About Brother Ron

Brother Ron Barnes
Founder and Pastor

Statement of Faith
About Brother Ron
Weekly Sermon
Daily Devotional
Devotional Archive

Our Ministries

Ask Brother Ron
Brother Ron answers your questions about religion, spirituality and ministry

Gatebuilder Ministry
A ministry to ministries. We want to help you become a more effective servant of our Father and your community.

Living Smart
Outreach Ministry
Equipping people to be positive, productive members of the community.

Prayer Ministry
Prayers and prayer resources for Baha'i, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Native Americans, New Age, Pagans and other faiths.

Please submit your Personal Prayer
Request

Religious Education
Resources to expand your knowledge and understanding of the world's major religions

Music Ministry
Ron's original gospel songs and links to Christian music web sites.

Resource Directory
Where to find help for medical problems, abuse, finances and other issues.

Career Planning
How to identify the right career, locate potential employers and get the job you want.

for visiting our ministry!

Thank you for wanting to learn more about me and the ministry. I started this ministry after observing churches following agendas which had nothing to do with God or His purposes. I was raised in the Southern Baptist Church. As most of you know, this is a Christian denomination with a very strict dogma. I began to be concerned about my relations with this church in 1960 when the pastor began preaching against John F. Kennedy ("He's going to move the Pope into the White House") and the civil rights movement ("The Bible teaches that blacks and whites should not mix.").

When I was 14, I started playing guitar professionally. Since Southern Baptists do not believe in dancing, drinking or rock and roll, they decided I was the devil's minion and made me feel very unwelcome. I am very grateful to them for this. Their rejection started me on the path to independent study of religion. After more than forty years of studying the Bible, Koran, Bhagavad Gita and other religious works, I have concluded that many religious leaders are trying to put their words in God's mouth. As Zig Zeigler would say, this is both incorrect and unsanitary.

I started this ministry to give people the opportunity to learn more about God without the controlling tactics used by most churches. I have degrees in both business and education. As I mentioned, I also have many years of experience as a professional entertainer. I know enough about marketing, show business and religion to know which is which. This site is dedicated to promoting the worship and understanding of God.

There will be some fund-raising activities because we still have to eat and pay the bills (like the ones that keep this web site alive). But they will be clearly identified and separate from our ministerial activities. We hope you find this ministry worthy of your support.

A few words about me personally. I spent the forst forty years of my life in Oklahoma. I have lived in Columbia, South Carolina, since 1986. My wife and I have four children, ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. I have experience as an educator, salesman, musician and U.S. Marine. I am not a saint and make no claim to be anything more than a poor dumb sinner trying to find his way home. The only thing that sets me apart is I have done my homework. As I mentioned, I have been studying God's message for over forty years. This web site is my attempt to share with you what God has revealed to me through His teachings.

I do not have THE TRUTH. In fact, I get very concerned when anybody claims to have THE TRUTH. The people who ran the Inquisition had THE TRUTH. Today we have people flying airplanes into buildings and blowing up children in the name of THE TRUTH. It seems that every time people decide they have THE TRUTH, the forst thing they want to do is kill everybody who doesn't have THE TRUTH.

Here is the real truth: God is so far beyond our human comprehension that no human can ever know the entirety of His Truth. We are like the

Six Blind Men and the Elephant

We grasp at a small piece of God and claim to have the entirety of Him. The egotism of these claims is beyond belief. I do not have all the answers. I doubt that I even have all the questions.

But imagine what would happen if we stopped killing each other long enough to put the pieces together. Imagine what would happen if we left God out of our disputes about politics and real estate. Imagine what would happen if we spent our time and energies working to serve His goals instead of the goals of those who attach His name to their private agendas.

I realize this is probably an impossible ideal. But people of faith have worked toward impossible ideals for thousands of years. We are not there yet. But like all children, we are growing. And as every parent knows, growth can be a slow and painful process. Hopefully, this ministry can help to speed things up a little. If we can do this, we will rejoice in being faithful servants of our Father.

Best always
Brother Ron

For anybody who might be interested in learning more about my family and my history (although I can't imagine why anybody would be interested), you can tour our home and meet some of the family by clicking

HERE