In Register Magazine

Rizzo's Higher Calling
By CHRISTY GRAYSON-BARRETT

"If you take care of the ones that nobody else wants, then God will give you the ones everybody would be eager to have," says Healing Place Church founder and pastor Dino Rizzo.

And that is exactly what he and his 80-member staff do each day through any one of the 90 ministries at the church's many campuses throughout the parish.

His ambition to fulfill a spiritual calling was to provide a healing place for the souls of hurting people.

"It was a pretty rough road. I had a heart to pastor," he recalls. He just needed a place to do so. That is until he met Keith Gunter, who also wanted to do something grand in Baton Rouge. "Keith Gunter really had a heart for the community," he says. Gunter provided a place on Highland Road to build Healing Place Church. That was more than a decade ago.

The decision for this Myrtle Beach, S.C., native to come to Baton Rouge was based upon the fact that wife DeLynn was from here.

Rizzo was already "hooked" on the idea of helping people know Christ, and Baton Rouge seemed to be the right place to continue his work.

After a stint in the 80's with Jimmy Swaggart and a couple of years traveling abroad conducting spiritual conferences and crusades on college campuses, the Rizzo's longed for a permanent home.

"We decided to come home and planted a church 11 years ago with 12 people," recalls Rizzo.

But events aren't always in our control, as Rizzo was reminded that first week when five of the original 12 members quit.

"But God just blessed it. Before we knew it, we had 50, then 300, then more," he says.

Rizzo can hardly contain his excitement as he remembers hoping to fill his congregation with 200-300 people.

"Now we help widows, single moms, addicts, hurting people. Now we have 4,000 in attendance, with five services on the weekend and two on Wednesday nights, he says.

"We have a diverse staff with an average age of 30 years old. Half of the church is under 25 years old," he continues. "There are at least 1,000 volunteers."

"Our church is best expressed outside in the community. We partner with American Cancer Society, BREC and other community outreaches," he says, adding that the church isn't trying to out do any other community outreach ministry when it can help with existing ones that are doing well

"We show small acts of kindness with the love of Jesus," says Rizzo.

But he's also quick to remember the reason he and his congregation give so much of themselves to total strangers in need.

"Two things that have made the church grow are God Almighty and a giving spirit," he explains.

And as pastor of the nondenominational church, he vows to keep focus of the church on a very simple premise.

"We love Christ. It's a simple deal. He loves you, died for you and has a plan for your life. What matters is they give their heart to Christ," says Rizzo.

It's the crux of every sermon he delivers and is at the heart of every mission conducted by the church.