Personal Letter From Pastor Troy and Melanie Bohn

May 1, 2006

Dear Friends, Family & Co-Laborers with Christ,

Many of you have stood with Melanie and I in the ministry for many years. Some of you have known us since we were just wide-eyed teenagers just getting married and just stepping out into the ministry nearly twenty years ago. We have looked to you for encouragement, counsel, prayer and support for the ministry for many years. You have truly been friends in the truest sense of the word.

Some of you have only gotten to know us in recent years. We may have met at a church service that we were at or crossed paths “out in the streets” or we may have even been introduced via the internet in many cases. God has utilized many means to network us and Raven Ministries to some of the most awesome, Jesus-loving people that one could ever meet. I tell people all them time, “God has given me some of the very best friends a person could ever desire.”

The last several years have been nothing short of an absolute whirlwind! Being sent out from the “cozy confines” of a church and people that we served and loved; experiencing physical attacks and seeing God’s manifest miracles; being s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d in our faith and in our commitment and expectancy in Christ and in seeing His faithfulness through it all has simply made us more dependant upon Him and more thankful for the many people who have interceded for our family and ministry as we continue to just be available anytime the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts.

In the past couple of years, Raven Ministries has grown in its scope and reach beyond my wildest dreams. Just a couple of weeks ago, our “teams” were simultaneously ministering and winning people to Jesus in: Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Michigan and California. As I spoke to some of the leaders that day by telephone, I was amazed at how God had brought people together from across this nation whose only desire was to share His Gospel with the unsaved. I was immediately reminded of a word the Lord had spoken to me repeatedly throughout the years, “It’s bigger than you think.”

Because it is “Bigger than I think” and certainly bigger than what I could ever personally accomplish in my own strength or ability, God has always sent His people at key times to “stand in the gap” and be the network that causes us to “let down our nets and launch into the deep” of His will.

In a month from now we are going to be s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g out once again! About six months ago the Lord began to put Daytona Beach, Florida upon my heart for ministry. I knew that the city was a hotbed of activity: Bike Week (where a couple of hundred thousand bikers converge), Spring Break (two months of non-stop young people pouring into the city), NASCAR (about a half million visitors each year), Biketober Fest (another huge international motorcycle rally), and the regular flow of tourist into this city just 40 miles north of Orlando.

At the time we were still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation upon New Orleans and the Gulf South and had no idea that we might actually be called to move to Daytona ourselves. We thought that maybe we would just try to start an outreach there once or twice a year; then the Lord made it quite clear to both Melanie and I that this was just another step in the things that He had called us to.

We feel that this is a door He is opening to expand Raven internationally and take His Gospel beyond the borders of this nation and into places that have long been deprived of the soul-saving message of the Cross of Calvary. We learned long ago that “our lives are His” and “when He says to GO, we just GO.”

This is obviously a BIG STEP and will challenge us in our faith once again. Just the logistics of relocating a ministry to another state and the financial challenge are in themselves enormous. We’re confident though, that God has not “given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind” and has encircled us with friends that will continue to stand with us in prayer and support for all that we have been called to do for His kingdom!

We love and appreciate you all so much and look forward to sharing with you the many testimonies that are coming!

Blessings,

Pastor Troy D. Bohn

MAY 2006 NEWSLETTER

GOSPEL BEGINS WITH "GO"

It was three years ago when the Lord Jesus spoke to Melanie and I and said, “Go to New Orleans.” We had labored there in Amarillo, Texas for thirteen years; pastoring the church that we had planted, reaching the lost, feeding the hungry and equipping the saints for the work of the ministry.

Our families were there. Our closest friends were there. Our fondest memories were there. The only thing that was not there was God’s will for what He desired us to do next. In just three months time from announcing to the church that we were leaving, we had loaded all of our earthly possessions in a school bus and began ministering full time in the streets of New Orleans.

I have discovered that each step and each place that God takes us is typically a wonderful learning experience and time of preparation for the next step in which He will have us take.

Many in the Body of Christ though grow too comfortable “camped out” in the experience and never truly get to experience the true realization of God’s destiny for their lives. We experience a tremendous move of God in our midst and instead of taking what He has taught us through that experience and using it to reach a lost and dying world, we instead “build a memorial” to the experience and spend the next 25 years trying to remind ourselves of what once was.

Across this nation there is a trend towards the Mega-Church (churches with membership over 1,000). There are even churches in the US that boast membership at 30,000 or more! With that many Mega-Churches being pastored by Mega-Ministers one would think that the Mega-Problems in our cities would be quickly solved by a mobilized army of high-powered, Holy Ghost filled disciples being churned out in these faith factories!

But therein lies the problem: Churches, or more accurately “leaders of churches” are no longer “equipping the saints for the work of the ministry”, but have instead adopted a “come and watch me minister” mentality.

On the basketball court it is referred to as being a “ball hog.” There is one person taking (or calling) all the shots and getting all the points on his personal stat sheet, but the team is suffering through yet another losing season. Friends, the time is too short for the Body of Christ to suffer through another losing season! We have got to start functioning like the CHURCH was meant to function.

SAVED
SANCTIFIED
SENT

Pastors, ministers, elders, leaders (or whatever is in vogue this week in regards to titles) have got to get back to the true work of the ministry!

Ephesians 4:11-12 “It was He (Jesus) who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”

Instead of spending multi-millions on state of the art, multi-media comfort centers for the spiritually impotent—why not use the resources to reach the lost, equip them (discipleship) for the ministry, and then send them out to win more people to Jesus before they get too comfortable and too convinced that the GOSPEL message is somebody else’s responsibility to share with the world!

Last year in the NBA (National Basketball Association) a young player for the Phoenix Suns won the award as the leagues Most Valuable Player.

