Former drug dealer becomes Chesham's newest vicar

A FORMER drug dealer is hoping to unite the Pond Park community (in UK) in his role as the new vicar of Hivings Free Church.

Sam Owoo, 46, left his native Ghana as a teenager to escape a life of drugs and crime to try and earn himself a decent education.

Up until three years ago the married father-of-two was a successful business analyst for supermarket giants Sainsburys before an epiphany saw him drastically switch career paths and become a man of the cloth.

He said: "I came to a place where I was getting so caught up in materialism. "I used to do a two-hour commute from Portsmouth every day and on one journey I began to think about how much one person could have. It was an amazing thing and by the end of the journey I had decided to pack in my job. "I felt like I was just waiting to die. I had a good job, three houses and cars but I thought it was time for me to really do something and reassess my priorities." Rev Owoo took up a post at Waterloovile Baptist Church, in Hampshire before becoming ordained in August last year. It is a far cry from his upbringing as one of six brothers in the west-African country the pastor has no doubts that leaving for England saved his life. He admits that he did not have a religious upbringing and he had dreams of becoming a professional footballer until suffered a horrific leg break as a trainee for Crystal Palace at the age of 18. He said: "To say that this country has been good to me is a massive understatement. It has given me everything. "When I was younger I was into gangs and drugs, mainly Marijuana, and if you had told me 30 years ago what I would have done with my life I wouldn't have believed it. I was a tearaway and I guess coming to England saved my life. "The first time I ever went into a church was when I was 26. And I only did it because I was chasing a girl. "But when I was in there the preacher made such a inspirational speech that I left believed that there was a higher power out there. "I had just lost a friend to a drugs overdose and it made me think I had to stop playing Russian Roulette with my life." The inspiring Revd Owoo was drawn to Hivings Free Church, in Upper Belmont Road, after learning about the difficulties residents face with anti-social behaviour and drug related crime in the area. He said: "I am looking forward to starting here. When the profile of this church came though I thought the area it seemed like a place which is detached from the wider community of Chesham."I know there are some issues here but I hope to be able to bring people together and get to work with the youngsters, maybe set up some football projects, and make a real difference to people's lives."