Formed in Mission with Rick and Alice
Episode Summary
In this episode of the KC Underground podcast, Cory and Brian interview Rick and Alice as they share their journey of disciple-making from Street Church to the Nursing Home, and how God transforms lives through simple acts of love and faith. Rick and Alice share their learning on engaging communities, building family-like relationships, and stepping out in obedience to join Jesus where He is working.
Key Themes & Takeaways
1. A Long Journey of Faithfulness Together
Rick and Alice have been married for 43 years and have three grown children and six grandchildren.
After moving to Kansas City from Atlanta over 30 years ago, their life eventually took a missional turn in unexpected ways.
Rick describes retirement as a season where God began “deprogramming” him from the corporate world before giving him a new assignment.
Alice’s own journey into this mission deepened later, especially after hearing the heart and honesty of Share the Hope gatherings during the pandemic.
2. Street Church Began with Prayer and Presence
Their ministry among the houseless community grew out of Share the Hope and prayerful engagement with people living on the margins.
Rather than simply bringing food or supplies, they felt called to bring the presence and word of Jesus in a relational way.
Street Church started humbly: prayer walking, bringing simple resources, and inviting people into a shared spiritual conversation.
A key early lesson was not to “bring Johnson County to the street,” but to go where people are and join them there.
3. A New Door Opened Through Relationship
A woman named Josephine, who had been part of Street Church, eventually ended up in a nursing home and invited Rick and Alice to bring church there.
At the same time, Rick and Alice were sensing that Street Church had become physically and emotionally taxing, and that God may be shifting their assignment.
What seemed like a passing comment from Josephine became a clear invitation from God.
They quickly met with the nursing home staff and were given an open door to begin gathering there weekly.
4. Nursing Home Church Is Built Around Family, Not Performance
Their weekly gathering includes worship, Scripture, prayer, participation, snacks, and time before and after to connect personally with residents.
Rather than “putting on a service,” they help create a family atmosphere where residents are seen, heard, hugged, prayed for, and included.
Discovery Bible Study rhythms have become especially meaningful because they allow residents to engage Scripture directly instead of being preached at.
Over time, the environment at the nursing home itself has changed, and even staff have noticed the spiritual impact of what is happening there.
5. The Church Comes Alive When People Participate
Residents read Scripture, pray, sing, ask for prayer, and share from their own lives.
One powerful moment came when Rick and Alice led a hand-washing experience tied to the story of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet.
Alice shared how Rick’s brother, who usually does not like to be touched, allowed his hands to be washed—a deeply moving moment of trust and tenderness.
The gathering is not built around polished teaching but around shared life, simple worship, and the Spirit moving through ordinary people.
6. God Forms Us Through Obedience
Alice shared that one of the biggest changes in her life is learning to stop waiting until she has the whole picture.
Instead of needing every detail worked out ahead of time, she has learned to trust the next step God gives her.
Rick emphasized that prayer and emptying themselves before God have been the constant foundation of both Street Church and the nursing home ministry.
Together, they described how obedience has become more natural over time as they continue taking small steps with Jesus.
7. Mission Means Bringing People Into Your Life
One of the clearest themes in the episode is that mission is not about doing something “for” people from a distance.
Rick talked about inviting people into their actual lives—bringing them into their home, taking them fishing, helping with practical needs, and treating them as family.
They have learned that spiritual family is not artificial or compartmentalized; it grows when people are welcomed into real relationship.
Their ministry has become less about events and more about belonging.
8. What Has Been Formed in Them
Rick and Alice both describe becoming more available, more courageous, and more willing to let God interrupt their assumptions.
Alice has become less hesitant and more open to following the Holy Spirit into unfamiliar places.
Rick has grown in seeing mission not as fixing people, but as becoming family with them.
Together, they have become a living example of long-term faithfulness, hospitality, and a healthy marriage that itself becomes a witness to others.
Final Thoughts
This episode is a beautiful picture of what simple, faithful mission can look like over time. Rick and Alice are not trying to build something flashy or impressive. They are praying, listening, showing up, and becoming family with people who are often unseen. What emerges is not just a ministry model, but a way of life—one where love, consistency, and presence become the soil where the Church can grow.