The player, Steve Nash, was the teams point guard. He was the one who called the plays on the court, he was the one who the ball came to first, and he was the leader of the team. Yet, if you looked at Nash’s statistics you would see that there were other players in the league who had better numbers in one area or another.

Nash did not lead the league in scoring or in rebounding—but he did what an MVP should do, he made everyone around him better! The one area that Nash was the very best in the league was that of assists. For those unfamiliar with that term, it means the number of times he passed to others so that they could score instead of him taking the shot!

For the season Nash had 861 total assists. The second best in the league had 668. That is 193 more than his closest competitor! The true MVP’s (most valuable preachers) in the Church today are those who make others better. Nash did such a great job that there were other members of his team that some thought might eventually be league MVPs themselves. He ELEVATED the play of his team mates.

Philippians 2:3-5 says “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

Rarely, if ever, in professional basketball has the team with the leagues highest scorer ever won the championship. While the individual may boast great accomplishments on his own—he is not able to win the whole thing by himself.

This is the picture of the church of today. There is very little if any genuine equipping the saints for the Gospel Ministry. I qualify that by inserting the word Gospel, because there is much going on in the Church-but very little of it results in people taking the Gospel to a lost and dying world.

While there are many activities filling the schedules of a great many in the Christian Church of today; meetings, conferences, retreats, and even a great many Bible studies and prayer gatherings—how is it that with all of these activities being done in the Name of Jesus that so few people are out doing the actual work of Jesus?

“The Son of Man (Jesus) came for only one reason, and that was to seek out and to save lost people.” Matthew 19:10

That sounds pretty clear to me!

Some of the greatest coaches in any sport will often say, “We have got to work on the fundamentals. The game is won or lost based upon the fundamentals.” This is the same with the Gospel. It all will really come down to whether or not we are raising up people (a team) that is solid in the fundamentals. The fundamentals are pretty simple:

Love God with all your heart and life.
Then tell as many people about Him as you possibly can.

If I, as a minister, do not lead the league in assists, then I am really not my teams MVP. The church, and especially those in leadership have got to get back to the basics (fundamentals) of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry of reaching people for HIS KINGDOM and not just establishing another flesh-based, low-impact, man-centered program that might make the “spiritual highlight reel,” but will never make the type of eternal impact that HEAVEN DEMANDS.

“Ball-Hog” Christianity may fill up stadiums (or sanctuaries) but it will NEVER win the ultimate prize: “Well done My good and faithful servant.”

Jesus raised up (12) and then told them, “You will do even greater things than I have done.” That was His goal– to teach them how to take it to the next level. Yet, a “have your best life now” mentality has slipped into the church under the guise of positive Christianity that has been the death knell to global evangelization. Instead of raising up a generation of blood bought, word taught, Holy Spirit filled warriors of the Cross– the church at large has cloned a brood of spineless, powerless pew-sitters with no urgency for those outside of the walls who have not had the opportunity to hear the Gospel themselves!

2 Cor 4:3-5 “But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord;

Bigger buildings, more luxurious surroundings, a more relevant approach and a more welcome atmosphere seem to be the mantras being chimed by today’s diminished standards.

Jesus said the “fields are white and ready to be harvested”, yet the “fields” that He spoke of where the harvest fields of souls filling street corners and the market places of this world-that demand that we GO and take His message to the masses.

Today the “harvest field” has instead become the proverbial “field of dreams” and the empty promise is “if you build it...they will come.” Buildings, programs, pizza parties, lattes, and grinning greeters will never draw a person into His presence. These things are things that man has power over! These things are man-made and man-centered.

Romans 1:21-23 “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man…”.

The GOSPEL demands GOING. The GOSPEL demands DYING to SELF and LIVING for JESUS. This is rarely a comfortable situation! Can you imagine these book titles in your local Christian Bookstore:

“Go through hell NOW so that you can experience heaven LATER.”
(Rom 5:3, Rom 8:18, Phil 1:21, Phil 3:10-11)
Or perhaps this one
“How To Be Hated”
(Matt 10:22, James 4:4, John 17:14)

These titles would obviously have a more scriptural foundation! Now am I saying that living the Christian life is just some hard, negative, drudgery? Not in the slightest way! It is the GREATEST LIFE that one could ever know and experience-but with it there are GREAT DEMANDS and great CONSEQUENCES involved.

To see someone’s heart miraculously changed and transformed by the Holy Spirit upon hearing and receiving the Word of God is indescribable!

Watching an alcoholic pour out the drink he just paid for in the street and then kneel down in front of thousands weeping before Jesus defies description.

Suddenly seeing a light come on in the darkened soul of a young man set free from years of homosexuality is the most amazing thing!

All THESE things require GOING out where the broken and bruised are. If your Gospel doesn’t REQUIRE you to GO, then it is not GO-SPEL, but just a SPELL!

Galatians 3:1 “Oh, foolish Galatians! What magician has cast an evil spell on you? For you used to see the meaning of Jesus Christ's death as clearly as though I had shown you a signboard with a picture of Christ dying on the cross.” NLT

It is time to break free from the spell and then GO do that which God has repeatedly commanded in His Word.

Most Christians would readily agree that “this world is not our home” and that we are all just “strangers and pilgrims” in this place—–yet why is it that the core of our time and investments are made in those things that are so temporary and this-worldly? I lay it squarely upon the shoulders of pastors and teachers who have failed to equip, empower and release His people into their God-given and God-required mandates to reach people for HIS KINGDOM.

As long as winning the lost (with the Gospel—not a bounce house, hot dog or cappuccino machine) remains on the backburner of Christendom and not our primary purpose in this life, then the church will remain a place of “ball hogs” and “bloated statistics” with no true victories.
If we genuinely believe that our stay is temporary, then why not “pass the ball” and get other people involved in the game rather than building more coliseums to showcase our religious superstars.

