Faith Walkers Outreach shares the love of Jesus Christ by feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, inviting in the stranger, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, coming to the prisoner, and looking after the orphan and widow (Matthew 25:35-40, James 1:27).
By faith, Faith Walkers Outreach actively walks out Matthew 25:35-40 and James 1:27 by bringing the transformative Gospel of Jesus Christ to prisons, juvenile detention centers, schools, hospitals, and group homes.
Integrity, Accountability, Love, Teamwork
We believe the Bible to be the inspired and only infallible written Word of God. We believe that there is only One God, eternally existent in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16).
We believe in the blessed Hope, which is the rapture of the Church of God, which is in Christ, at His return. We believe that the only means of being cleansed from sin is through repentance and faith in the precious Blood of Jesus Christ ( John 3:16, Romans 10:9).
We believe that water baptism is a public, outward expression of an inward, faith-driven transformation. This transformation has already taken place in the believer upon being baptized when he or she is “born again” through faith in the savior Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38).
We believe that regeneration by the Holy Ghost is absolutely essential for personal salvation.
We believe that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, according to Acts 2:4, is given to believers who ask for it. We believe in the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a holy and separated life in the present world.
We believe in tithing and giving offerings to the Lord and his church. Tithing is the practice of giving to the Lord 10% of your income. This act of obedience and worship honors God and reminds us that He is the ultimate giver. Giving by faith in this way comes with a principle and a promise from God's word, found in Malachi 3:8-10. Because of the generosity of those converted into the church of Jesus Christ, no one in the family of believers goes without (also see 2 Corinthians 9:7, Acts 20:35-36, Acts 4:34-35).
Orlando Rivera, and his beautiful wife, Adrienne Rivera, are natives to Leavenworth, Kansas. Their love for God‘s people, and heart for their community have always been evident. Their amazing 6 children are of utmost importance in their lives. Their reputation as leaders and examples in our community proceeds them. Ultimately, their 12 years in ministry have been full of triumphs, mistakes, but above all... redemption!
Having grown up in church, Orlando Rivera, also known as Pastor O, began serving at his local church, Power Realm Church of God in Christ, at the age of 19. However, it was not until 30 years old that he would give his life to Christ. Adrienne Rivera, known as Mama A, also served faithfully at Power Realm. She was a hardworking mother, helping others in the medical field when things took a turn for the Rivera family.
As mentioned before, these two had been involved in ministry and community support prior to their marriage. As a team, they brought together like-minded youth and young adults to produce Gospel stage plays, host community clothing and food drives, and even create a talent show to showcase the gifts and abilities of Leavenworth’s youth.
While doing this amazing work, infidelity crept into their marriage and tested the couple’s foundation of faith. Pastor O, who had not yet begun pastoring, battled within himself during this time. He eventually allowed the fear of failure to cripple his kingdom assignment. He feared the inevitable pressure of having to maintain his own “good ideas” for ministry.
Despite this hurdle, and the infidelity, Pastor O would encounter God’s grace for the first time. Mama A extended Christ’s forgiveness and mercy toward her husband by initiating reconciliation after the hit. Experiencing God’s saving grace through his wife changed Pastor Orlando’s outlook on life as a whole. Serving Jesus would never look the same for him. He gave his life fully to the Lord, and adopted the right kind of fear; one that is reverent and compels us to take up God’s assignment for our lives as He leads! At this point, success in ministry was no longer made or broken by Pastor O’s strength, but held together by the power of God’s spirit. That revelation sparked a fire within Pastor O and Mama A, and they both saw traditional church attendance shift into the pursuit of a real, gracious, loving Jesus.
Shortly after launching out into ministry, Pastor Orlando and Mama A opened up their Leavenworth home for worship and small group Bible studies. Our home church was originally named Pain for Purpose Outreach. Members of the Leavenworth community joined the ministry in waves it seems, but God had much more planned for us.
On April 2, 2021, ministry at Highland Community College was born! God had given Pastor O instruction to start small groups in “Highland,” and the responses from staff and students confirmed that God had truly made HCC the first stop for our new ministry. The church also began conducting small groups at The University of Saint Mary - the local 4-year college in Leavenworth. Highland and Saint Mary students quickly became family, and the foundation of the church strengthened as weeks passed.
Our church's move to Atchison was marked by bold, consistent evangelism, and heavy community involvement. Being embedded in the community through student prayer groups, Bible studies at local businesses, and outdoor prayer gatherings proved to be most effective. Memorial Hall in Atchison was the central meeting place for students from both Highland Community College and University of Saint Mary.
We had the opportunity to volunteer and host regular services at the local Boys and Girls Club. This gave us access to not only the building and its resources but also to the families living nearby - many of which needed a church home. Although ministry was thriving, the need for a new gathering space became clear.
After a difficult but necessary transition from the Boys and Girls Club, God gave Pastor O vision for a church in Leavenworth, KS. We came back with outreach heavy on our minds. The Hope At the Gathering College Tour had hit campuses like Wichita State University and Lincoln University, all while we set up shop in hotel conference rooms back home in Leavenworth.
266 Kiowa St. became our new address, we made renovations and took care of it like it was our own. This was also the first neighborhood we adopted, pouring love into the community on a consistent basis. During this time we held cookouts, basketball games, community choir rehearsals, and Easter egg hunts to point people to the church just up the hill. However, our growth and investment in the community on Kiowa street was put on pause due to an array of plumbing and renovation issues. We would not allow this bump in the road to hinder the furthering of the gospel; this would lead us to officially plant our church at Highland Community College.
We became known as the “church on campus,” gaining a consistent following of about 45 people a Sunday, and even had students join the leadership teams for the first time. Faith Walkers were now a part of the Highland community by attending sports games, preparing team meals, hosting on campus bible studies, prayer nights, community outings, and even had students accompany us on our Hope at the Gathering College Tour. A campus plant had been birthed, and we witnessed an overwhelming amount of students and staff grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.
Amid the success in Highland, Pastor O would have an encounter with God emphasizing the need for a church plant in Leavenworth. Following the end of the school year, Pastor O and the team would move back to Leavenworth by faith. Still looking for a place to call home, we began utilizing a local office building for services, we stopped at nothing to continue spreading the Gospel. Here, we were faithful to feed the homeless and reach out to those in need. Our consistent evangelism quickly grew our congregation of 20 to 60 people in a matter of weeks. Our expeditious growth pointed to an urgent need for a space our own.
After being faithful over home church, Memorial Hall, college campus ministry, hotels, 266 Kiowa, and lastly the office space, God orchestrated a relationship between our pastor and a local Seventh Day Adventist church. This resulted in us finally being able to have a larger space to call home. The community was our focus, and evangelism took over Leavenworth like a whirlwind. Faith Walkers was becoming was fastest growing multi-ethnic, multi-generational church in the city. There is more work to be done on this faith walk, and we are excited to see what God has in store for us next!
