rescued children from rebel forces in Africa’s war zones.
“In all my years in Africa, I never talk about violence. Violence doesn’t glorify Jesus Christ,” Mr Childers said.
“If I boast about something, I talk about what Jesus Christ has done for me.
“Guns are only good in good men’s hands like a police officer or the military.”
Mr Childers was visiting as part of his six-week tour of Australia, including stops at churches and schools in Hallam, Cranbourne and Cranbourne East.
He was an uplifting presence during the question-and-answer session at the school, less than a fortnight after a tragic two-car crash claimed the life of a Year 8 student and her mother.
During the address, he delivered a “tough love” message to deter children from experimenting with drugs and alcohol. And urged parents to be “tough” and not to compromise on their stance against drugs.
He testified to getting led down that path at 11 years old, even while raised in a “born-again spirit family”. He left school early being unable to read and write.
“It’s so easy to get messed up in life. We think the life we’re living isn’t cool enough.
“We look up to kids we shouldn’t be looking up to.
“The coolest thing you can do in life is not make any bad decisions like I did.”
So many of his friends died from drugs, some killed in car crashes involving drugs and alcohol.
His own son “let his guard down” and experimented with drugs on a weekend. He fatally overdosed.
“A lot of teenagers think it’s OK to experiment with drugs. It’s not OK.”
He realised he needed to turn his life around after being nearly killed in a bar-fight in his early twenties.
“The first thing I had to do was get into a church. I gave my life to the Lord and he gave me a second chance in life.”
He urged students to be thankful for what had been given to them.
That it was easy to neglect the blessings of pure water, food and school facilities that children in other parts of the world did not have.
Nor to forget that his own schools in Uganda and South Sudan require security guards.
“You’re so safe here. You don’t need the army or policemen to guard your school.”
Mr Childers said he didn’t miss anything while he was in Africa.
“But when I’m here, I miss my children. I’m already counting the days for when I get home (to Africa).”