Church buildings, gymnasiums, air conditioning—there is nothing inherently wrong with those things—but once THEY become the focus, THEY become the idols that testify against us and set us in difference toward the TRUE Gospel of GO.

RAVEN OUTREACH MINISTRIES

Upcoming Events & Opportunities For Ministry

Regular Weekly & Bi-Weekly Ministry
Raven Midwest (Terry & Eileen Shuff, (574) 612-6800 ) are leading teams into inner-city Chicago and also into Detroit each month. They are feeding and ministering to the homeless and drug addicted as well as doing one-on-one evangelism. RavenMidwest@BigGrace.com

Raven West Coast (Rudy & Lori Gonzales, (707) 206-2748 ) are leading teams into several at-risk areas in Santa Rosa, California each week. They feed the hungry, witness one-on-one and hold Street Church. They are also scheduling outreaches into San Francisco as well. RavenWestCoast@BigGrace.com

Raven South (Pastor Alex & Holly Hill, (806) 206-1070 ) are leading teams into Austin, Texas’ famous 6th Street and various other venues (homeless ministry, college campus ministry, etc) Pastor Alex is also available to speak in your church. He is a powerful minister and Holly is an anointed singer and they also serve as Assistant Directors of Raven International with Pastor Troy. RavenSouth@BigGrace.com

Raven New Orleans (504) 202-0939 The team is leading outreaches into the French Quarter and Bourbon Street each week. Call to check on the availability of short-term missions trips. RavenNO@biggrace.com

Raven South East (504) 202-0939 will be hosting outreach in Daytona Beach and inner-city Orlando throughout the summer months. Call or email for schedule RavenSE@BigGrace.com

Upcoming Special Outreaches/Services
May 18-22, 2006 Boot Camp in the Big Apple - Raven Outreach and Streetwise Ministry are teaming up to host an outreach to New York City. We will be taking (30) men to the “streets” for an awesome time to ministry. There are a couple of spots still open! 504-304-6535

June 10-11, 2006 Raven School of Evangelism - Pastor Troy will be with Pastor Russ Clifford of Hope Chapel West in Santa Rosa, California. Raven@biggrace.com

June 22-26, 2006 Hollywood & Skid Row Outreach - Raven will once again be teaming up with Bobby & Dot Chance of Streetwise Ministry of Hollywood to take the Gospel to one of the world’s most recognized and celebrated cities. Call for details 504-304-6535

June 29-July 4, 2006 Beach Reach 2006 in Daytona Beach, Florida - Raven will be teaming up with Pastor Frank Gresham and the Jesus Centre for an outreach “on the beach” during 4th of July Call or email for details RavenSE@biggrace.com or 504-304-6535

July 8-15, 2006 Jesus Loves New York - Raven will be teaming with Pastor Rick & Arlene Del Rio of Abounding Grace Ministries for their annual inner-city outreach. This is an incredible outreach opportunity for all ages! Email for details raven@BigGrace.com

August 21-28, 2006 Raven International, Pastor Troy will be ministering in Amsterdam.

Aug 30-Sept 4, 2006 Southern Decadence Festival in New Orleans this has been called the “Gay Mardi Gras” We desperately need your help during this outreach! Raven@BigGrace.comOctober

2006 Extreme Mexico Church Build (exact date) TBA, Raven is teaming with Casa por Cristo in Juarez, Mexico to build a new church in this city. Raven@BigGrace.com

AMSTERDAM 2006

"And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world

for a witness unto all nations;"

I have long loved reading the history of some of the great revivalist who preached in Western Europe; men such as John Wesley, Evan Roberts and William Booth were powerful voices for God in European history in the past 300 years.

In the past year the Holy Spirit has placed a peculiar burden upon my heart to go and minister in Europe. This burden to go and reach the lost in another country seemed far off and almost out of reach because I did not know anyone or have any type of contact in Europe to set this up for me.

That was two weeks ago! Now I am scheduled to be in one of the most notorious regions in Western Europe in the next three months!

My idea of foreign missions is much different than what most church define it as. I am not looking to visit museums or eat at famous restaurants or shop in exotic places and call it a mission trip because I visited an orphanage one afternoon, taught a Bible study to a group of foreign nationals and then retreated to my five star hotel for the remainder of the trip!

THAT’S NOT MISSION WORK! That’s a vacation disguised as evangelism. So when I was invited to join a team heading to Amsterdam for a week in late August to “spend 12-16 hours a day preaching to the lost in the red-light district,” I immediately knew in my heart that this was a door in which God was opening up!

Amsterdam is where the red-light district was originated. They have prostitutes in display windows illuminated by red florescent lights. Amsterdam is also home to legalized marijuana and they have many Café’s that sell various types to patrons!

In other words—this is the type of place that God has long prepared and equipped me to go and reach the bound and broken with His life-changing Gospel! Most of the people in this nation (where English is widely spoken) have never heard a true presentation of the Gospel! They see the ancient churches of the nation as museums that people visit for their nostalgia and not as houses of worship!

What Amsterdam needs is people to take THE WORD OF GOD WITH POWER to them in these last days! I praise Jesus for this amazing opportunity to be His “hands, feet & voice.”

The cost of this trip will be $2,000.00 and is scheduled for August 21-28th.
Would you consider standing with me as I obey the Holy Spirit to take the message of the Cross to a place in such desperate need of the truth?

Acts 1:8 declares, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

I am willing to go, but I need your help to do the things that God has instructed us to do. Will you partner with me on taking His Light into such a darkened place? Thank you for your prayers, love and support!

RAVEN MINISTIRES & CASA POR CRISTO

EXTREM CHURCH BUILD 2006

In partnership with Pastor David Robertson and the ministry of Casas por Cristo, Raven Ministries International is working to plant and build a Church in Mexico this coming October.
The build will take place over the course of a week sometime in October. The exact date will be set when we have raised (or had pledged) 1/2 of the necessary funds.

