There is a phenomenon in the Christian realm that is not always seen but is utterly unmistakable. I am sure each of us as children of God have crossed paths with someone completely and unashamedly sold out to the cause of Christ. If we could look back in time to survey the lives of such a person we would find a life racked with sin and wickedness before their rescue from the bondage of Satan.

 

    These zealots of the cross have seen the other side. They have groped in the darkness. They have done the bidding of the prince of darkness. They have peered over the portals of Hell. They know the blackness of sin. Therefore they are aware of what they have been saved from. In their possession is a most grateful soul. They are now saved and they want the whole world to know the one who rescued them from everlasting fire.

 

    You are about to read the story of such a man; a soldier of the cross who once battled for the other side. Richard Delfino has been to Hell and back. The life of Mr. Delfino will grip your heart and make you very thankful for your blessed life as it has me. I pray that you will read this with an open heart and mind. Let the Holy Spirit speak to your life. You will be changed.

 

    Richard Delfino was raised in Jersey City, NJ. His father provided an ample living for his family through the trucking business he owned yet he made very little time for his wife and children. Though he was a good provider he was not at all interested in being a nurturing, loving father. Richard’s father had some involvement in some political and criminal activities as well. This area of influence was used when young Rich would find himself in a predicament with the police.

 

    In an attempt to gain the attention of his father Richard started snatching a few dollars here and there from his dad’s wallet. At the ripe old age of eight Richard realized how easy it was to steal things. He began breaking into houses and robbing people of their possessions. He became very brassy and arrogant about his ability as a thief. He would take bets from his friends on whether or not he could break into a place. The things he stole were sold keeping Richard's pockets fat with ill-gotten gain.

 

    Over time Richard started getting caught. He was caught a lot. In fact he amassed the most extensive juvenile record in Hudson county, NJ. What Richard did not know was that his father used his political pull to keep him out of jail. Another ace in the hole for Richard was an uncle who happened to be a judge. So between the two of them, his father and his uncle kept Richard from punishment but for only so long.

 

    About the time Richard turned 14 he started pushing his luck with the juvenile justice system. He once stole a gun that he used to shoot a young man’s bicycle in the heat of confrontation. For this he spent only three days in a youth facility. Obviously this was a very light sentence.

 

    Richard was a menace to every school he attended. He was thrown out of three of them. Finally, he was forced to attend a night school, which he of course broke into. As he was caught in the act Richard was arrested at gun point. He spent the night in an adult facility, which could only be allowed by his father. Apparently his fathers’ patience was wearing thin.

 

    The straw that broke the camels’ back was soon to come. Richard's’ father owned a home in Somerville, NJ 50 miles away from Jersey City. This is where his family would spend their summer vacations. One summer Richard and some pals rode their bikes into town. Once there they broke into a gas station. After robbing the station the boys proceeded to vandalize it with spray painted graffiti. However they did not stop there. This band of young, vandals painted curse words all over town.

 

    Richard and his friends might never have been caught except for one incident. The boys had painted their bikes with the same spray paint they used to vandalize the station and town. In a not so bright move, the next day the boys rode right into the very gas station they had trashed the day before. The boys were buying sodas when the attendant at the station noticed the matching paint on the bikes. When he asked Richard who had painted his bike he said, "My grandfather did." The attendant told Richard that he could use his grandfather for some paint work at the garage. So Richard told him his grandfathers’ name and where they lived. It should have been no surprise when the State Police showed up to arrest Richard the next day.

 

    Richard remembers being at his sentencing and hearing the words, "…Sentenced to one year in the Jamestown state school for boys…" He lost all concept of what was going on around him at this point. It was like he had gone totally deaf. Then he heard the words, "…suspended to five years probation." This probation sentence meant that Richard's’ father would have to drive him to Somerville, NJ every Friday.

 

    This inconvenience to his father resulted in many terror filled rides which included a constant berating and beatings. One night as Richard and is dad were on their way to Somerville, a Gospel Quartet called the Harmonizing Four came on the radio. Richard said his dad immediately stopped hitting him. They both just started looking at the radio and then at each other. It seems that a love of Barbershop music was the only thing Richard and his dad had in common. Another twist that night was that the Harmonizing Four were singing Gospel lyrics in Barbershop style. Now that they had discovered the music on the radio and realized they shared a love for it the ritual beatings stopped. Those Friday night rides to Somerville became a bit more bearable. After serving one year of probation Richard's’ sentence was suspended. God had showed His hand of protection in his life. It would be many years later before he realized this.

