Pastor Steven Kidd of Owensboro Shares His Past Struggles With Addiction (VIDEO)

Pastor Steven Kidd of Matthews Table here in Owensboro lived most of his life in and out of jail.  Today he is living his life as a Pastor, working full-time, and raising a family and he is sharing his story with us.

Here's his testimony;

 It’s always a joy to share God’s story in my life with others. My childhood was definitely not what one would call ideal. I was born into a family of addiction and alcoholism. My mother died when I was 7 years old due to addiction. My father even after this happened continued to drink daily. He was a functional alcoholic. One that could drink everyday but at the same time hold down a job. I start with this because it was almost inevitable that I too would follow right along in their footsteps. I started drinking and using around the age of 13. What started out as fun quickly turned into a nightmare. Drugs and alcohol would take me down a path filled with disappointment and disaster. I was in and out of trouble, lost, broken and hopeless. Long story short, I ended up in jail where I would stay for almost 3 years. I started out in a small jail in Eastern Kentucky and ended up on the other side of the state in Daviess County’s detention center. Little did I know, my life would all change inside those walls. All the time that I lived in opposition to God, I never really viewed my actions as anything other than poor decisions. And to be really honest, had it not been for the consequences, I may have never stopped living in that way. Thank God, that was not His plan for my life! Due to the love of the Father and the faithfulness of men who regularly came into the jail to share the good news of Christ, I ultimately became a believer in Jesus. When the time was approaching for my release, I began to wonder what would be next for me. I prayed often on what to do and like always, God answered. There was a program in Owensboro that hadn’t quite opened but would be soon. That program was Friends of Sinners. I had the privilege of being one of the first few guys to go into the program. For me, FOS was a place where I was able to build a foundation of Christ in my life. I was able to learn how to live life in a way that honored God. This was done through biblical teaching, accountability and relationships with others who were following Jesus. I built lifelong friendships with other people that I can still to this day count on to love me just as Christ loves me. FOS is still a place where I know that I can go back to and be treated just like family. Today I am a proud husband to my beautiful wife Pam. We’ve been married for 7 years and have 3 amazing children. Ashton, Jude and Sophie. In addition to being a husband and father, FOS helped fuel a passion I had to carry the message of Christ and His salvation to other struggling addicts and alcoholics. I have the opportunity to do just that while serving as one of the elders at Matthew’s Table (a local body of believers here in Owensboro, Ky). God was able to take a broken down mess of a person and turn me into a husband, father, and elder in a church. I am one of many examples of lives radically changed due to the ministry at Friends of Sinners. This place is uniquely guided by God and the evidence is all over this city and others that prove it.

Friends of Sinners is seeking individuals, to be 1 of the 300. They believe that God has already prepared the hearts of those that will donate to this ministry. As the story of Gideon goes, God is going to do something mighty with the few that he has chosen to participate in the Friend of Sinners Less is More Project. Every staff and board member has made a personal commitment to this fundraiser and has donated $100. Will you join them? If you feel led to join us, you can contact Joe Welsh at 270-689-9174 or 270-302-1161 or email him at joewelsh00@yahoo.com. All donations are tax deductible. Checks can be made out to, Friends of Sinners and mailed to 320 Clay Street, Owensboro, KY 42303.