Check Out Cary And Kelly Reif’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cary And Kelly Reif

Hi Cary and Kelly, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My husband and I travelled the world doing professional mime as a ministry. We led troupes and taught workshops in over 22 nations. We felt God calling us back to my hometown in 2002. In 2007, we became associate pastors at a local church in Mesa and helped that church grow from about 120 people to about 1,000 in 7-8 years. We were in charge of the arts and the tech team and served in every role imaginable while there.

In 2015, we felt God calling us to start a new church in Gilbert and we officially launched at the end of 2016. We wanted a church that was like a family. There are plenty of big mega churches that we love throughout the valley, but we wanted a place that would help people go deeper into the things of God by developing relationship and stretching people to not just go to church but to be the church. We wanted people who wanted to be equipped for God to use them for His purposes. We wanted a place where the Holy Spirit was free to move and it wasn’t just about a lights and fog show.

Things were going great and we grew from 12 people to about 90 faithful people when covid hit. After being restricted from meeting at the performing arts center we had been using for months due to covid, many moves, and trying to find our new normal, we have finally gotten things locked in and we are thrilled where God has us.

We are rebuilding our core team to get all of our kids programs and youth programs up and running. We are looking for people that want to get in on the ground floor of something awesome. We are currently having core team meetings, which are really open for anyone who wants to be a part of this exciting church, with the idea of doing a big grand re-opening in the Fall of 2025. That doesn’t mean people have to wait to come until then, but just realize we are still building our children’s program and youth department. We are open while under construction… Open, while building our core.

We love our meeting time too. Sunday afternoons at 3pm. You get to sleep in on Sunday and still go to church. We have fantastic Spirit-led worship, great Bible-based sermons and we are the friendliest church in the valley. Want to be noticed and not disappear in the crowds, this is the church for you!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Our Children’s Pastor and Youth Pastor had medical conditions that put them at high risk if they caught covid or took the vaccine. At the same time, we were meeting at a performing arts center that was attached to a high school so we were not permitted to meet there for months and months after other churches got to resume meeting. We ended up moving to the opposite side of Gilbert and then our landlords raised the rent and we had to move again. After each shut down and move we lost a few families here and there. There has never been a church split or any scandal. Over all of these struggles our numbers have declined. However, the people we have now are so unified and determined to see this church fulfill its calling. We are excited and energized as we see God doing amazing things in every service. We just need to get the word out to people that we exist. When people come, they are expecting a big functioning church. We are small and need to rebuild our kids and youth programs but other than that, we are awesome. We are praying for people to be drawn to this church that will help us grow!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We were professional mimes from 1992-2002. We taught at a Bible College that specialized in the Arts and would lead teams around the world. Our forte’ has always been our heart for worship. We believe God is a creative God and has created us to be creative, so we love to use the arts in worship and sermons and in our lives in general.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I, Kelly, am a native to Arizona. My family has a familiar thing we always say… I loooooooooooooove Arizona! We said it when I was growing up in the house my family lived in for 30 years in Tempe, as we would drive around Gammage and Downtown Tempe. My parents actually were pastors and started a church in Tempe that eventually ended up at 40th street and Baseline. We would say that phrase as we drove up to the pines in Prescott or Payson. We continue to say it as we take our European friends to the Grand Canyon or Sedona. We love to visit Bisbee or Old Tucson or Tombstone. From Page to Nogales, this state is our heart. Specifically, the people of the East Valley are our people. Our kids graduated from Williams Field High School and Basha High School. Our youngest is currently attending GCU. We love the city. We love the desert. We love the heat. We love the mountains. We love our aquatic centers, our culture, our friendliness, our schools, our community and neighborhoods. This is home and we are called to this place and these people!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: awakenchurchaz
• Facebook: Awaken Church