ABOUT us
Following God's prompting Lonnie and Belinda Riley moved to Lynch, KY and founded Meridzo Center, Inc in 1999. Leaving behind the safety of a six figure salary with insurance and retirement they stepped out on faith with only God to supply their needs.
Twenty years later they still live by faith with no salaries and what started with two people following God has grown into 14 ministries with 22 full time volunteer missionary staff members and is continuing to grow today. Meridzo Center operates as the governing and overseeing organization for the 14 individual ministries.
Our name "Meridzo" is the phonetic spelling of the greek word μεριζω (english spelling would be merizo). Simply put the word means to distribute. Drew Baldwin, CEO states that Meridzo Center "desires to be a distribution center of God's blessings upon the communities and the people of eastern Kentucky."
To see the different ministries and to learn more about them please click on the "Ministries" tab in the menu. To learn more about Lonnie and Belinda Riley scroll down to the "Our Founders" section of the page.
Our CEO
As of September 6th 2019, Drew Baldwin has been named the CEO of Meridzo Center, Inc. Drew received his undergraduate degree in 2003 from Union University in Jackson, TN and in 2008 he received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC.
Drew and his wife Leah Baldwin have faithfully served Meridzo Center since 2009 as the Directors of the Stables at Creekside Glen. They have 4 beautiful children Boone, Anna Belle, Barret, and Truett. In addition to his role as a father and the Director of the Stables, Drew has also served as Pastor of Eolia Baptist Church since 2010, as COO of Meridzo Center from 2014 to 2019, and as the Partridge Facility Team Leader from 2018 to 2020.
Our Founders
In 1999 the Lord called Lonnie and Belinda Riley to Lynch, KY to help people and share Jesus. They had no preconceived plan or strategy but the Lord supplied. Now a multifaceted ministry is in place with many ministries in under its covering as tools to share Christ.
Ministries include:
-
Solomon’s Porch Retreat Center
-
Lamp House Coffee Shop
-
Meridzo Agribusiness Center (Mushroom growing facility)
-
The Stables at Creekside Glen
-
Shekinah Village
-
Calvary Campus in Blackey
-
Maytown Center in Langley
-
Heaven’s Door Chapel at Lake Cumberland Resort
-
And others as God continues to expand
Lonnie and Belinda have served as college Administrators, State Convention Staff, Pastor of small and large churches. They have been Trustee of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (2 Terms) and were named 2004 Missionaries of the Year by NAMB for the U.S. and Canada. The Rileys have received the Tony Turner Award and the Community Development Award by the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce, received the 2017 Governor’s William Cooper award for Faith and Community Impact, and many other awards and recognitions.
After 25 years serving as the Presidents and Directors of Meridzo Center, Lonnie and Belinda have now started a new ministry. Riley Ministry Consulting Services reaches beyond eastern Kentucky helping, consulting, teaching, and speaking to churches, businesses, and non-profits. The Rileys continue to support Meridzo in all they do and likewise Meridzo and its staff continue to support our founders. For more information about Riley Ministry Consulting Services, to book Lonnie and Belinda Riley for speaking/consulting, or to order any of their materials please visit their website logo below:
Click the logo above for:
For more information about Lonnie and Belinda Riley
For more information about Riley Ministry Consulting
Requesting Lonnie to come speak/teach
Ordering Materials from the Rileys