Like many teenagers, Pete Cunningham (pictured above) had a lot on his mind.
Now he had a job, his parents were asking him when he would start paying rent.
Worst of all, his parents, brother and sister kept inviting Pete to church.
“My family kept talking about God and going to church. We’d always been atheists – now they were praying and reading the Bible.”
Pete, who was 18, was glad to have his own income from working at London’s Stock Exchange. He had a natural ability for maths and loved the buzz and excitement of working there. Promotion came quickly and soon he was wheeling and dealing and earning a lot of money.
“My wages were amazing and my bonuses phenomenal. I had a wardrobe full of designer suits, three girlfriends and invites to top-notch parties. Life was good.”
Pete’s good life was very different from his younger days. He describes his father as “a rogue” who gambled the family’s income away.
“There was never any money in our house,” he says. “Mum had to work to pay the rent and other bills because she couldn’t rely on dad. I was only 10 when he was sent to the Old Bailey for trial after stealing money from his employer.”
While waiting in the cells below the court, a member of the local prison fellowship visited Pete’s dad. That day, he accepted Jesus into his life.
“That’s also when my family became a bunch of religious maniacs,” said Pete. “They all followed dad. They talked about how much Jesus loved them.”
Tensions between Pete and his family grew until his dad, fed up with his son coming home with different girlfriends and usually drunk, ordered him to leave the house.
In a bid to get his family off his back, Pete agreed to go to a youth event at church. When he saw the elderly preacher walk into the church, bald-headed, wearing tiny glasses and a pocket watch dangling from his waistcoat, Pete fought to stop himself laughing out loud.
But at the end of his sermon, the pastor said: “If you haven’t given God an opportunity in your life, how can you say it does not work?”
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To his surprise, the words repeated in Pete’s mind for the next few weeks.
“I continued with my round of parties, three girlfriends and basically just having a wonderful time all the way up to New Year’s Eve. I went to an amazing party, arriving home after 2 a.m.”
As he sobered up the following morning – January 1, 1964 – Pete had a thought: “A crazy idea came into my head. It was a Sunday, so I decided to go to church.
“I arrived, squeezing into the end of a pew right up against the wall. Four other people joined me and I realised I was trapped.
“I started to wonder what I was doing? These people were religious fanatics. I vowed to myself that when I left church, I would never have anything to do with religion ever again.”
Before he could move, a man in the next pew rose to his feet. He declared things that startled Pete: “It was like he was reading a book about my life. He told me how I’d abused and neglected my mother, how I was living a life chasing money and women. He spoke about my drunken lifestyle, my lies and deception.
“For the first time, I knew I was in the presence of a holy and righteous God who knew every detail of my life. The man then said to me, ‘If you give your life to Christ, God will forgive you and he will never fail you throughout your life.’
“I began to weep, huge blobs of tears fell from my eyes. I said ‘Lord, if you can love me in that way, you can have my life and I will never fail you.’
“It was like I was lifted a metre off the ground, a shaft of light flooding every cell in my body. I left that church a new creation, a new person, a new being.
“I told my three girlfriends what had happened. Two left but the third, Linda, remained and now we are married.
“I vowed to serve Jesus until the last breath of my body.”
Pete, 81, became a pastor and continues to work with a church in Southport. He also founded Green Pastures, which supports the homeless, providing homes for more than 6,000 people.
Making a huge impact
Twenty-five years ago, Pete Cunningham founded Green Pastures, which provides housing and support to the homeless.
Green Pastures has made a profound impact on the lives of countless individuals across the UK, currently providing homes for more than 4,000 people across the country in partnership with local Christian ministries.
The work of Green Pastures is funded by hundreds of people lending some of their money as part of an ethical investment scheme, with £47m currently invested to purchase property for the homeless.
For more info on Green Pastures, go to: greenpastures.co.uk
