Karen and I had the opportunity to visit with BCMN-endorsed missionaries Richie and Missy Orrick in Buckley, Wales this summer. Buckley is a beautiful place close to the Irish Sea.

Richie is the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church. It is an older building that needed a lot of work. So far, they have replaced half of the chapel roof, the entire kitchen roof and the chapel floor. Outside they redid all the landscaping and put in new artificial turf. In the auditorium, the media was updated with new large digital screens as well as an updated sound system with a hearing loop. They also replaced all the chairs. It has been a huge undertaking but well worth the investment.

The Orrick’s first service was July 1, 2018. As happens often when missionaries arrive on the field, the only people in attendance that first Sunday were the Orrick family. Today they average 63 with a high day of 103.

It was exciting for us to be in a service at Ebenezer Baptist Church. The people are welcoming and friendly. It was easy to sense theie excitement for the Lord in the services.

Churches in the United Kingdom typically have tea and biscuits after the service. Richie has found this tradition to be a great time to talk to people after the service about their spiritual needs. Richie has led many people to the Lord over tea and biscuits.

While we were there, the Orricks were busy preparing for Kevin Adams and his family’s arrival. They will be helping in the music ministry, discipleship, Sunday School and youth ministry.

I asked Richie how we could pray for the Orrick Family. He mentioned the following requests.

  1. Family – He said Missy’s health has been a battle for the last few years and their kids are at the ages of making significant decisions regarding their future plans.
  2. Ministry – He also asked us to pray for God’s wisdom, strength and protection as they engage a solidly post-Christian culture with the gospel.
  3. Adams – The acclimation and assimilation of Adams family into the culture and the church.
  4. Finances – Richie is very thankful for the local churches in the United States for their faithful partnership to help win the Welsh for Christ. They are being impacted by the ever-increasing cost of living as well as the current exchange rate loss of roughly 30% to 35% of their monthly support. They could use additional churches to partner with them financially.