Tom Papania

Mobster... Enforcer, Mafioso… Gangster...

These are all names that at one time described Tom Papania, from an abused New York street punk of 15 years of age, until 1984. Tom's main goal in life was to find a place where he belonged, that gave him power and wealth.

Tom had worked his way up in organized crime to a trusted position in the New York Gambino organized crime family. Tom answered directly and only to Paul Castellano. Previously Tom had answered only to Carlo Gambino. Gambino joked that nothing could harm Tom, neither knives nor guns, and he didn't know what it would take to kill him, since numerous attempts on his life had failed.

Gambino died of natural causes, and was replaced by his brother-in-law, Paul Castellano.

From 1976 to 1985, Paul “Big Paul” Castellano was the “Capo di tutti capi”, boss of all bosses, of New York’s Gambino crime family, then the most powerful of the city’s five families.

Tom wielded fear, terror, and brutality to control the New York mob's expanding interests. Bomb threats to contracts on Tom's life couldn't stop the hell-bound course crime had put him on. One day, after a road to Damascus experience, Tom surrendered his life to Christ.

He was immediately told that there was no way out of the Mafia. A hit was put out on Tom.

On December 16, 1985 Paul Castellano was gunned down outside of Sparks Steak House in NY. Tom Papania had effectively walked out on the Mafia, something unthinkable and punishable by death. The hit contract that had been put out on Papania's life.The contract came to an end with the assassination of Paul Castellano.

Tom's past caught up with him and he was sent to the Atlanta federal penitentiary to await trial.

The trial was one of Atlanta's longest, lasting 11 months. God used the maximum security cells of the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary to mold and develop Tom’s new, Christ-filled character. Tom had accepted Jesus Christ, as his Lord and Savior.

A year later, Tom was set free by the Grace of God. Tom continued in his commitment to Christ and became an ordained evangelist and the executive director of God's Saving Grace Ministries.

Tom now goes back into the prisons with the power of the Holy Spirit, truly setting captives free.

As with all who take a stand and are speaking the truth in love,Tom never stopped being attacked, often the victim of smear campaigns and websites trying to discredit Tom's testimony with cleverly constructed deceptions.

Tom is happy to share his testimony with your local church. It will be a blessing for both your local church and Tom to see the lost come to the Lord in a mighty way leading any to accept Jesus as their Savior.

Tom is truly one of God's trophies of Grace. Saved in 1984 at The Landmark Church in Norcross, GA, Tom has since been blessed to travel around the world sharing a message of hope to those who are lost and hurting.

Tom's travels have brought him throughout the United States, Hawaii, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Jamaica, Australia, and the Fiji Islands with the Holy Spirit bringing many to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Tom has been featured on national TV and radio shows such as Fox news,The 700 Club, Life Outreach, Billy Graham's radio broadcast, TBN, local Christian television stations and radio stations in Charisma magazine, and on Focus On The Family. On the second day of broadcasting on Focus, in December of 1996, Dr. Dobson commented that Tom Papania's story was almost too good to be true and Focus did a lengthy background investigation of Tom's references and everything Tom stated in his testimony was true.

Tom not only ministers in churches and Christian organizations, but in jails and prisons throughout the world and locally in Florida, reaching out to the families of the inmates with necessities whenever possible.

Tom's testimony along with millions of others, shows the mercy and grace and unconditional love of God. There is not one single soul that God would not, or could not save if only we would allow Him access to our hearts.

This Ministry founded by Tom Papania, reaches out to people everywhere who are hungry to hear of a God who is able to transform beyond what man can imagine. The dynamic force which pulled Tom from a life of crime, to find God and spread His Word with his own powerful story, is truly God's Saving Grace.