We will need to raise $10,000 to build the church facility from the ground up! This will include pouring the foundation and all the electrical and finish work as well. Upon completion, the building will be ready for occupation by the new congregation!

Would you be will to make a donation to help with the build? You can do it one of two ways. 1) Send your best gift in now for the church build 2) Ask the Lord Jesus what He would have you to do in the next (3) months and then send in your pledge amount each month. Any and everything will go a long way in helping to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Mexico!

Maybe you would like to join the Extreme Mexico Church Build Team in October. In addition to building the facility, we will be evangelizing the community and ministering the love of Jesus to the community surrounding the church location. If you are interested, please call us at (504) 202-0939 or email us at Raven@BigGrace.com

www.BigGrace.com Website News

The Raven website, BigGrace.com, continues to serve as a tool to help us reach a world-wide audience. In the past month alone, we have received “hits” or visits from the following countries:

Australia, Singapore, New Zealand,
Philippines, Argentina, Peru, Canada,
Switzerland, France, Germany, Poland,
India, Pakistan, and others

The World Wide Web provides us a very up-to-the-minute means of communication that is both effective and economical. If you have not yet visited www.BigGrace.com then please take the time to go and check it out. There are tons of pictures of our outreaches, that includes dozens of pictures of people that we have personally prayed with to receive Christ!

Let us know what you think about the website and if there is any information that we could add to keep you better informed about RAVEN and the people who we reach. DON’T FORGET to check out the Raven Video page that is host to several great outreach videos and a few of Pastor Troy’s sermons as well!

SOULS...PLAIN AND SIMPLE

Tony, a 23 year old African-American young man, walked passed me on the crowded Bourbon Street as we made eye contact. I knew right then that God had ordained this moment for us to have a conversation. Continuing down the street, he stopped in front of a local strip club to stand and watch the growing crowd gather. I was ecstatic to see him stop (that way I wouldn’t have to grab him by the collar to talk to him!)

As I approached you could see the hardness that the streets of New Orleans had wreaked on this tattooed young man. “Hey, have you ever heard of Rosa Parks?” I said, without even so much as a “Hello” to open our conversation.

Looking somewhat perplexed and wondering what this white man would asks such a thing he reluctantly mutter, “Yeah.”

“Fifty-one years ago she did something that put her in the history books. Do you know what that was?” I inquired, knowing that he probably knew he details of here heroic act on that Montgomery, Alabama bus better than I.

“Yeah, she refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man,” He replied in a voice to make sure that I knew he was up on his Black History.

“You’re right! Was she the most educated? Was she the wealthiest? Did she come from the right family? That was not even the first time she had ridden that bus. She rode it everyday. She had even gotten up and moved to the back of the bus at other times.” I said.

“But on December 1, 1955 something was different. THAT day she was just not going to give in to these unjust demands.” “Because of her taking a stand for something important and for refusing to go to the back of the bus, HISTORY was made and it set off a chain of events that would lead to freedom and civil rights for millions more people.”

“How many times have you walked down Bourbon Street?” I asked. “All the time,” he said, “I live here.” “And EVERY OTHER TIME the devil has come and bullied you out of the history books.” I quickly chimed in with him now looking increasingly perplexed. “Tony, God has a destiny for your life, yet every time that Satan has come and demanded that you get out of the seat of your destiny you have taken your tail end to the back of the bus.”

“Tonight you will again be forced to make a decision that will not only effect you, but also many whom God is calling you to reach for His Kingdom. You will either make a stand and repent and ask Jesus to forgive and save you or you will once more take you tail to the back of the bus. What’s it going to be?” I asked.

“Yeah, I gotta make a decision.” He said as his eyes filled with tears. I took a hold of him and began to pray with this young man that God would transform his life and keep him from “going to the back of the bus.”

Friends, that is all we are about: Souls– Plain and Simple. We need your prayers and financial support now more than ever. In the past six months things have been very tight and giving has decreased. Please help us reach those being bullied by the devil.

We love and appreciate you so much!

Blessings.

Pastor Troy D Bohn

RAVEN MINISTRIES P.O. BOX 113196 METAIRIE, LA 70011

Do You Want To Make An Online Donation For Ministry?

CLICK HERE

Bearing "Biblical" Fruit - Pastor Troy D. Bohn

-courtesy of Steve Ignowski, Raven Midwest-

Bourbon Street Ministry (4/21)

We had a great team out tonight on Bourbon Street. Thomas and I took several "first-timers" out with us this evening and they were "hooked!" Its always such a blessing when you have people just willing to go out and learn to reach people for Jesus. He is just looking for those who will make themselves available---He'll empower them and give them the words to say.

The young lady on the far right actually had to catch a plane back home to Southern California at 6:00 AM on Saturday, but was still willing and excited about being on the streets with our team until about 2:00 AM this morning! She said that she was coming back for sure.

These were the first people that I stopped tonight. Justin, Sasha and Scott were from Detroit and schedule to head back home on Saturday---but not until they met JESUS first. Sasha and Scott immediately knew that this was a moment ordained by God for them to get their lives right and they knelt and prayed with me right there in the middle of Bourbon Street to recieve Christ into their lives!
Dan was another one of this amazing little stories. He had left Ohio to go to Texas and then was in Mexico before coming to New Orleans....whew...and all in the past three months. He knew thatGod had been dealing greatly in his life and we were able to pray with him for wisdom and direction in serving Jesus with ALL OF HIS HEART AND LIFE!

All said we got to talk to many people about the Lord Jesus and even ran into a couple of brothers from a local church whom we were able to encourage and pray for. God is Good!

