Testimony of Hope!

 My name is Pastor Ricky Latimore, and I came to Christ at the age of fifteen. Before that, I attended church with my aunt and another older woman who faithfully picked me up. During that season of my life, I was carrying deep discouragement. I was poor, broken, and unsure of how to move forward. Drugs, addiction, and alcoholism surrounded my community and were present in my own home. Evictions were common, food was often limited, and the reality of poverty was constant.

    Still, one thing stayed with me. The women of God in my life continually spoke hope over me. They would say, “God has a purpose and a plan for your life.” It was difficult to believe those words in the middle of so much instability, but every time they took me to church on Wednesdays and Sundays, I was encountering God without even realizing it.

    I still remember the worship. I remember a peace that would come over me during those services, a feeling that made me believe everything would be alright. I tried to hold on to that peace, but it often faded when I returned home and faced reality again.

    One night, I laid on my bedroom floor on a blanket and pillow that served as my bed, and I cried out to God. I asked Him why my family was living the way we were and why we were facing so many hardships. I had heard about Him and felt something in church, but I did not truly know Him. I knew the name of Jesus, but I did not know Jesus personally. I knew what people said about Him, that He heals, that He carries burdens, and that He never leaves, but I needed to experience Him for myself.

    What I did know was that the women I trusted believed in Jesus. I heard them call on His name in prayer and saw them trust Him with their lives. In my brokenness, I decided to call on that same name. As I cried out for Jesus to fill me, heal me, and save me, I was filled with the Holy Spirit. Words I did not understand began to flow from my lips. In that moment, I knew who Jesus was. I felt a heavy burden lift from my heart and mind, and something within me broke and melted away. That encounter did not immediately change my circumstances, but it changed me. It changed my perspective and helped me understand that I was no longer doing life alone.

​    Today, I thank God for keeping and healing my family, restoring relationships, and bringing deliverance from what once held us bound. God is faithful. I am grateful to know Him, and I share this testimony knowing that Jesus is still able to save, heal, deliver, and set free.

    Pastor Ricky L. Latimore Jr. is the Lead Pastor of Revive Ministries Center, which he founded alongside his wife, Marie-Laurie Latimore, in the spring of 2024. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Practical Theology from Southeastern University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Mercer University.

    With over 15 years of ministry experience, Pastor Ricky carries a deep passion for God’s people. His heart is to see the lost restored, the broken healed, and the backslidden redeemed, while helping individuals awaken to their God-given identity in Christ and walk confidently in the purpose and plans God has for their lives.

   Raised in a large family with three brothers and three sisters, Pastor Ricky experienced significant adversity growing up, including poverty, food insecurity, substance abuse, and brokenness within his community. Through it all, God remained faithful, often working through devoted women of faith who, as he says, “Loved me to understanding.”

    In addition to pastoring, Pastor Ricky serves as an English teacher in the public school system, allowing him to impact both the church and the community with faith, education, and compassion.

​    He and his wife are proud parents to a five-year-old son, Ricky III, and are joyfully expecting another child. His life and ministry are guided by a simple yet powerful motto: God is always faithful, and God has a purpose and a plan for our lives.