As minister and as librarian, Richards is always reaching out to community

Kelly Richards serves two ministries -- one at a pulpit and the other behind a library check-out counter.

Richards is administrator of the West Las Vegas Library and assistant pastor at the Genesis II Full Gospel Baptist Church. The church rents meeting space at Clyde C. Cox Elementary School, 3855 Timberlake Drive.

He also is an ex-cop with an undergraduate degree in criminal justice as well as a master's degree in library science.

"The church ministry is an outreach (program) to the people to bring them into the fold," Richards said. "At the library, we have an outreach program to enlighten people to bring them into the library."

He strives to touch his church patrons spiritually and his library patrons intellectually, with hopes the mind and spirit will merge at some point.

Richards has experienced dual purposes in life since earning a bachelor's degree in criminal justice at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich., in 1988 and at the same time receiving a diploma in Bible studies that enabled him to become a full-fledged minister.

He worked for several years in both fields -- arresting suspects one day and counseling them the next.

But eventually the crime in his hometown of Flint, Mich., became so widespread he was spending all his time arresting people with no time to counsel them.

When an opportunity to move to Las Vegas and begin a new church presented itself, Richards turned in his badge, picked up his Bible and came here. He worked as a security guard at Kmart and at UNLV as a member of the campus police while helping give birth to the new church.

It was perhaps divine intervention that resulted in him becoming a librarian, which was the catalyst for the community outreach programs that have invigorated the readership of the West Las Vegas Library.

In 1991 he took a job with the library district in its children's department.

In that position, he became acquainted with a man who was in town for a meeting who was involved in college programs for the underprivileged.

On his return flight home, according to Richards, the man happened to sit next to a recruiter who specialized in getting scholarships for the needy.

As a result of those encounters, Richards received a scholarship and spent a year at the University of Pittsburgh, graduating with a master's degree in library science.

Richards returned to Las Vegas and in 1993 was assigned to the West Las Vegas branch. When the administrator, Marie Jordan, retired a few months later, Richards moved into his current position.

Though he is careful to separate his religious passion from his passion to turn children into readers, Richards uses both forums to counsel youth about improving their lives through education.

In the library, he can teach children how to be better adults.

In church, he can teach them how to be better Christians.

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