Pastor Troy On Evangelism (courtesy of Steve Ignowski, Raven Midwest)

Dayton Beach Florida Ministry

I asked the security guard at the place where we are staying, "What is the roughest, most unsaory area in Daytona Beach?" The reply was, "Down at Ridgecrest and Madison. That is where al lthe prostitutes gather and where the serial killer has abducted his last three victims."

That was all I needed to hear before heading out! I always stand by what John Wesley said, "Don't just got to them that need you, but to them that need you the most!"

Jesus went to the bound, the broken, and the bruised, and that is where we endeavor to go as well. "Lord Jesus, send US to the places where they are forgotten and where others might be reluctant to take your life gving message of salvation!"

This is me (Pastor Troy) with Michael Dewey. I met Michael on Atlantic Ave, just about 100 yards from the ocean. He was standing there panhandling, so Melanie, Kayla and I turned the van around and pulled over where I then got out and called him over to me.

Michael has been on the streets for the past eight years. He is 54 years old, but the harshness of living on the streets and being bound by the yoke of sin, drugs, alcohol and hopelessness has aged him well beyond his years.

As we spoke, I found out that he has not seen his son in eight years and said he probably has grandchildren that he has yet to even see or know about. I began to share the Gospel of Jesus with him and to bring the GOOD NEWS of salvation to this man who had been "sucked into the streets" with seemingly no way out...EXCEPT FOR JESUS!

As you may be able to tell by the photograph, Michael (or "Dewey" as he is known on the streets) became convicted, and broken b the presence of the Holy Spirit. He literally crumpled to his knees there on the parking lot as I prayed for him. I gave him my number and told him that he can call me anytime and I will help him find a way off the streets and back to his family who must miss and worry about him terribly. PLEASE pray for him as well.

RAVEN MINISTRIES had a BUSY weekend in Jesus!

Terry Shuff was leading a team into Detroit today with some dear brothers and sisters in the Lord there. They set up and fed the hungry and ministered the Gospel to the many who flocked to them from the streets.

Pastor Alex and Holly were ministering in the inner-city of Austin, Texas today. I spoke to him earlier and they had fed many homeless and had the opportunity to pray, comfort and minister to them as well.

Rudy Gonzales (Raven West Coast) was back out with the team today ministering and I am awaiting a report from his team today!

Todd Bohn has been preaching all week long in New Orleans and will be preaching the Easter Morning Service as well. People are hungry for more than a "popcorn-presentation" of the Gospel (greasy, satisfying for just a few minutes, and more gets stuck in your teeth than in your belly) We have literrly spent until 4-5 o'clock in the morning sharing and discipling people there at the relief site.

PRAISE THE LORD that He has graced Raven Ministries to ttake His glorious Gospel to a world starving for the spiritual nourishment of the Bread of Life!

As you can see, RAVEN MINISTRIES is working to fulfill the GREAT COMMISSION throughout this Nation and BEYOND! We were literally working and ministering from COAST TO COAST simultaneously this RESURRECTION Weekend!

"You shall be WITNESSES when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world." THIS is our MISSION and THIS we ENDEAVOR to DO.

In the next few weeks I will personally be in Pennysylvania (Baltimore/DC Area) and in New York City. We are truly seeing a GRASSROOTS MOVE OF GOD in some of the most strategic areas of the country.

We need your help to keep going with the Gospel. The time to short and the need is getting greater by the day. CAN YOU HELP US THIS MONTH? I know as well as anybody the demands on all of our finances. These are tight times for many, but would you pray and see if the Lord would have you do something? We would certainly appreciate it and I know those who lives are FOREVER transformed by His Gospel would be eternally greatful.

You can give securely online by clicking HERE or by sending your missions offering to us at: RAVEN MINISTRIES P.O. Box 113196 Metairie, Louisiana 70011

Thank you sos much for your love and support!

Blessings,

Pastor Troy D. Bohn

Praise Rally in New Orleans

Pastor Alex & Holly Hill witnessing to a drug dealer on Bourbon Street

***Prayer Alert***

(Monday) April 10, 2006 (5:10 PM)

Dear Friends, Family, & Prayer Warriors for Jesus!

Just a quick update on the recent prayer requests and a couple of more for you to lift up in the next few days as well. We have alredy seen the hand of God move mightily in these lives since the word went out for people to pray. Thank you so much for your dilligence and passion for prayer and standing with our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ!

I just spoke to our dear friend, DOT CHANCE, who many of you know and love just as Melanie and I do. She and her husband, Bobby, head up Streetwise Ministry based out of Hollywood, California.

She had gone to the doctor today and her blood pressure was too high. She had not been feeling herself the past few days and had not been able to rest so she thought she needed to go get checked out.

Please be praying for her healing. She told me, "God healed me a couple of years ago from this high blood pressure and I know that He can do it again." Let her know you are praying at streetwise@earthlink.net


Many of you have been praying for MEREDITH LINDSEY from Fairfield, Texas. The first report was that he may have had a tumor on his spinal column--but praise God that is not the case! He is at the East Texas Medical Center in Tyler, Texas. They said the source of his numbness in the leg was his siatic nerve affected by a neck injury that he had experienced a couple of years back. They are going to do surgery to fix the problem at 9:30 AM in the morning (PRAY).

This is one dear brother in Jesus who is ALL ABOUT willing people to Christ. We need him healed and back on his feet. The harvest is too great and the laborers too few to have him on the sidelines!



I spoke with Brother Steve Delano yesterday on the telephone and he is doing better. He said he just feels like he had ridden bare-back for too long! Please keep praying for he and his wife as they speed to healing from the accident that could have claimed their lives had it not been for Jesus.

The man that struck them was traveling at a high rate of speed and literally catapulted them off of t he highway and into an oak tree! Bro Steve is a powerful evangelist and is another one we need back in the fight! The devil is a liar and JESUS is the healer!



