Monday, October 09, 2006

National Gathering of Urban Missionaries

RAVEN MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL
P.O. Box 1897
Daytona Beach, Florida 32115
(386)682-4141


Re: National Gathering of Urban Missionaries
October 20-22, 2006 (Amarillo, Texas)

One of the key components necessary for the success of any mission or missionary related organization is the training, mentoring and supporting of “indigenous ministers” who understand the people, culture, and specific needs of particular areas of focus.

When international mission organizations began to send missionaries onto foreign soil in the past 200 years, they soon discovered that the most effective means to reach the peoples of their region of service was to utilize the gifts, and callings of those who came from their own ranks. One veteran missionary of a large mission organization said, “I spent over 50 years on the mission field with very little fruit for my labor. It was not until I began to train leaders in that nation to do the work of the ministry that we were able to see momentous results from our spiritual investment.”

The statements above have never been more true than now in regards to what might possibly be the greatest and most difficult mission field in the world: The United States of America.

Over ten years ago I had to truly do some “soul searching” in regards to the condition of the Western Church (America). Something had happened over the course of several generations that had caused it to look very dissimilar to the “Church” that was founded by the Lord Jesus Christ and described so vividly in the Book of Acts.

It was at that point that I began to earnestly seek the face of God regarding this issue and asking Him for the wisdom, faith and vision to help curb the swelling tide that had sought to swallow up the last bastions of Biblical Christianity.

What the Holy Spirit revealed to me in that season were the foundational principals that have served to establish and direct the work of what has now become Raven Ministries International. The two main directives that have remained as our focal points have been:

1) To Restore Biblical Vision to the Body of Christ through preaching, teaching, writing, and demonstrating a scriptural model for the expanding of “His Kingdom” indiscriminate of cultural, racial, economic, or denominational barriers. 2) To actually apply those principals as our primary purpose in reaching the lost and dying (spiritual) with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Raven Ministries is not simply an “evangelistic street ministry” or a “para-church” organization that merely targets the homeless, drug addicted, or gang involved people groups. Raven Ministries exists to train, motivate, and spiritually empower people to “be” the CHURCH, rather than “attend” a church.

Our goals and objectives are not unlike the Apostles of old who found themselves on many “missionary journeys” designed to spread the Good News and raise up “indigenous” leaders to do the work of the ministry in their cities or regions. We exist to not only recognize and equip present and future Evangelists, but to also seek out and network together the next generation of Apostles, Prophets, Pastors and Teachers as well.

In the past two years we have seen the “vision” grow from a distant promise to seeing the manifestation of God’s directives take shape and reveal themselves in ways that we could have never imagined. What was birthed in the solitude of a prayer closet in the Texas Panhandle is now being experienced all across this nation and now even on foreign soil.

Just in the past six months our “urban missionaries” have taken the life-transforming message of the Lord Jesus Christ to such diverse places as:

-The French Quarter of New Orleans where tens of thousands still flock to America’s most infamous party destination (Bourbon Street)
-The drug-infested and gang ridden neighborhoods of Santa Rosa, California
-The streets of San Francisco’s “Tenderloin District”
-Los Angeles’ “Skid Row” where up to 25,000 people sleep each night
-Across the boroughs of the nations largest city; New York City
-To the up-and-outers of Albuquerque, New Mexico’s International Balloon Festival
-To the shores of “The World’s Most Famous Beach; “Daytona Beach, Florida”
-The West Texas town of Post, Texas
-College Cities like: South Bend, Indiana (Notre Dame) Austin, Texas (UT) and
-To major NFL cities like: New Orleans (Saints), Baltimore (Ravens), Chicago (Bears)
-We have also ministered and seen the hand of God move from the Dutch City of Amsterdam, to a day in Dusseldorf, Germany to outreaches into the nation of Mexico.

From small towns to major metropolitan areas, to the nations of this world we have taken the same message of the Cross to hurting people with the same results: Salvation.

During this period of time we have seen the heart of “indigenous” people catch THE VISION that God entrusted us with. Men and women of God such as:

Pastor Rudy & Lori Gonzales (Raven Midwest) and their team have sent hundreds of toys to Mexico, brought team after team half way across the country to assist us during Hurricane Katrina, tackled gang riddled communities and established a benevolence ministry that delivers groceries to as many as 500 families each week!

Pastor Don & Sabrina Eskine (Raven Gulf Coast) continue to attack the streets of New Orleans with the Gospel and compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ. They feed the ever growing homeless in the French Quarter’s Jackson Square, preach weekly in the tent church, and take the delivering power to the visitors of Bourbon Street.

Pastor Terry & Eileen Shuff (Raven Mid West) are literally “on the move” each week as they take JESUS from places like Chicago, Michigan, and throughout the “Michiana” area. They have joined me on the streets of New Orleans, Daytona Beach, and have gone to assists teams in Northern California and our Raven East Coast team as well.

These are just a few of the “indigenous people” that have now taken it to “another level” and have dared to do what many have deemed either impossible, or just down right stupid! Yet, even in the face of criticism, hard ships, opposition, and at a great cost to themselves---they refuse to cower or back down from the GREAT COMMISSION that has been set before them by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit that indwells their lives.

This is only the beginning, as we will continue to reach out all across this nation and abroad with the simple, yet powerful vision that God has given us for Raven Ministries International. We are missionaries and the mission field is every lost soul that has yet to have the opportunity to hear a pure and unadulterated presentation of the message of the Cross.

In the next five years we are believing God to have Raven Teams established in 50 cities and to have a team of 1000 “Ravens” on the streets of New Orleans during the annual Mardi Gras Outreach sharing the message and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ!

In less than two weeks, we will be convening together where it all began in Amarillo, Texas. Our leaders and members of their teams will travel thousands of miles to be encouraged, share their testimonies and trials, and be strengthened and ignited to continue pressing forward in obedience and dedication to the joy that has been set before us.

The motto for this gathering is: OUR GOAL IS YOUR SOUL

Two Things:

First of all, if you are in the Amarillo area and would like to be a part of this time of ministry and gathering together of missionaries or would like to come and hear more about the ministry, we would absolutely LOVE to have you. You can email me at PastorTroy@BigGrace.com for details.

Secondly, the opening night of the gathering is a “Banquet” for our missionaries and many locals that are coming out to hear what has been going on over the course of the past couple of years. This meal is being catered by a local business at a cost of $10 per person. (Very “Texas” all-you-can-eat Beef & Chicken Fajitas and desert)

I would very much like to see the 60-75 missionaries and their families blessed with that meal at no-cost to them. If I could personally do it, I would “pick up the tab” myself—but as you well know, I am “one of them too!” For that reason, I am asking to see if anyone (or one’s) would be willing to sponsor (or help to sponsor) that part of the cost to these dedicated soul winners?

I am asking and believing for $750 to cover the complete cost of this appreciation dinner. It would be awesome of their was one person who would say—I got it covered—but it is probably more likely that it will be several people doing “something” to help recognize and bless people who have literally laid down their lives for the Gospel.


Matt 10:41 says, “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.”

Please pray for this historic meeting and please also consider being a blessing to these men and women and their awesome families.

I love you,

Pastor Troy D. Bohn

Email me and let me know that you are wanting to help---and I will keep everyone updated.

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