The Rev. Dwight Stevens, author of Atheist Doctor to Palm Beach Minister, spoke May 15 at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Wellington about his journey from atheism to the pulpit.
Stevens, founder and pastor of the Paramount Church in Palm Beach, talked about the “11 nudges from God” he received — five of those before he was a believer — that resulted in his path to becoming a dermatologist, joining a successful medical practice and leading medical mission trips to developing countries. The nudges also led him to finding God, becoming a minister and founding a church.
About 100 people turned out for the program, which was followed by a book signing.
Well-known jazz pianist Copeland Davis entertained the crowd prior to the program, which was sponsored by the St. Peter’s Men’s Ministry. John Cardozo, leader of the Men’s Ministry, welcomed everyone to the event. Proceeds benefited the church’s outreach ministry in Cuba.
Stevens described some of the events in his life, including growing up in the Midwest with a provincial Italian mother, a middle-of-the-night awakening that started his search for answers about God, advice from a close friend who had “turned his life over to God,” the pursuit of an LPGA champion, which led to him finding a lifelong spiritual shepherd and the transformation in his thinking from non-believer to believer, spurred on by the fervent prayers of some of his dermatology patients.
A lively question-and-answer session followed Stevens’ talk.
The evening began in Fellowship Hall with a dinner of chicken piccata, green beans almondine, tossed green salad, twice-baked potatoes and assorted desserts. The dinner was prepared by head chef Jerry Tuliano with help from Will Wood, Howard Dargan, Tony Maye, Paul Young, Liz Sands, Danny Sands, Neil Spielholz and Mike Riggs.
ABOVE: Rev. Dwight Stevens speaks at St. Peter’s in Wellington. Photo by Wendy Erb
