The Answer’s Editor-in-Chief

As Las Vegas has been charged to have more churches per capita than any other city in the United States, some question the necessity of so many ministries. However, every ministry leadership team holds firm to its definitive role within the body thereby proving all ministries are necessary.
 
Holding down the corner of Charleston and Jones in Las Vegas, Believers in Christ is one ministry that has proven itself to be indispensable to its community at large. Armed with a food program, a counseling center and a soon-to-be daycare facility, Believers in Christ’s leadership team has staked claim to serve its portion of God’s people.

“When people walk through the doors of this church, our primary goal is to touch them,” said First Lady La Donna Tapplin. “We don’t know whether this will be the one and only time we see them so we have to make sure that we touch them and let them know their life matters and they have purpose.”

Housed in an area where many homeless people linger, Pastor Michael Tapplin and his wife have the privilege of showing God’s love to those dubbed unlovely. “Some of the people that come in may have a love or passion for God, but nobody will let them in because of the way they look or smell,” the fired-up evangelist explained.

“But as a body, we have to be different. We can’t let those things keep us from touching people, we need to reach out and touch them just like Jesus did,” First Lady Tapplin said.

Founded in 2005, Believers in Christ serves a host of people from within the walls of the church. But its ministry travels throughout the city to serve the people of God. “My main goal is the please Him (God),” said Pastor Tapplin, a postal worker during the day. “That means visiting the sick, going to the convalescent homes and doing outreach. Not everybody is going to walk through those doors. To reach some of the people, you have to go where they are.”

Pastor Tapplin spends a host of time canvassing the neighborhoods infamous for its homeless population.  “Everybody matters,” he said. “Just because you’ve fallen on bad times for whatever reason doesn’t mean you don’t need to hear the Word of God – that’s when you need it most,” said Pastor Tapplin, who spent twenty years in the military before retiring.

With a first lady who owns two businesses - Lighthouse of Love (a psycho-social rehabilitation center) and a thriving ten-year-old daycare – Pastor Tapplin works hard to set an example for the membership and their two children, Elisha (12) and Vashti (8).

“We have a great balance,” he said. “Where I’m weak, she’s strong. I believe that our natural children and our spiritual children (members of the church) need to see it to perform it sometimes. I make sure they know that I’ve found my good thing and I’m going to keep my favor,” Pastor said referring to his wife.

Subject to preach at the drop of a dime, First Lady Tapplin admitted that although the team served six years as assistant pastors at New Antioch Christian Fellowship under the leadership of Dr. Naida Parson, being the senior leaders of a church is not as easy as it seems. “It’s lonely up there,” she said.

“What I’ve learned most is the more you stand before God’s people, and the more I see them mess up, the more I see the heart of Christ. His Grace and Mercy is clearer,” the prolific speaker said.

“Sometimes I just want to get up there and get ‘em – just one time. But as soon as I get ready, God says ‘tell them how much I love them. I know how to reach them; you just tell them how much I adore them.’ And I realize our job is not to browbeat His people; how dare us get up there and talk to God’s people crazy. We are supposed to point them back to Him and not act like we’re on a pedestal.”

The duo constantly fights to keep a humble spirit and remain in a servant’s capacity. “You got to have the mind of Christ to serve,” Pastor Tapplin said. “You may see a big ministry with lots of people but there are only a few getting it. They’re there but they’re starving.”

Pastor encourages people to get to a church where the Word is being preached. “I have found if you stick to the Word of God, you can’t go wrong.  You need to be in a church where you are being fed, and if you’re preaching - preach Christ,” he declared.

For more information about Believers in Christ, contact the Tapplins at (702) 258-9121 or visit the church for Sunday morning worship at 10:30am at 6126 W. Charleston Blvd. The food bank is open every Saturday from 9:00am to 10:30am and the church holds Wednesday evening prayer at 6:00pm.