Pulpit to Perseverance: Pastor Alex Turner

My name is Lexi, and I am writing to you with a heart full of gratitude, hope, and an immense love for the most incredible man I know—my father, Alex Turner. My dad has spent nearly 50 years of his life living for Christ, serving his community, and demonstrating what it truly means to be a man of integrity. He’s not perfect, but his intentions have always been pure, and his faith has been unwavering, even in the face of unimaginable challenges.

My dad is a father of 2 and a grandfather of 5. He loves his family. For over 30 years, my dad has pastored a church in Grenada, Mississippi, with a focus on outreach to the youth. The motto of his church, “The church in the heart of the city with the city in its heart,” was more than just words—it was and still is his mission. My dad believes that if he can ignite a passion for Christ in young people, they become the bridge to their families. This strategy has worked for his ministry. Our church flourished, and ministry was alive in ways we couldn’t have dreamed.

Even without sight, my dad is still a visionary. He built what he called the Transformation Center, a million-dollar facility that was once a juvenile detention center. He transformed it into a vibrant space with a gymnasium, game rooms with PlayStations, a fitness center, and two full basketball courts. It became a safe haven for the youth, offering programs like counseling, tutoring, mentorship, and summer camps. For our community, especially the Black community in this area, it was the first of its kind. My dad wasn’t motivated by money—he didn’t even accept a salary for years. He simply wanted to give back and create something transformative.

But over the past 12 years, life has taken a heartbreaking turn. My dad developed diabetes, which has taken his sight and now his mobility. He’s had countless surgeries for complications with diabetes, high blood pressure. He’s currently on the kidney transplant list waiting on a viable donor. He’s now an amputee and is preparing for yet another surgery to remove his remaining leg. Despite these struggles, his faith remains strong, but the weight of his health challenges and the financial strain on our family and church has been overwhelming. The saying is true, it truly takes a village.

Currently, my dad is living in a nursing home—not because he wants to, but because we can’t afford to retrofit his home for his new needs as a wheelchair-bound amputee. We also don’t have a handicap-accessible vehicle to get him to and from dialysis, his medical appointments or to church. His needs are so great, and as his only daughter, I don’t know what else to do but to ask for help.

I am humbly reaching out in the hopes that you might see the incredible man my dad is and the legacy he has built. I am asking for support to help:

1. Renovate his home to make it wheelchair accessible so that he can live comfortably in his own space again.

2. Purchase a handicap-accessible vehicle so we can transport him to his appointments.

Even now, as he faces these challenges, my dad’s heart is still focused on how he can continue to make an impact as a pastor. That’s just who he is—a man with a heart of gold who has given so much of himself to others. The ironic thing is, he already had a ramp added to the church pulpit so that he can return back & continue preaching the gospel of Jesus.

I know he wouldn’t ask for this help himself and he may even be embarrassed that I’m making his private situation so public, but it’s the last resort. He has always been the one giving the shirt off his back to someone in need. But now, I am asking for him, because he deserves to receive the same kindness and generosity he has shown to so many.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story. Any support you can provide would mean the world to my dad and our family.

With a grateful heart,

Lexi Turner Colomb