Manuel Perez, our administraive assistant Elva Garza's dad, is home from the hospital today. He had suffered a couple of minor strokes and had pneumonia as well. He is up in age and needs lots of care and especially prayer. Pray for his wife and family too as they minister to him as he recovers.

We believe that each of these individuals is a testimony about to happen because of what our Lord and Savior Jesus did for them upon the Cross! Lets just continue to pray and intercede for them all.

ALSO, Melanie and I will be leaving for Daytona Beach, Florida on Wednesday to meet with some people and scout out some future outreach sites and opportunities. Daytona Beach is one of the cities that the Lord placed upon our hearts at the first of the year to target for evangelism.

Throughout the year there are major events that draw hundreds of thousands of people to the city including: Bike Week, The Daytona 500, The Pepsi 500, The Firecracker 500, Biketoberfest, Spring Breakl and others. This is truly one of the nations "hot spots" for outreach and evangelism and we are looking to establish a RAVEN ministry there in the near future as well. We'll be in Pennyslvania and New York City in May working to get something going in those two strategic places as well.

The next few months look to be INTENSE in regards to soul winning both here in New Orleans and across the nation as well. Between now and October we will be ministering and taking teams to Los Angeles' Skid Row (June), Albuquerque, NM (July), Indiana and Chicago (August), then we will be building a church in Juarez, Mexico (October). This is all in addtion to the regular work on the streets of New Orleans and training and ministering in churches and on the streets of this nation as well.

We could certainly use your help financially to get rolling in the next few months. Unlike many ministries we have nothing to sell, nor do we offer a free prophecy or some other scam in return for your gift. We can only tell you that we are about the business of taking the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the lost and taking hope and help to the broken, hungry and homeless.

Anything that the Holy Spirit would direct you in would be much appreciated and would go far in spreading His LIVING WORD to a DYING WORLD. You can give securely online by clicking the "Give for Souls" button at the bottom or by sending your gift to the address listed.

Blessings!

Pastor Troy D. Bohn

Raven Outreach: P.O. Box 113196 Metairie, LA 70011

GIVE FOR SOULS

The New Raven "Jesus" Bus

As you can well see, the RAVEN "Jesus" Bus is now complete! We were so blessed by our friend Mike Siemer who spent, literally, night after night painting and logo-ing the ministry bus.

This is our transport bus that we use to take "Soul-Winners" to the streets on our outreaches. We like to be 'low-key" in all that we do. :)

Thank you all for your help in getting this bus and for your prayers and continued support as we "Take Jesus to the Streets" of America!

You Can Make An Online Donation to Raven Ministries by Clicking the Button Below.

GIVE TO WIN SOULS

"Going into all the world..."

RAVEN USA

Several years ago the Lord began speaking into my spirit, “Its BIGGER than you think!” Not only did He speak this word directly to me, but on several occasions I would have a minister or an individual come up to me and say, “The Lord wants you to know that it is bigger than you think.”

Well, we are definitely starting to see the manifestation of this word. Our hearts desire has been to see the ministry of RAVEN as a network and resource of evangelism and ministries stretching across this nation and beyond.

Our desire has been to model the Luke 5:1-10 model of “launching out into the deep, letting down our nets, and having to call our brothers to help because of the great catch of fish!”

Bill Luther

In May I will be with my dear friends Pastor Sam & Lucy Croghan to help start Raven East Coast. These guys are just awesome! They serve as pastor of the River of Life Church in Hanover, Pennsylvania and have such a heart for Jesus and for doing whatever it takes to reach the lost and dying with His truth and love.

We’re looking to set up an annual event(s) in their area (Baltimore, and Washington D.C.) to serve as a means to gather soul winners into those fertile fields along the Eastern Seaboard.
If you are in their area, contact me and I will put you in touch with them.

Rod Sickels

Bill Luther and Rod Sickels are two precious men of God. We actually first met during this years Mardi Gras after they were invited by Raven Midwest director, Terry Shuff.

These men are just passionate about Jesus and desiring to do more than just the same-old-worn-out religion. They want to make an impact for the Kingdom of God by making an impact in people’s lives.

We are going to begin working to help establish RAVEN DETROIT in the next few weeks.
Terry Shuff will be heading up there for me in April to scout out some areas of need in the city for us to hit with the Gospel. (I told him to find us the rankest and raunchiest area to start with!)

As John Wesley said, “Don’t just go to them that need you. Go to them that need you the most.”

Brandon Romero (who just happens to be my oldest nephew)

will be starting up RAVEN ALBUQUERQUE to reach an area given over to much in the way of the occult, drugs, and poverty. He has a heart to reach the hurting in that area and we will be setting up some opportunities to take teams in the city in the coming weeks.

Rudy Gonzales, RAVEN WEST COAST,

called me just the other day from the Philippines. He will be there until the middle of April. Please be praying for him that God will open up many doors of opportunity to share Christ. Also pray for Lori and the girls (Maddie and CeCe) while he is out of the country.

God is “lengthening our cords and expanding the places of tents.” Pray for the net to be cast broader!

Update On New Orleans Ministry

Pastor Troy and Todd lead recent team Terry Shuff (Raven Midwest), Rudy Gonzales (Raven West Coast)

And Pastor Troy minister to a young man in the French Quarter

The work here in New Orleans could really be categorized as non-stop. Even in the wake of Hurricane Katrina seven months ago, the enemies desire has been to get his foothold back into this city.

We need your continual prayer over this city. Just recently the local newspaper reported that the crime rate in Jefferson Parish (West New Orleans) was actually higher for the first three months of 2006 than it was last year in several serious categories. This is after seeing a plunge in serious crime in the months immediately following Hurricane Katrina.

Many have said, “Because Katrina means cleansing that means God used it to clean up New Orleans.” Well, I just haven’t seen it here ”on the ground.”