 

    After this run in with the law Richard stayed pretty clean. He would only steal when it was convenient or safe. At this time in his life Richard started getting into alcohol. Over time his habit got up to one and one half bottles of liquor per day. Despite this fact Richard contended that he was a good drunk. He never missed a day of work because of his drinking.

 

    In 1964 Richard met his wife, Pat. They were married and went on to have two kids, Diane and Richey. Richard was working in the family trucking business and in his fathers' mind would someday take over. However, Richard had other plans. He wanted to become a policeman and also wanted to learn how to fly. His father knew this and used his political connections to keep Richard in the family business and out of the police force. In addition to this Richard had to overcome some serious personal problems.

 

    Alcohol had taken a firm grip on Richard's’ life. Although he was able to function and hide his drinking to the outside world, his marriage was beginning to suffer. He always said that he would quit the day that he could not remember the night before.

 

    On a trip to New York City, Richard met up with some old friends and got very drunk. After becoming thoroughly inebriated he got behind the wheel and proceeded to drive himself along with his wife and kids back to Jersey City. On the way Richard was racing other drivers and putting his family through one of the most terrifying rides of their lives. Pat was scared to death.

 

    The next day she told Richard what had happened the night before. He could not believe what he had done. After that night Richard finally made a commitment to stop drinking. Although at the time he took credit for stopping, today Richard knows and acknowledges that it was God that took the drinking away from him. It was not long before pills started taking the place of alcohol in Richard's’ life. His habit reached a peak of fifteen Percadan per day.

 

    After seeing an episode of Dragnet involving marijuana, Richard decided to try it. His reasoning was that someday his kids might come to him asking about the drug and he would need to be able to tell them about the drugs’ harmful effects. After trying the drug, Richard decided that he did not like how it made him feel. The mood swings and sick feeling were part of why he quit using marijuana for a while.

 

    The dream of getting a pilot’s license and being able to fly stopped Richard's’ pill and marijuana use. Once again he would say it was his own decision to quit only to realize years later that the hand of God had been on his life even in his sinful state. Praise God for his loving kindness and provision. Richard did go on to get his private pilot’s license.

 

    Around this same time Richard found a friend in a criminal attorney who employed him as an investigator. He also helped Richard go through the police academy, which led to his becoming a police officer with the Hudson County Sheriffs office. He dedicated himself to working out and cleaning up his act. Richard was as legitimate as they came when he started on the force.

 

    Soon his work with the criminal attorney started getting a little shady. Richard also met a woman who became his girlfriend. Pat began to suspect this relationship early on and found out for sure later. This put an obvious strain on their marriage. These were beginning to be hard times because of the decisions Richard was making. Richard ended up virtually moving out of his house to be with this new girlfriend. At the time he did not realize the pain he caused his family because of his own desires and wants.

 

    When Pat found out about some of the shady activities of the criminal attorney, she turned from him. It got so bad that Richard confronted him to let him know that he wanted out. Soon after came a Federal investigation of insurance fraud against the attorney and some co-conspirators, Richard included. In the process of the investigation Richard was cleared but the attorney, his secretary, ten Md.’s and one police lieutenant went to jail.

 

    Richard stayed on with the Sheriff’s department and started mending his broken marriage. Pat and Diane joined the Sweet Adeline’s Chorus in an effort to identify with Richard and his love for Barbershop music. Richard also got back into Barbershop singing. Things got better for them for a while but they were never the same.

 

    In April of 1979 while on the job with the Conrail Police department, Richard started noticing a theft ring within the department. So he went to a higher up and shared his knowledge of the corruption. Through their conversation he found out just how far reaching the corruption was- all the way to the top. Richard then made the connection between the crooked cops and their outward financial trappings such as fine cars and homes. At this point greed kicked into his personality in a big way. Richard wanted in.

 

    Once Richard got involved with some people who would help him in planning theft. A robbery of railroad cars full of Christmas toys would be stolen and trucked away by a group of men then transported to a drop off point. The appointed hour came and went. Richard was becoming frustrated and confused. He finally left the rail yard after several hours. The next morning he found out his partners had been picked up two hours before they were to meet up with Richard. Federal agents had arrested them all. Richard was spared once again from extensive jail time. God’s hand had moved unseen in his life.

 

    Not long after this event Richard was injured on the job. He was supposed to be assigned to light duty but apparently the attorney Richard had worked for had a brother on the police force. After the connection was made this brother conspired with the officials on the force to have him fired. They told Richard there was no light duty and that he would be let go from the force. Richard fought this action, of course, but in the end he was laid off with his disability and his status as a registered policeman in tact. He was then forced to bide his time while waiting for his pension.

