There's a mission field in every town in America, sitting just down the road, full of people who rarely get a visitor. Bill Goodrich has spent over forty years there — and the stories he carries will change how you see the rooms you've been walking past.

In this interview, host Rolland Wright sits down with Bill Goodrich, founder of God Cares Ministry — a senior care ministry that now equips churches and volunteers across North America.

Bill has spent more than forty years in nursing homes, assisted living, and the rooms most of the body of Messiah has forgotten exists. He left full-time work in 1994 to start God Cares, and the mission has been the same ever since: equip the church to actually do what Scripture commands — care for the widow, the vulnerable, the ones at the end of the road.

Rolland and Bill talk about how senior care has changed over four decades, why the church is largely missing the closest mission field it has, and what authentic ministry looks like when the goal is friendship rather than a quick salvation prayer. Bill shares stories from inside the work — celebrating milestones, gift programs, bedside ministry — including a transformation story about a Bible study participant named Lenny that you'll want to hear from Bill himself.

This is the second Thursday interview of Series One: Ekklesia Infused, and it points squarely at one of the most overlooked expressions of Ekklesia in everyday life: choosing to see the people the world has stopped seeing.

You'll hear:

• How senior care has changed over four decades — and what's been lost

• Bill's personal calling and his early experiences in nursing home ministry

• Why authentic friendship matters more than a quick salvation message

• The 1994 decision to leave full-time work and launch God Cares Ministry

• The scope of God Cares Ministry across North America today

• The biblical mandate to care for widows, orphans, and the vulnerable

• Practical resources and training programs for churches and volunteers

• Why the scarcity of paid chaplain roles is an opportunity, not a barrier

• The risk of spiritual misinformation in care settings — and why Christ-centered ministry matters

• A story about a man named Lenny that will stay with you

  
  

Scripture themes: James 1:27 (caring for widows and orphans), Matthew 25:40 (the least of these)

Resources

Ekklesia Declared! — https://a.co/d/0fkrigsy

Ekklesia Infused! — https://a.co/d/0gdii5A0

Choose Life — https://a.co/d/069OtMTN

Choose Life Workbook — https://a.co/d/06vseuNH

First Place Ministries Website — https://www.firstplaceministries.com

Support the Ministry via PayPal — https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=82WSYT9FXJ9CY

Connect with Caliatra — https://www.facebook.com/Chaplaincaliatra

Bill Goodrich & God Cares Ministry

God Cares Ministry — https://www.godcaresministry.com

Bible Study Resources for Senior Ministry — https://www.godcaresministry.com/resources

Training Programs for Church Volunteer Teams — https://www.godcaresministry.com/training

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