A Mighty Warrior goes home

VANCOUVER, WA—Dr. Richard Leo Twiss, Lakota, co-founder and President of Wiconi International (www.wiconi.com), succumbed to a major heart attack while in Washington, D.C., to attend the National Prayer Breakfast.

In the late morning hours of Saturday, February 9, 2013, Richard stepped from this life into the presence of his Creator and Savior whom he loved.

In the final hours of Richard’s journey on this side, he was surrounded by his wife Katherine, four sons, Andrew, Phillip, Ian and Daniel, along with close friends who sang, prayed, laughed and reminisced together about his impact in life among them, and within the wider kingdom of his Creator.

Richard was born on the Rosebud Reservation, South Dakota among his mother Winona (Larvie) LaPointe’s people, the Sicangu Band of the Rosebud Lakota/Sioux. Richard’s father, Franklin (Buster) Twiss (deceased) was Oglala from the Pine Ridge Lakota/Sioux Reservation also in South Dakota.

Until age seven, Richard lived in Rosebud, a town of 600, on the reservation. In 1961, Richard’s mom moved the family from the reservation to Denver, then Klamath Falls, and eventually to Silverton, Oregon where Richard attended the third through twelfth grades. Richard’s mom ensured they made regular summer visits back home in order to stay connected with family and culture.

After graduating from high school in 1972, Richard moved back to Rosebud to attend Sinte Gleska, “Spotted Tail” College. It was here that he became involved in the American Indian Movement. During this tumultuous time Richard strengthened his connection with relatives, and deepened his appreciation for Lakota culture.

In 1972, Richard participated in the occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Building, in Washington, D.C., with the radical political group, the American Indian Movement or “AIM.” This experience gave him a unique view of some of the cultural, social and spiritual struggles of Native American people.

Following his involvement in the occupation, he found himself in Hawaii where he was searching for truth.

“I was a beach bum, did drugs, partied, slept on the beach, chased girls, lived off of food stamps, and started over the next day,” Richard said. One day while hitchhiking, two evangelicals picked him up and began sharing the gospel. He didn’t want anything to do with their “white man’s religion”, and said, “I swore at them and told them to let me out.”

Not long after that, during a drug overdose, the words of those two Christians came back. He yelled at the top of his voice, “Jesus if You are real, would you forgive me, would you come into my life?”

Richard says he had a peace come over him that he had never known before. He was never the same again as his life was transformed.

Richard Twiss Tayoate Ob Najin “He Stands with his People,” began his walk with Jesus on “the good road” in 1974. Shortly after that he moved to Alaska where he met Katherine Kroshus of Vancouver, Washington, and they were married in 1976. Years later they moved to Vancouver, Washington, where they raised four sons. His sons are his proudest legacy.

Richard served as senior pastor of the New Discovery Community Church (1982-95) and was also National Director of Native American Ministries for the International Bible Society (1995-96).

He was a widely traveled and popular speaker, activist, educator, author and networker among innovative thinkers within the Native North American and Indigenous community internationally.

A couple years before his death, he completed a doctorate in missiology from Asbury Theological Seminary.

He has been a national conference speaker for numerous government, educational and religious organizations as well as a lecturer in dozens of colleges, universities and seminaries. His audiences included the United Tribes Tribal College, North Dakota Governor’s Prayer Breakfast, City of Buffalo Reconciliation Task Force, U.S. Immigration of Naturalization National Headquarters, City of Portland Mayoral Staff, Promise Keepers, State of Oregon Department of Forestry, in addition to hundreds of local churches and events.

Wiconi International, which he and Katherine founded in 1997, sponsored the “Many Nations, One Voice” conferences across North America. Twiss and his wife led Native American performing arts teams to fifteen countries as ambassadors of hope and reconciliation with remarkable results.

Wiconi also hosts the annual “Living Waters Family Camp and Powwow” in Turner, Oregon, which Richard directed for the past eight years.

Richard’s book One Church Many Tribes-Serving Jesus the Way God Made You (Regal Books, 2000) articulates a vision for Native/Indigenous people being embraced as co-equals in the life of the dominant culture church, as significant contributors in shaping peoples understanding of Creator, creation and community, not marginalized.

Richard was a co-founder of the Native American Institute for Indigenous Theological Studies (NAIITS) and served as board member and chairman for several years.

He was also a member of the Board of Directors for the Native American Youth and Family Center in Portland, OR, the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA), the Board of Regents for Bakke Graduate University and a founding member and Vice-chair of the North American Institute of Indigenous Theological Studies.

He served as an adjunct professor at Portland State University, Warner Pacific College and Sioux Falls and George Fox Seminaries. He was also a member of the Portland Indian Leadership Roundtable and served as the U.S. representative for the World Christian Gathering of Indigenous People Movement.

As a Native American leader, Richard brought a fresh and unique worldview perspective about what it means to “be human and follow Jesus” to help his listeners learn to value and appreciate those who are different from themselves. His humor was truly unique and engaging, disarming audiences, opening their hearts and minds to embrace an invitation and challenge to become radically committed to “loving your neighbor as yourself.”

A memorial service was held for Richard at Living Hope Church in Vancouver, WA on March 10.