 

    Richard now had to find some way to make a living for his family so he started doing some light construction. Along with this new job came a new crew of friends. These guys were unfortunately as unscrupulous as his former comrades on the force were. One night Richard and his new friends met in his house to plan a bank robbery. All the plans were made and everything was set. Now, Pat did not know exactly what was going on but she knew it was no good. So she confronted Richard and said that if he went through with whatever he and his friends were scheming that she would take the kids and leave. Facing the seriousness of this threat and knowing he was still a registered police officer, Richard decided to get out of the robbery plan. Gods unseen hand once again spared Richard from jail time. Richard's’ friends went through with the robbery and were caught. God was protecting Richard.

 

    Richard continued working with the construction crew. In a pattern of bad influence he met some friends who introduced him to cocaine. The paranoia the cocaine perpetuated raised Richard's suspicions that wife was cheating on him. He felt a distance between he and Pat so he asked her if she was seeing someone else behind his back. She emphatically denied his claims over and over. He would not let it go so she finally said that she was attracted to someone but that nothing was going on. When he heard this Richard went off the deep end. He became obsessed with finding out who this "other man" was and taking serious action against him.

 

    The night Pat admitted to Richard her attraction to another man. He stormed out of the house and ended up at friends’ house who was into using drugs. He offered Richard his first hit of crack cocaine. As he inhaled the vile smoke Richard became violently sick. The unexplainable thing is that he immediately wanted more. Drugs had set their hooks firmly in Richard Delfino and they would not let go without a fight.

 

    Soon Richard and Pat started going to marriage counseling to try to salvage their life together. Richard became frustrated with the advice the counselor was giving and finally they had it out. The conversation went something like this.

 

Richard: "Have you ever been faced with your wife cheating on you?"
Doctor: "No."
Richard: "Then who are you to tell me how to handle it!"
Doctor: "Well…"
Richard: "Have you ever been an alcoholic or been hooked on drugs?"
Doctor: "No."
Richard: " Then don’t try to tell me how to deal with it until you have been so wasted that you have thrown up in your own shoes!"

 

With that Richard never returned to the marriage counselor.

 

    Through their visits to the marriage counselor Pat had said something that tipped Richard off to who the "other man" was. He went into a serious revenge mode. He started stalking the "other man" with plans to kill him. The drugs were contributing to Richard's deranged thought process. Satan was setting him up for the ultimate crime. If he went through with his plans Richard would go to jail for the rest of his life.

 

    Gods’ hand once again kept Richard from the harm he would do to himself. Richard had observed the "other man" so intensely that he knew his entire schedule so that he could plan his revenge. However, the "other man" veered numerous times from his otherwise meticulous schedule. Richard would never get to go through with his sadistic plans.

 

    Richard decided that if he could not kill the "other man" that he would kill himself. He remembers standing in front of his bedroom mirror late one night with his gun in hand. As he stared at his sleeping wife he made the decision. He would kill her, walk down the hall to kill his kids and finally kill himself. In Richard's’ own words, "God pulled me out of that room." He went downstairs to smoke some pot and think.

 

    Richard went into a downstairs closet, put the gun in his mouth and prepared to end his life. He was shaking so violently that the gun shook out of his mouth chipping his four front teeth. The moment the gun popped out it fired into the air making a hole through the exterior wall of the house. Richard repaired the outside hole but never repaired the interior hole so that later he would be reminded how God spared his life. That is how God transformed that little space from a chamber of death into a prayer closet.

 

    Before he would surrender to the God who had spared his life so many times Richard would face a few more battles. The attorney he had worked for was now trying to exact some revenge of his own from behind bars. He sent a letter to the Attorney Generals office, accusing Richard of killing a man who was having an affair with his wife. Knowing that the statute of limitations on murder was unlimited insured that Richard would be tormented through a thorough Federal investigation. Eventually that investigation came up empty but the case will still be open for further investigation.

 

    One night Richard was visited by his friend Dennis whom he snorted cocaine with on the weekly basis. This night Richard gave Dennis some crack to smoke. When Dennis asked him if it was crack, Richard assured him that it was only cocaine. After taking a hit of the crack Dennis’ eyes rolled back into his head and started heaving. As he gasped for each breath as if it were his last Richard helped him to the couch. As Dennis started coming down and started breathing again, Richard asked him if he wanted another hit. Dennis made up an excuse to leave and hurried to the door. Richard would not see Dennis again until years later.

