Most people probably wouldn't imagine that Robert Cordeiro, a former drug dealer, would end up choosing ministry as his career path.

But after 27 years of drugs and being on the streets, the 56-year-old hit a low point in his life, and somebody he met asked him if he had ever thought about turning to God, Cordeiro said.

After that, he made the decision to stay away from drugs and change his direction.

"I'm living proof that when you give your life to God, he can turn it around," Cordeiro said.

Now, Cordeiro has started River of Life Ministries, a church that meets for service on Sundays at 10 a.m. at the Old Methodist Meeting House and hosts a "Christian Recovery Program" at 2 p.m.

The non-denominational Protestant church was incorporated as a nonprofit on January 1 and held its first service on the January 8. Cordeiro says that the mission of his church is to provide "delivery, healing, and restoration to this community."

Delivery, Cordeiro explained, means release from the things that bind people. Healing can be physical or spiritual, such as a person who is dealing with a divorce or alcoholism. And restoration, Cordeiro said, is about helping people become whole again.

"It's for people who are looking for a better way, because I was at that point one time in my life," Cordeiro explained.

After hitting his low point in life, Cordeiro said, he opened up the Yellow Pages and went to the first church that he and his friend set their eyes on. It was the Church of the New Testament -- now New Seasons Worship Center in East Freetown.

Cordeiro started working as a janitor at the church and eventually earned the trust of the church leaders.

He started using his background to reach out to others who were in similar circumstances as he was. He would go out into the streets to talk to drug addicts and prostitutes and go into prisons, where he led Bible studies and a life-skills program for prisoners.

"There's a lot of good people out there that have made some bad choices and that just need somebody to come along and give them a chance," Cordeiro said.

Cordeiro remarried in 2005 -- he has four children from a previous marriage -- and moved to Rochester.

After getting River of Life off the ground, Cordeiro said he would like to reach out to the Wareham community and coordinate soup kitchens on days that other churches do not have them and work with Wareham police to provide outreach services to people who need them and support services to officers.

"We want to be a church," Cordeiro said, "but we want to be involved with the community."

The Old Methodist Meeting House is located at 495 Main Street in downtown Wareham.