A Gore man says discovering his faith gave him a new lease for life. These days Reuben Turipa is dedicating his time to community work, focusing on faith, music and mental health after a rocky past. Mr Turipa, 52, was born in Murupara in the Bay of Plenty. ‘‘I had a reputation back there: people were quite intimidated by me, because I was a very angry man back then ... I was quite violent back then — and abusive,’’ he said. When he was 19, he relocated to Gore, where his father and brother were shearing. It was here where he had an epiphany. ‘‘And it wasn’t until I found my faith that [everything] changed.’’ Seven years ago, Mr Turipa joined the Gore Baptist Church and today, thanks to his Christianity, his life was full of more peace and joy, he said. In 2024, he and wife Sarah started a ministry called Out The Gate, which he described as taking worship music outside of church walls around Otago and Southland. ‘‘We take our faith and our beliefs, the Gospel, and we transport it into the streets ...…