 

    What Richard would not know until then is that when Dennis closed the door behind him that night he prayed to God that he would never be like Richard Delfino. By Richard being so close to Hell, Dennis saw that it was real. He and Richard have renewed their friendship today and now rejoice in what God has done in their lives.

 

    During this time Richard was buying drugs down in Bayonne, NJ. Drugs had totally consumed every aspect of his life but life was about to change. After he arrived home one night Richard started channel surfing on an upstairs TV. He stopped flipping when ha came across a program on TNN called Gospel Jubilee. The shows’ hosts, Hicks and Cohaegen, used a good bit of humor between the singing. Richard did not really like how the show tried to use a comedy format with gospel music and shut the TV off and headed downstairs.

 

    Richard clicked on the TV for some noise and again the Gospel Jubilee popped up on the screen. The next words he heard were different than what he had heard before. The hosts were in more of a serious tone as they said, "From Glencoe, AL…Gold City!" As the guys sang "Holy Anointing" Richard was fixed on the TV screen. He called out to what he called, "true interpretation." The harmony was similar to Barbershop but the message and sincerity was unlike anything they had witnessed. After the guys finished singing the hosts said, "That’s Gold City." Richard grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down Gold City.

 

    The next week the McKameys appeared on the Gospel Jubilee. It seems that Peg was a dead ringer for Richard’s mother-in-law. Although the sound was a bit different he saw a heart felt genuineness. Unfortunately TNN canceled the show the next week. Richard had determined in his mind that he had to find out who this group called Gold City was.

 

    Richard called his brother-in-law in FL to see if he could locate some Gold City music. He figured that I the Bible belt of the south it would be no problem to find some Southern Gospel music in the stores. However, after searching twelve stores Richard’s brother-in-law came up empty.

 

    Determined, Richard and Pat traveled to FL to find some Gold City music. After scouring eight stores they finally came upon a Gold City tape with the song "Only God Knows." On the inside he found the phone number of Gold City’s booking agent. After making a call to Century II, Gold City’s agent at the time, they gave him Gold City’s office number. Finally he was making some progress.

 

    Richard’s next determined move was to call Gold City’s office. When he called Paul Mazepink answered the phone (See "Faithful Friends" May). The two ended up talking for 45 minutes. Paul let him know that the guys were going to be in PA the next week and that he would also be sending Richard some Gold City products and information.

 

    So Richard and Pat made plans to go. It was the first thing they had done together in a very long time. At the concert Richard walked right up to the product table and introduced himself. When they heard his name the guys stopped what they were doing and gathered around him. Paul had told them that Richard was going to be there and what they had talked about on the phone. Richard told the guys how much he loved their music and how great he thought they were. He was shocked to see them blush and give the Glory to God. He could not believe it. This first meeting sealed Richard's’ bond between he and Gold City.

 

    After returning home Richard found the things Paul had sent. Among them was a Singing News Magazine with Gold City on the cover and Peg McKamey on an inset picture. On the inside was information on a cruise Gold City was going on in the summer of 1991. Richard and Pat immediately made plans to go. Because of the nature of customs and security Richard knew there was no way that he would be able to take any drugs on the cruise. It was the first week that had happened in a very long time.

 

    On the cruise Richard was able to talk with Tim a good bit. Tim even let him hear a copy of a new album the guys were working on. Richard could not believe the amount of time that Tim was taking just to be nice to him. He felt extremely privileged to say the least. He had never been surrounded with this many people who were all Christians as on the cruise. From then on every time he would go to a Gold City concert he would not take any drugs. God was doing a work in Richard's’ life.

 

    When the cruise time rolled around for 1992 Richard and Pat were there. One night after Gold City finished singing, the crowd cleared out of the showroom on that end of the ship. (If you have never been on a Singing at Sea Cruise, this is how it works. Every night there will be a concert featuring three groups in a showroom on one end of the ship while three other groups sing in a showroom on the other end of the ship. Then the groups rotate so everyone gets to see every group.)

