HUNDREDS of people are expected to attend a Felixstowe church tomorrow to hear a man born with no arms and badly deformed legs tell the story of his remarkable life.

By Richard Cornwell

HUNDREDS of people are expected to attend a Felixstowe church tomorrow to hear a man born with no arms and badly deformed legs tell the story of his remarkable life.

American Jeff Steinberg travels the world telling his story - inspiring people to see their disabilities as assets, not liabilities, and encouraging them to live their lives to the full.

Evangelist, singer, author and humorist Mr Steinberg will be at the River of Life Church, the Christian Life Centre, Carr Road, Felixstowe, at 7.30pm as part of his UK tour. Admission free.

Pastor Terry Baker said the church was delighted to be hosting the evening - one of several big events at the church this year.

He said: “We are very pleased to be hosting this event - Jeff is an exciting and inspirational speaker and we hope many people will come along to hear him, his music and his testimony, and how he has overcome his disabilities.”

Mr Steinberg, 55, faced life with little hope - no arms and badly deformed legs, and spent much of his early years in hospitals, undergoing orthopaedic surgery, learning to walk with a brace and being fitted with his first prosthetic arms.

Through the love of a Christian couple, Mr Steinberg became a Christian and discovered the truth that became the foundation of his life - “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” in Psalm 139. From that day he devoted his life to God.

He said: “Each of us, by birth and, or, development, possesses both the potential for success and the equal potential to derail that success. A major key to achieving personal goals lies in the discovery of the 'unique design' that is me - positives and negatives, strengths and weaknesses, abilities and disabilities - then shaping my future to take full advantage of that design.

“How handicapped am I? Everyone has limitations. The danger lies in accepting those limitations as handicaps - unconquerable obstacles which forever condemn the possessor to failure.”

He will be supported by his wife Ellen, an evangelist and teacher with a heart for hurting women who have suffered abuse, the pain of divorce, financial distress, the trauma of physical disabilities and even the loss of a family member, and contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Esther McCarthy.