By Stephen R Lewis, Associate Director of Global Strategy

It is with great pleasure that Global Strategy announces the appointment of Brian and Melissa Richey as missionaries-elect to Costa Rica, where their ministry will focus on walking alongside the Church of God in Costa Rica, encouraging and strengthening local pastors and congregations, while also providing special assistance with projects when invited by local leaders. They will also provide on-the-ground oversight and leadership for mission teams who visit the churches in Costa Rica, as well as throughout Latin America as needed. Their ministry will also focus on supporting children and youth in local churches, including helping local congregations with educational programs. They will also support the needs of missionary children (MKs) throughout the region of Latin America. Jason and Abby Torgeson, Global Strategy’s regional connectors for Latin America, are delighted to welcome them to the missionary team in this region.

Brian and Melissa Richey were deeply involved in their church and their community, committed to loving people and living a life of hope for those around them. Brian had a fulfilling career in transportation and trucking, enjoying the connections he made with people. Melissa, who had initially worked as a receptionist at Cornwall Church in Bellingham, Washington, was now the outreach director. (Cornwall is also the Torgesons’ home church.) While missions had been a passion, being a full-time missionary seemed like something for preachers and teachers, people with seminary degrees. But after multiple mission trips to Peru, Honduras, and Costa Rica, God called their number.

Jason and Abby had been monitoring the Richeys’ involvement, but it wasn’t until early 2022 that they approached Brian and Melissa about joining the missionary team in Latin America, specifically as missionaries walking alongside the church in Costa Rica. Brian and Melissa weren’t sure; after all, Brian had a great job and Melissa was living with an autoimmune disease. Nevertheless, they felt compelled to take a vision trip to Costa Rica. During their visit, they engaged with local churches, met leaders, and earnestly sought God’s guidance. By early 2023, God’s direction was clear. The call was clear.

While Melissa comes from a family of Hispanic origins, with deep roots in Texas, Brian and Melissa crossed paths in middle school when Melissa moved with her father to Washington state. Brian, a Pacific Northwest native, grew up in Ferndale, Washington, near Bellingham. As young adults, the Richeys found themselves at Cornwall Church, in Bellingham, Washington, where they were welcomed and loved, where they were challenged to surrender and to truly follow Jesus and trust him with their lives. Soon after, they recommitted their lives to Christ and pursued a path of discipleship. Over time, they become more and more deeply involved in the ministries of the church, eager to share and show the grace, hope and love they had received.

Melissa writes, “So, here we are today, with a difficult, humbling, and honoring opportunity for us to explore what God may want for us next. Wherever that might be, we want to always be available!”

To learn more about Brian and Melissa Richey and to become partners in their ministry, visit their profile on the Global Strategy website at https://chogglobal.org/bmrichey/.

Brian and Melissa, along with Tim and Jenn Adams, missionaries-elect to Southwest Asia, will be commissioned during the Saturday evening (June 24) service of the Church of Convention in Tampa, Florida, next week.