 

    As Gold City was the last group one night, the crowd emptied out to go check out the midnight buffet leaving Richard, Pat and Tim alone to talk for about uninterrupted. Tim shared with Richard several truths of the Bible as well as stories about Paul and other Bible characters. At the end of their conversation Richard stood up and exclaimed, "Tim, you have just made more sense in 45 minutes than thirteen years of church have!" Richard saw that Tim had made his life transparent so people could see that he was standing in the strength of God. Richard says that day in June 1992 was his day of salvation for the Word says that, "…faith comes by hearing and by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)

 

    After the cruise Richard and Pat went back home to New Jersey. The next day as Richard was leaving the house Pat asked him where he was going. He told her that he was going on one more drug run. She could not believe what she was hearing. He assured her that this was the last time. Richard bought $3000.00 worth of drugs on that Sunday. By Wednesday he was down to the last bit of drugs. Richard took his last hit, inhaled the smoke and held it. He then got up and went behind his bar to pack up his drug paraphernalia into a bag. As he blew the smoke out he rolled up the bag and took it out to the curb for the garbage service to pick up. Then he walked back into the house and closed the door.

 

    As the door closed behind him, Richard remembers saying out loud, "What did you just do?" As he repeated this to himself over and over he walked downstairs to listen to some Gold City music. God had delivered Richard from the bondage of drugs. Things were changing in Richard's’ life.

 

    Richard was so grateful to God that he gave up his own selfish desires and said, "Lord, whatever you want me to do is what I will do." He felt that God was saying, "Witness." Richard thought to himself, "But I don’t know anything. How can I witness?" God said, "You know Gold City." So Richard would share with people through the lyrics in Gold City’s songs. He also shared with people about the lives of the guys in Gold City.

 

    One day as Richard listened to a new Gold City song he recognized the story in the song. He asked Pat how he knew that song. She explained that it was a late story from the Bible. Richard made the connection between the Gospel and the music. Pat read a parable and asked Richard what it meant to him. Richard understood the parable and was able to explain it. When Pat told him that the parable came from the Bible, Richard knew he had been lied to. The church he had attended earlier in life told him that there was no way that he could interpret scriptures because he wasn’t "ordained."

 

    This revelation invigorated Richard. He was more excited than ever about the prospects of knowing who God was. He went down into his prayer closet and with an open heart and a hungry soul prayed, "Lord teach me." From that day he started opening the scriptures and partaking of the bread of life.

 

    Tim and Richard would talk from time to time and would tell Richard about Gold City’s Homecoming. Richard told Tim that he wanted to come to homecoming and be baptized at his church. Richard had only seen Christian baptisms on TV but never in person. He wanted to show people how God had used Gold City to change his life. He wanted to tell people how, "They got a junkie off a couch in New Jersey by singing God’s word in music."

 

    So Richard traveled to Glencoe in July of 1993 to attend his first Gold City Homecoming. He was baptized that weekend at North Glencoe Baptist church by our pastor David Cofield. After Brother David baptized Richard he wanted him to give a one-minute testimony. Then after hearing Richard’s testimony Brother David said take all the time you need. After giving about thirty seconds of his testimony he looked down and saw Paul and Louise Mazepink and just broke down. Brother David went on and told Richard’s testimony. That day Richard committed to become a "Bible Toter." As he was greeted in the right hand of Christian fellowship Richard was humbled at the love and attention he was surrounded by.

 

    That day after the service Richard flew to Florida to visit family. When Richard’s friend picked him up, Richard noticed a new thing God had done in his life. Richard noticed that his friend used four letter words fifty-five times in five minutes. He recognized that God had taken foul language away from his heart and life. God was continuing to change Richard from the inside out.

 

    In January of 1995 Richard’s health started to falter. Over his many years of drug use he had destroyed his sinus cavities and bone structure. His face was beginning to literally collapse. On January 14 Richard visited a doctor who explained what was happening. The doctor said that if Richard did not have an operation he would not see January 1996.

 

    Not knowing what his future held, Richard committed himself to witness the love of God to someone every day. He had accepted his illness as the consequences for his many years of drug use. Faced with mortality he began searching out people he had not forgiven in his past. He even gave up his hatred and resentment of the "other man" to God. God was continuing to change Richard.

 

    Not long after his diagnosis his condition prompted a trip to the emergency room. In an effort to relieve some of Richard’s pain the doctors and nurses tried to give him some shots. Richard, however, would not let them due to his deep seeded fear of needles. Imagine that, A former drug addict who hates needles. The doctors tried to convince him that he needed a tetanus shot. Richard told him that he had already had one. Pat looked at him in shock knowing ha had just lied. When the doctor left the room Richard told her, "I’ll repent later."

