Pugilist Turned Pastor is Ready to Preach; Call Him on His Cell Phone

At the end of 2007, when we asked Ferguson barber and former boxer Charles Oliver what he would do to improve St. Louis in 2008, he told us he wanted to change the way people think. "I would set up seminars on building strong character and teach people ways to be impeccable with their word," he said.

Now, after two years of study with Pastor Charles M. Roach of Trinity Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Florissant, Oliver is about to become ordained as a minister.

"I wanted to understand more about the principles of the church," he says. "The message I speak is different from most churches. I want to collaborate what I know with what they want to hear."

Now that he's about to become a minister, Oliver is prepared to speak whenever anybody calls him. (His cell number is 314-374-0258; he can also be reached at 314-521-1111.)

"A piece of paper makes you stand out," he says, referring to the official ordination papers. "I look forward to helping people become changed because of the Good Word."