Randy Therio had been working as an associate pastor for 16 years in Goodyear when, three years ago, he received a divine calling that he should lead a church. He had previously led volunteer groups to parts of the reservation and felt drawn to continue his work there.
At the same time, as his children were leaving home, Therio and his wife, who dreamed of fostering, began visiting Naomi House near Jackrabbit, an orphanage for Native American children. Upon leaving, he asked about where the children attended church and learned they went to the First Baptist Church in Winslow.
He contacted Pastor Fred Harris of the First Baptist Church, leading to a meeting with the ministry head in charge of planting new churches. He was shown a map with a sticker over Winslow, and the ministry head told Therio he had prayed this spot would become a church to train pastors for the area. This was the moment Therio knew he had found his calling.
First Baptist Church then sponsored a visit for him and his wife to Winslow. “We knew this is where we were supposed to be and there was never a doubt. We have never felt alone, we have had community and family here ever since,” Therio said. They moved to Winslow, where Therio has been an active community member, announcing baseball games, attending city council meetings and doing reporting for Loy Engelhardt at Kino.
Therio is proud of connecting churches on the reservation with more significant resources and funds, including helping a church in Alabama fund a church in Cornfields.
However, establishing the church faced challenges like costly roof repairs in the chapel and discovering asbestos, which posed a $20,000 cleanup bill. Miraculously, calls from supportive churches matched these exact needs, with donations covering both the asbestos and roof repairs totaling $42,000. All of that money came from a single phone call he received while working around the church. Therio reflected on that moment by saying, “I wish I could say it was because I had faith and I prayed but to be honest I didn’t even know I could ask for that.”
Therio’s blessings also involved waves of volunteers, who were able to come to Winslow and help accelerate repairs around the church. He expects similar groups to come to the church during the summer and now that there is less work to go around at the church, he’s turning them towards beautifying the community.
With each hurdle, his church experienced miraculous support, enabling significant improvements from new plumbing to new sheetrock, almost everything in his little church needed some care.
“When most churches say they want to plant a church they mean in another state, not a quarter mile down the road,” Therio noted, which is a testament to how cooperative and supportive the First Baptist Church has been. Now, residents can visit Multiply Church at 811 N. Aspinwall St., in Winslow, where services begin at 10 a.m. on Sundays. His church opened for its first service for Easter, with one person who was not involved in the founding of the church attending. They celebrated this. Although the chapel can hold far more, he was happy to have one person there to preach to and he says that person has been every Sunday since.
At Multiply Church they are also offering the public from 1-3 p.m., every Monday and Wednesday, Little Winslow, which is a children’s play area with a look that mirrors local businesses. It’s a safe place for kids to play and socialize, designed to look like businesses in Winslow including Dr. Scott’s Animal Hospital, Casey’s and the Sipp Shoppe. Although always ready to preach, Therio respects that people should be able to enjoy this space without discussing religion.
Therio’s commitment to showing the power of God through community efforts is evident. Multiply Church hosts events such as soccer camps, vacation bible school, and basketball camps in Teesto. His work at Multiply Church and the various community programs it supports showcases the impactful integration of spiritual leadership and community service.