 

    Well, Richard’s condition continued to worsen and he continued seeing new doctors. On a visit to his fifth doctor Richard was told that he had holes in his sinus cavity that led directly to his brain. This doctor wanted to conduct some very painful tests but Richard refused. So he went to see a new doctor who wanted to put a needle in Richard's’ forehead to drain the poison from his brain. Richard knew he would have to do something or he was going to die.

 

    Richard finally consented to this horrifying treatment. He searched the scriptures for strength and courage. Finding Romans 8:14-15, he grasped onto the verses and quoted them continuously until the moment he was to have the needle inserted on his forehead. The doctor asked Richard what kind of medicine he had been taking. He said, "None." The doctor told him that the poison was gone, the holes were not a threat and there was no need for the needles. God had shown his Glory on Richard's’ life. God was continuing to change his life.

 

    Although he did not have to have the needle procedure he has still had slight bouts of pain since. His goal was to see January of 1996 to prove that God was in control. But in October of 1996 Richard started having chest pains and numbness. He knew Gold City was going to be close by soon and he desperately wanted to see them. He prayed that if there was no pain he would go. Immediately the pain stopped.

 

    Richard ended up going to the concert. Afterwards he and Pat came home and went to church the next day. While at church the pain started to return. A trip to the hospital revealed that he had experienced a slight heart attack and that he was a borderline diabetic. The doctor bills had grown and the Delfino’s were strapped. It came to the place that the next Sunday they could not tithe. Richard did not know what to do so he prayed. In that prayer he gave the only thing he had to the Lord; himself. God was still changing Richard's’ life.

 

    God was going to take Richard at his word. In his home church there was a couple named Ray and Roxanne Taureck. Roxanne had been on a waiting list for a kidney transplant for six years. A couple of weeks after giving himself as an offering, Richard was talking to Ray about Roxanne’s condition. Ray told him about all the formalities and percentages involved in finding a kidney match. Roxanne had grown very sick and yellow. She looked ten years older than Richard did when she was actually ten years younger than he was. God was about to speak to Richard's’ heart.

 

    God began to reveal that HE wanted Richard to donate a kidney to Roxanne. The only hold up was that he was still terrified of needles. There was only a six in one million % chance of a match but he would try. What Richard wanted to do was kept between he and the Taureck’s.

 

    To prove that God had ordained this, Richard was found to have a matching kidney. Surgery was scheduled for April of 1997, however problems caused the surgery to be moved to June 17, 1997. Finally the procedure was performed and was a complete success. Gods’ timing is impeccable. From the time of his salvation to the transplant was five years. Leviticus 19:23-25 was a proven reality. "When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten. In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the Lord your God."

 

    Recently Richard came back to North Glencoe to share his testimony. That week was seven years from his salvation. God was once again performing the truth of His word through Richard's’ life. We all know that seven is Gods’ number of completeness. God has brought Richard through seven years of fiery trails to bring him full circle to the place of his beginning. The physical scars that he bears show Richard the truth of 1 Peter 2:24, "By His stripes we are healed."

 

    Well, today Richard is in complete health and more on fire than ever before. He shares his testimony every chance he gets. This has opened up the door of prison ministry for him. He believes that he owes the time he spends ministering to prisoners because God spared him from a lifetime he could have spent there. God has placed within Richard a servants’ heart.

 

    I hope you have enjoyed this look into the life of Richard Delfino. Our prayer is that you can take away a new appreciation for the life you have been blessed with. It also shows that if God can change a life like Richard's’, He can change your life, too.

 

    These final words are Richard's. "A little of this story is about a person who only knew Christ’s name, but wanted no part of Him. But, it is obvious that He wanted me to go and tell of how much He loves me. This story is all about the Lord Jesus, not me. This story is to let others know how much more He can do if you truly want to Him to. I thank you Lord Jesus for allowing we the honor of telling just a part of who you really are. To God be the Glory for all the great things He has done!"

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Rich and his wife, Pat, have been married for 40 years, and live in Parlin, NJ.  He is available to come and minister in person.  If you would like to have him come and speak to your group (all ages) or your church, then please contact me here at Scion of Zion Ministry and we will forward the information to him.  Rich is not a computer man so I must contact him the old fashioned way, by telephone.

Please do not hesitate to e-mail us with any questions you may have!

scionofzion@intheclouds.org

Previous Speaking Engagements

Rapha - Center for Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation - Attalla, Alabama

Camp Sunshine - Fellowship Deaconry, Liberty Corner, NJ

North Glencoe Baptist Church - Glencoe, Alabama

Bridgepoint Baptist Church - Rainbow City, Alabama

13th Place - Youth Center - Gadsden, Alabama

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