Leadership shaped by real-life transformation.

For nearly two decades, addiction and destructive choices brought personal ruin—broken relationships, management-level job losses, a lengthy criminal record, and deep alienation from family. By age 35, Michael was divorced and carrying the weight of consequences he couldn’t fix on his own.

After several near-death incidents, by the grace of God, Michael was led into a discipleship ministry. There he accepted Jesus as Lord—and the direction of his life changed. It wasn’t instant perfection; it was a new mind, a new identity, and a new way to walk.

In scripture he found words that became anchors: “Thanks be to God who gives us the victory” (1 Corinthians 15:57) and “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). During a rigorous 18-month discipleship program, Victor Newman Ministries was birthed in his spirit— with a burden to serve the lost, last, least, left out, and looked over with both hope and a hand up.

Before he even graduated, Michael was hired as staff in a men’s residential ministry, serving in close quarters with emotionally unstable men from diverse backgrounds. That season shaped his servant leadership and his commitment to do ministry with patience, structure, and compassion.

In 2011, Michael joined Lake Palms Community Church and was encouraged to pursue ordination in the Free Methodist Church. In 2015, he was appointed Pastor and began following God’s lead in turning a “church on the corner” into a true neighborhood church. In April 2018, he was ordained elder.

Today, Michael’s story includes restored relationships with his adult children and his mother—and the steady, grounded joy of a life made new.

In 2005, Yvette came to a local outreach simply trying to feed her family. That single decision became the start of a redemption story.

She has lived through domestic violence, rape, homelessness, hunger, and financial hardship. And she can say—without pretending the pain wasn’t real—that God met her in it and began rebuilding her life from the inside out.

“Everything I have gone through—the domestic violence, the rape, the homelessness, not having enough to eat, not having financial assistance—was preparing me for His ministry, His purpose.”

Yvette returned not just to receive help, but to become part of the help. Today she serves with dignity and empathy, treating every person with courtesy and respect while offering practical care.

Her story has been shared publicly as a testimony—from homelessness and hunger to wholeness and helping. And her heart is still the same: to make sure someone else feels seen.

Michael and Yvette met through Celebrate Recovery. After marrying in 2012, they began co-leading recovery groups and serving hot meals outside the walls of the church—getting to know people experiencing homelessness as neighbors made in God’s image.

That work helped launch partnerships like Friday Food Fellowship, which distributes thousands of pounds of food weekly to community residents and auxiliary ministries serving the wider region.

It also shaped a long-term vision: Newman Manor—a safe, therapeutic environment designed to support mentoring, recovery meetings, vocational rehabilitation, and lasting freedom from substance abuse and other life-controlling issues.