This "organization", that's such a bad word to us, we'll call it a group, quite possibly a church of misfits, was birthed somewhere back around May of 2007. Before that, we met at a St. Louis homeless shelter where we all felt led by the Spirit of God to reach out to the homeless. After going separate avenues in ministry to the homeless, Randy and Jon joined together after God put it on both our hearts to not only be feeding them physically and spiritually through brief encounters, but to disciple a group of people whom the Lord would bring our way.
We began by having a cookout on Thursday evenings at an abandoned building that we frequented accompanied by a bible study with a few friends we had met there. It has now transformed into a brief interactive message to them, along with food and clothing items being handed out with many new faces whom the Lord has brought our way. We are meeting many new friends and brothers and sisters in the Lord who, very likely would not be attending church. It is our heart to bring church to them.
What we once considered to be a "homeless ministry" has transformed into different people from different denominational, social, economical, and racial backgrounds coming together, breaking down the barriers that separate us, and be the best representation we can be of the church we see portrayed in the Bible. This allows the focus to remain on Jesus Christ as well as open the door for generous volunteers to donate their time and resources to help the less fortunate that join us.
We began by having a cookout on Thursday evenings at an abandoned building that we frequented accompanied by a bible study with a few friends we had met there. It has now transformed into a brief interactive message to them, along with food and clothing items being handed out with many new faces whom the Lord has brought our way. We are meeting many new friends and brothers and sisters in the Lord who, very likely would not be attending church. It is our heart to bring church to them.
What we once considered to be a "homeless ministry" has transformed into different people from different denominational, social, economical, and racial backgrounds coming together, breaking down the barriers that separate us, and be the best representation we can be of the church we see portrayed in the Bible. This allows the focus to remain on Jesus Christ as well as open the door for generous volunteers to donate their time and resources to help the less fortunate that join us.
Jon Schultz is a co-founder of Misfits for Jesus. He has been married since 1999 to his beautiful wife Amy and has 3 sons; Aiden, Luke, and Kalib. In a suburb east of Cleveland, Ohio he was born and raised to know the fundamentals of salvation through Christ and prayed the sinners’ prayer as a child, but lived by the world’s standards through his teen years and early twenties. Drugs, alcohol, and women soon became the greatest influences in his life. A union bricklayer, he married in 1999 and separated from his wife in 2002. A move to Jacksonville, Florida seemed to be a bad idea after a brief stay at the county jail; however, months later, after drinking and drugs no longer filled the emptiness, an evening service at a local church resulted in a simple prayer of surrender. Since then, addictions broken, anger turned to joy, and selfishness turned to servant hood, Jesus has done an incredible work within Jon’s life including the reconciliation with his wife after 2 years of separation and 3 wonderful children. They moved to Caseyville, Illinois in 2005 to be near Amy’s family. Little did he know that God was preparing him for ministry to the poor and homeless. 
Randy Abbott is a co-founder of Misfits for Jesus and resides in Wright City, Missouri, Along with his wife, Lynn, and their three children, Erica, Amanda, Connor. Randy is a self-employed painting contractor and has operated his own business for the last twenty years. Although he grew up with no particular religious background, Randy always "believed" in God and thought that was enough. Sparing you the details, Randy had a partying past not unsimilar to John's with the same results; emptiness, despair, longing for something, anything that would "matter"......It was at Lynn's grandfather's funeral that Randy saw the hope that a strong faith could bring and so started his quest. While searching for God, Randy tried several different denominations, all with the same question- is this all there is to God? Then it happened! A phone call from a Southern Baptist preacher changed everything. Pastor Gary explained how God had sent His Son Jesus to die for sinners and that we could by faith accept this free gift and enter a love relationship with the King of Kings. Hallelujah!!!! On May 1st, 1993 Lynn and I accepted Christ and their lives have never been the same (thanks Jesus). Many years have come and gone since that day. There been many ups and just as many downs but God remained faithful even when I wasn't. Perhaps the best way to sum it all up to this point, would be to listen to the words that the apostle Paul spoke to the church in Phillipi: " I am not saying that I have all of this together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wonderously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward-to Jesus. I'm off and running and I am not turning back." Phi 3: 12-14 The Message.
My passion and desire is for men to understand and realize the destiny that awaits them when they enter into a relationship with Jesus. To the average onlooker, Jon and I do not appear to be your typical followers of Christ, but by the grace of God, He has chosen a couple of "misfits" like us to deliver the good news of Christ to the streets of St. Louis, MO.
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