Get to Know the Brooks Family

Ministry Description

Rick Brooks serves as Ministry Representative for Word of Life Fellowship Inc. in Schroon Lake, NY. His primary responsibility is the coordination, promotion, recruitment and hosting for healthcare trip to the third world countries in which WOL ministers. He also oversees the ministry in Papua New Guinea which is currently directed by Moses Temo. He and his wife Vi often minister to the staff needs of our missionary families. Previously he was privileged to pioneer the Nehemiah Network, a service ministry, for Word of Life.

Rick and Vi Brooks began their ministry with Word of Life in 1968 and have served in various capacities over the years. Rick ministered with the Bible Club program for 20 years as Southeast Regional Director followed by becoming the West Coast Regional Director; while, at the same time beginning Word of Life’s camping ministry on the West Coast, which continued through the summer of 2008. Rick also served as the interim director in the United Kingdom before being asked to assist the Overseas Director in the home office in 1991. It was there that Rick looked for a way to be a “Needs Filler” in the lives of missionaries, which in turn provided the opportunity for beginning the Nehemiah Network (a program that involved volunteers using their skills to help missionaries via work and healthcare teams, professional services, and equipment procurement).

Word of Life is an international organization proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the youth of the world for 80 years. WOL is committed to evangelism and discipleship and is currently ministering in over 70 countries worldwide. This is accomplished via several avenues: Youth Camps and Adult Conference Centers reaching youth and adults through a camping ministry as a Word of Life Trademark both in the US and around the world; Local Church Ministries (Bible Clubs) apply Biblical principles as they work with local churches to establish foundational truths for Godly living in the lives of young people; Evangelistic outreaches such as Basketball and Soccer Marathons, Super-bowls, and Gospel Productions minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ to literally hundreds of thousands annually both in the US and abroad; Bible Institutes are training young people to find the Will of God through the Word of God in the US and 13 other locations overseas; And short-term mission opportunities are available which are designed to give both youth and adults first-hand exposure to foreign missions.

Learn more about the ministry in the United States.

About Rick

Personal Testimony
Rick Brooks
I was born into a family where my mother was a believer and my father was not. Mom did her best to get us to church whenever possible. At the age of 10 and living in rural community of Davisburg, Michigan Mom took us to Andersonville Community Church where evangelistic meetings were being conducted by Jack VanImpe along with his wife and father who assisted with the music. By the end of the first night’s service I knew I was sinner in need of a savior and wanted to respond to the salvation invitation. But, I knew my father wasn’t saved and felt that if he was not a Christian I didn’t need to be one either.
My mother knew my father enjoyed music and invited him to come to the meetings to hear the great music. So by the third night of the meetings my dad started attending too. Each night I felt more convicted to trust the Lord as Savior, but resisted. Finally on the last night of the meetings and during the invitation my father stepped out to trust Christ and I too joined him in the front of the church. That night I confessed my sin and received God’s gift of salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. I understood that He gave his life as the payment for my sin, died and rose again with the promise to come again and take believers to heaven where they would live eternally with Him.
I did grow spiritually in that little church and later my family moved to Roseville, Mi where we began attending Calvary Baptist Church on Utica Rd. I grew more there under the ministry of Dr. Bob Rhodes. He along with Bob Stone one of the local VCY directors encouraged me to attend Bob Jones University. Initially I was a business student, but while on a weekend ministry extension I lead a teenager to Christ. I began living for the weekends when I could go on extension and felt the Lord burdening my heart more and more for ministry.
During that first Christmas break I came home and caught the mumps from my younger sister. It turned into encephalitis causing me to go the hospital on the same day other students were returning to school following the Christmas break. I was partially paralyzed and unconscious during part of that time, but woke up one day and realized I was in a hospital. Not remembering about the mumps or why I might be in the hospital, I did know that I wanted to live for the Lord and make my life count for Him. I promised the Lord that if He would get me out of the hospital I would return to school, change my major and prepare for ministry. Fourteen days later I was on a Greyhound bus headed back to Greenville, SC. I kept my promise.
It was during my years as a ministerial student that Jack Wyrtzen and Paul Bubar from Word of Life Fellowship would come to school. They spoke in chapel and youth work classes about this exciting ministry that was local church based. After graduation in 1968 my wife and I attended Word of Life’s missionary candidate school. At the completion of that and following much prayer we sensed that the Lord would have us join the missionary team of WOL. For 20 years we ministered with the Bible Club Dept of WOL in the southeast and west coast. Then in 1988 was asked to become the interim director of WOL’s mission work in the United Kingdom. In 1991 I was asked to come back to the U.S. and assist our overseas missions’ director. It was at that time I began developing the short-term missions program for adults known as the Nehemiah Network.
Today I continue to serve both the needs of our missionaries overseas and the needs of individuals in local churches by helping them use their gifts skills and abilities for God’s glory in healthcare mission work around the world. I also oversee the ministry of WOL in Papua New Guinea which is currently directed by Moses Temo.

Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Contact Information

RickB@wol.org
Skype: rickbrookswol
414 Mitchell Blvd
Weatherford, TX 76087
Home/office phone: 682-804-5029
Cell: 518-796-6146