It’s been nearly three decades since Beverly Powers stepped away from her life as a Hollywood actress to become a minister on Maui, a journey she’s chronicled in her autobiography, “Passing the Baton of Light: Saving a Family Tree.”

The book “is the unique and unusual story of one woman who went from wearing the robes of a stripper to those of a respected member of the clergy. This is a book about God’s light and the lure of Hollywood’s spotlight, where Beverly goes from loving the accolades to being an acolyte,” the book’s synopsis states.

The 76-year-old Lahaina resident described her rough Los Angeles upbringing in an interview Sunday. Powers was molested when she was 12 years old, which influenced some of the choices she made later in life, she said.

“Because of my low self-esteem as a child, I went into a profession that is kind of frowned upon – a high-paid burlesque dancer,” she said. “From that, I went in to the movies, but I was always haunted with this choice, knowing . . . I did do things that were not right” from a religious perspective.

She first started dancing when she was 17 years old and, shortly after, found her way to the silver screen. Her film credits include features in three Elvis Presley movies, more than 70 Red Skelton shows, a guest-star appearance on the “Jack Benny Show” and a role playing herself in the iconic “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

All in all, Powers spent 25 years in show business before finding a higher calling. She credits her “mamo,” or grandma, as the one who “brought me to God,” and Powers quit acting to attend seminary school in California.

She moved to Maui in 1987 to be closer to her two sons for what was supposed to be a six-month stay.

“I had planned on staying six months, but I never left. This might be the longest six months on the planet,” she said with a laugh.

She studied under Pastor Clarence Kamai at the Maui Community Correctional Center for nearly two years before she was approached by a pastor from the Lahaina Baptist Church, who asked her if she would take over one of the church’s outreaches at the Sheraton hotel. Over the next two decades, she also preached at Lahuiokalani Congregational Church in Honokowai and at Ka’anapali Beach Hotel, taking on the nickname “Rev. Bev.”

She founded The Living Ministry in 1988, a nondenominational grass-roots ministry that supports those in crisis. She has also served as a chaplain at Maui Memorial Medical Center and at Maui Community Correctional Center.

Her eldest son became incarcerated for seven years while she was a chaplain at the jail, an experience she chronicles in her book.

“How do you handle a grown, wayward child? . . . It’s a struggle,” she said, adding that after one meeting both agreed that she would not see him in an orange jumpsuit again. She did not see her son again until after he was released.

Today, her son is a carpenter and a new grandfather on Maui. Powers said that one of the themes of her life and ministry is the power of redemption.

“That’s what the book is about. It gives hope. Anybody can have a different life, but they need hope,” she said.

She donated 1,700 books to prisons around the country, including the one on Maui.

“I feel that if these people that are in prison, if they knew that there was a way to change, it would make a difference.”

She added that, from her donation, about 52,500 people will have a chance to read her book.

Powers retired from preaching in 2011 to work on her autobiography, her first book, which she says “took me 25 years to write.”

It is split into seven sections, each separated by what she calls “a bona fide miracle” that changed the course of her life.

Powers will speak during a luncheon hosted by the Rotary Club of Lahaina at noon Oct. 22 at the Royal Lahaina Resort in Kaanapali. The event is free and open to the public. She will also host a book signing at noon Nov. 28 at Barnes & Noble in Lahaina.

* Eileen Chao can be reached at echao@mauinews.com.