Hurricane Katrina was a terrible storm that cost many people their lives and many more their property—but he only cleansing that New Orleans is going to experience is when the Body of Christ gets busy taking His Gospel beyond the moldy walls of their church houses and into the sin stained streets of the City!

The harvest is still VERY plentious, but the laborers are still so very few. Please pray that the Lord of the Harvest would send for His laborers!

The Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans is still a disaster area. My heart broke the other day as I heard a news report of them finding the body of an 8-10 year old little girl among the rubble of houses in this devastated part of the city.

It was reported that her hair was put up in pig-tails and that she was still wearing her backpack. They still have not located the bodies of the other family members who surely perished in the flood waters with her.

Our teams continue to minister in the French Quarter and Bourbon Street with awesome fruit coming forth each week.

We receive calls from many that have come with disaster relief teams that also desire to go to the streets to minister the Gospel. We’re always blessed to take them out with us as we go to share the life-changing message of the Cross of Calvary!

Thank you so much for your love, prayers and financial support in reaching the lost and feeding the hungry.

Church Build 2006: Juarez, Mexico

RAVEN Ministries International will be partnering with Casas por Cristo of Juarez, Mexico (www.casasporcristos.org) to build a complete church from the ground up in early Fall.

I met David Roberson, the Executive Director, recently while speaking at a missions conference in Texas and I was immediately taken with his love for Jesus and the people of Mexico.

As he share about their ministry of winning people to Christ and taking them from the cardboard houses of the colonias and building them an actually house to live in, I thought to myself, “There is something that God can help Raven Ministries to do to help as well.”

I asked him what else that they were doing and he told me that there was also a great need for churches to be built to provide a place of worship and discipleship for those coming to Christ.

I told him that I immediately felt led to commit to building a complete church there in Mexico this year and would raise the necessary funds and get together the laborers needed to build the facility as well.

Now here is where I need YOUR help in this:

We are needing to raise $10,000 to buy all the materials to build a church. Can you imagine trying to build anything in the US for that amount?

BUT WAIT...within (24) hours of making the commitment to Brother David and the Lord Jesus—we raised $2000 towards the build—dropping the necessary funds to only $8000.

Our goal is to have the balance raised by the month of June, so that we can schedule a build date for sometime in October. It will take us 4-5 days to build the church.

Do you want to help us provide a worship facility for those coming to Christ in Mexico? Do you want to be a part of the build team?

You can make a pledge to be paid at a later date or you can just send the best gift that God would put in your heart now. Everything adds up!

We’ll keep you up-to-date on our progress and let you know the dates of the build as soon as the funds are raised.

We will also be doing ministry around the area: feeding the community, witnessing, and ministry to children as well during the build.

Pastor Troy, I want to get involved in helping to build this church in the nation of Mexico too!
____ I want to join the build team that will be doing the work.
Special Skills?____________________________________________
____ I want to be a part of the support and ministry team while there.
Special Skills?____________________________________________
____ I want to invest financially into this project.
$_________one time gift sent now
$_________pledge amount to be sent by________________.

YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION:
Name-_______________________Tele #______________________

Mail to:

Raven Ministries

P.O. Box 113196

Metairie, LA 70011

You can give securely online for this project or others by clicking this link:

MAKE A DONATION

Perilous Times = Powerful Opportunities

2 Timothy 3:1-7 “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Dear Friends, Family and Body of Christ:

I think about that scripture above and I have to say to myself, “You can sure tell that we are living in the last days.” There is rarely a day that passes that I do not personally see or confront everyone of the things listed above. The City of New Orleans (where we are at on a daily basis) and in other places that God sends us—are rife with those things that serve as indicators of the last days.

While it comes as no surprise and can be expected for the world to wax worse and worse– the above passage is not merely a description of the lost, it goes on to say, “(they will) have form of godliness but will deny its power.” We are seeing this more and more as the days progress.

The “Church” has become a largely powerless entity that is more determined to walk in bondage than it is to see VICTORY (1 John 5:4). Rather than offer the life-transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (the Cross), the church instead works to justify sin and condone carnality.

Yet, in the midst of it all; “at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace” Rom 11:5 and this remnant is made up of praying people, obeying people, trusting people, and doing people! They cannot be satisfied by the palatable pastel pink modern-gospel, but hunger for the crimson red uncompromising truth of God’s Holy Word!

Let’s all endeavor to seek the Lord Jesus in a deeper and more intimate way in our lives. The times in which we live will require a raising of the standard and an elevation of our faith and expectancy. I am confident that we have yet to see the most glorious hour that awaits us. Will it be difficult? Certainly. Will it be demanding? Absolutely. Will it cost us dearly? Hopefully.

We have all been called to an hour in history without precedent and without comparison. Let’s trust Jesus and ask Him to empower and utilize us for His Glory to a greater capacity each and every day!

Thank you all so much for your continual love, prayers and support. In the next few months, we especially need you to stand with us financially if you can. There are some tremendous harvest fields opening up and we are just believing God for the resources to effectively carry out His will.

Blessings,

Pastor Troy D. Bohn
1 Thes 1:5

I AM EXCITED! I remember a number of years ago Bobby Chance calling me up while I still lived in Texas and said, “Hey, why don’t you go to New York with me this week.”

Well, I went and I was hooked! There is just nothing like stepping into the USA’s largest city (20,000,000) and sharing Jesus with the multitudes representing such vast cultural, religious, and racial diversity! It’s kind of like getting dropped into the City of Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost!

Since that first time, I have returned time and again—even taking both of my teenagers with me at different times as well.

A couple of months ago, it was dropped into my heart to assemble a group of men to take them into the city as well to offer a “training and ministry” opportunity unique in this nation. It would be a small, mobile group of guys who would just go and do “what the disciples of old did:” Preach the Gospel with power, compassion and authority.

