It’s been a ten year journey. One that has revealed to Randall Nichols that the Church has the heart to answer the call of caring for ‘the least of these’, but just lacks the resources. That is where Echo Orphancare Partners fill in the gap. Randall has served in ministry for 23 years, mostly as a Worship Pastor, but after spending many weekends sitting with the homeless of downtown Birmingham, AL, and adopting his two youngest daughters, he and his wife founded Echo. This non-profit organization works with local churches and civic organizations to support, train and equip the community to recognize and respond to the needs of foster and adoptive families, as well as strengthen families at risk. Ultimately, the Gospel is his primary motivator. “Following Jesus’ example of caring for society’s most vulnerable, caring for the least of these, that’s our primary motivation,” he explains, “Every effort we make helps improve outcomes for families right outside our own front door.” Randall and his wife, Kelley, have five children, ages 17, 12, 10, 7 and 3. Their youngest two little girls, who both have Down Syndrome and other medical conditions, came to them through foster care and adoption. As their oldest is currently driving, dating and looking at colleges, they are longing for time to slow down. This past summer, he enjoyed seeing them take on the challenge of swim team and improve by leaps and bounds. The family lives on a tidal creek and they get out on the water as much as possible. In his free time, Randall loves working with his hands, building, fixing and learning. Being musically-inclined, he once toured with a Gospel boy band during the 1990’s. Randall’s favorite getaway includes a small one-room cabin in the mountains during winter, where he would enjoy reading multiple books at a time. Drawn to books that challenge and inspire him, he recently finished Until Every Child is Home by Todd R. Chipman, The Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri J. M. Nouwen, and The Altar Ego Effect by Todd Herman.

“The heart of the church will always be with Jesus and Jesus will always be with the broken, afraid, the enslaved, the lonely.”

Randall has a passion for families. His goal is to help the Church move back into the lives of the marginalized. And in his Noble Man Tidewater workshop, he will equip men to fill in those gaps and enable the Church to step in and really minister to those in need.