A reformed drug addict says our churches must do more to reach the fringes of society.
First year Moore College student Tony Bradford was riding on a highway to death at the age of 16.
"I was on drugs; I had become manic, and was in and out of psychiatric hospital. I overdosed twice when I was 16," says the 49-year-old father of three.
At 17 Tony hitched a ride on the back of a truck and planned to commit suicide.
"I was going to dive from the truck onto the concrete kerb and end it all. I was standing up when a force overpowered me " like a command saying "Sit!'."
Shortly thereafter Tony visited the Baptist church in Castle Hill that had a cafe and youth drop-in centre. A church elder invited Tony to pray and he made a commitment to Christ.
"As I came to understand my identity in God he helped me overcome my depression and my addictions. Understanding the word of God transformed my whole being."
Tony went about making amends with people from his past whom he had hurt, including a young woman named Gina, who went on to become his wife.
However, Tony's history and his involvement in motorcycle culture made him feel detached from traditional churches.
"I found it hard to fit into mainstream churches. I wasn't a typical middle-class person. I found church and Bible study groups really quite boring at the time," Tony says.
However, his involvement with Fusion in Berowra gave him a sense of purpose.
There he met Christian motorcycle club Brotherhood and realised he could be an effective Christian witness.
"When I read the gospels I see how Jesus brought hope to the fringes of society. I see how he reached out to the tax collectors and the lepers.
“When I had my mental illness I felt unclean like the lepers so…I've felt a responsibility to take Christ's message to these sorts of people."
Tony has also been involved in prison chaplaincy and is currently involved in youth ministry at St George's, Earlwood.
He says churches have to do more to connect with people at all levels of society who don't know God.
"We can't just preach. We have to befriend them and earn the right for them to hear our message.
“We also have to look at developing churches where people like bikers feel comfortable. They may feel more comfortable in a lounge room setting where they can talk about issues and ask questions about the Bible."
Tony believes an effective way is tapping into sub-cultures.
"We need to reach these groups and find ways to be inclusive of them in our church fellowships rather than having a one-size-fits-all model. “
“We have to allow people to express their culture and subculture in church without altering our core theology."