I contacted my good friend, Bobby Chance, and asked him if he would join me in this—–he didn’t hesitate to get involved.

My friend, Rudy Gonzales of RAVEN Hope Chapel (California) said, “Hey if 15 guys serving a false God can get together and change the face of history in NYC, what do you think 30 guys who serves the only true and living God can do.”

He obviously spoke of the terrorist of 911 and how they were able to take lives and cause so much death and destruction. BUT NOW WE are going to go and GIVE LIFE and bring freedom to the captives in Jesus’ name!

We would LOVE you to join us May 18-22 for (5) days of taking Jesus to NYC.
SPACE IS LIMITED TO THE FIRST 30 MEN WHO REGISTER.
Cost $125.00

This covers your place to stay during the outreach, BOOTCAMP T-shirts, tracts, Bibles, etc..
You will be responsible for your airfare and local transportation costs. We will eat while out in the streets. There are many economical places like McDonalds, etc everywhere we go.

Deadlines:
$50.00 non-refundable deposit sent to RAVEN by 4/14/2006
Balance of $75 by 5/01/06

Again, space is limited (we have 12 already booked as of this mailing)

CALL OR EMAIL ME TODAY TO GET YOUR SPACE RESERVED

Pastor Troy D. Bohn

Is Christ Divided?

Pastor Mack Roller of 1st Baptist Church

in Fairfield, Texas "greeting me!"

1 Corinthians 1:11-14 “For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius.”

I obviously have never actually met him, but I just love the Apostle Paul so much! This guy was just so real! The things that he says in the Word of God are so non-political and so non-seeker-sensitive! He just told the truth, called it like he saw it, and at the end of the day stood firm on his convictions. We need more of that in today’s church!

Think about a couple of things in the text quoted above:
“...there are contentions among you...is Christ divided...I thank God that I baptized none of you…”

There were some obvious differences going on among the brethren in the early church just as there are today. These differences can not only be expected, but also hoped for!

“Hoped for!” Why on earth would be hope for differences? Well because the Word says so:
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.”

Differences do not have to turn into contentions. Because I travel, minister and work with many Jesus-loving people of many various denominational affiliations—I know first hand that there are things that we must agree on and then there are other things that are really not important at all at the end of the day!

I just returned from an awesome weekend of ministry in Fairfield, Texas. I was one of the missionaries invited to participate in their “Share the Well” Missions and Evangelism Conference. The host church was First Baptist Church of Fairfield, Texas— a Southern Baptist congregation.

Now if you are one of the few who might wonder why that would be unusual, consider the fact that I am Pentecostal! For years the Pentecostals and Southern Baptist have been arch-enemies! Not this Pentecostal and those Baptists! We are brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus and we have one goal: To Bring As Many People Into Christ’s Kingdom As Possible. Why should that be contentious?

Paul the Apostle wasn’t about to even get involved with the argument about Baptism. He declared, “I am not here to talk about baptisms (or baptismal differences), Jesus sent me to preach the Gospel—and in that—–not with a bunch of human wisdom, because all that does is take the power out of the message of the Cross.”

He knew that the REAL BATTLE was not in the minor details, but it was in allowing those little battles to distract from the ONE TRUE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH: to bring people to the saving faith of the Lord Jesus Christ!

We have been blessed to receive encouragement and support from blessed people in a wide-ranging cross-section of Christianity, who are not so much worried about their denomination, but instead seeing JESUS lifted up!

People like Rev. Kelly Bedard of the Grace Lutheran Church in Houma, Louisiana and Pastor Russ Clifford of the Hope Chapel Foursquare Church in Santa Rosa, California.

These are men of God and churches coming from different areas of the country, different cultural and denominational backgrounds—but at the end of the day—they are all about helping hurting people and pointing them to Jesus.

THAT is something I can work with!

Again, I have been blessed to enjoy a very rewarding cross-denominational relationship with a variety of churches. The truth be told, I receive far more invites from other churches and denominations than I do from the one that I am ordained by!

Now, there are things that we must agree on.“Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” Amos 3:3

The infallibility of the Scriptures
The One true God eternally existing as Father, Son & Holy Spirit
The fall of man and his need for redemption
Salvation by grace through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Eternal judgment: the righteous to eternal life and the unrighteous to eternal punishment.

If we can have those truths as the foundation of our relationship—then the chances are very good that we can “walk together!”

Now if someone starts teaching some deviant doctrine that strikes at the very core of the atonement (like teaching Jesus died spiritually, or that He might have sinned) THEN we will have a problem walking together.

If we could all endeavor to preach MORE JESUS and REACH MORE FOR JESUS and worry LESS about promoting the things that distinguish us from one another—I think you’ll find that we could ALL be much more effective in reaching a lost and dying world for the Kingdom of Heaven!

I appreciate my Baptist brother’s strong teaching and doctrine on the blood of Jesus and my Lutheran brother’s strong teaching and doctrine on justification by faith and rejoice in the fact that my heritage is one that embraces the gifts of the Spirit for this age.

Those are areas in which we can teach and draw from one another and utilize those things to be more effective in our joint efforts to preach the Gospel to the unsaved.

Our diversities are sometimes the things that make us all more effective in “casting a broader net” over a tremendous harvest of souls that awaits us.

We can call ourselves Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostal, Lutheran or something else now—but the main thing is that when we stand before God, He will call us His own!

Our duty is strictly to “love God with everything within us,” “love our neighbor as ourselves,” and to “go into all the world and preach HIS GOSPEL.”

As long as we stay on message, then the method of doing those things becomes less of a point of contention between us.

Let’s work together in these last days to show the world that we are His disciples by the love that we show one another” and to a lost world needing that love too!

Pastor Troy D. Bohn—Raven Ministries

Raven Ministries Video

Five Reasons NOT to Witness