Speakers

Pastor Rudy Rasmus

Rudy Rasmus is an author, humanitarian, and leadership consultant with a passion for outreach to the world’s most challenged communities. He co-pastors the St. John’s Church in Downtown Houston with his wife Juanita. A church that began with 9 existing members in 1992, St. John’s has grown to thousands where every week people of every social and economic background share the same pew.

Thanks to generous support from collaborations with local and national government agencies and significant donations over the years from Tina, Beyoncé, and Solange Knowles. Rudy Rasmus has completed over $30million in housing development projects created to provide housing opportunities for the previously homeless in Downtown Houston. The Temenos CDC portfolio includes the Knowles-Temenos Apartments, a 43-unit Single Room Occupancy development, the 80-unit Temenos II Apartments both designed to provide permanent living accommodations for formerly homeless individuals, and the Temenos III Apartments designed for chronic inebriates and the most vulnerable homeless individuals in the Houston community. Eighteen years ago Kelly Rowland teamed up with Beyoncé and Tina Knowles to build the Knowles-Rowland Center where community empowerment activities for the young and old take place every week. The facility is currently serves as a distribution center meeting the needs weekly of Houstonians in need. Most recently Pastor Rudy teamed up with Tina and Beyoncé to help 100,000 flood victims in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in Houston and is working now to assist families impacted by Covid19.

Rudy founded the Bread of Life, Inc. (a not for profit corporation) with Juanita in December of 1992 and began serving 500 meals per day to the homeless in the sanctuary at St. John’s for twenty-one years. The Bread of Life has literally changed the landscape of Downtown Houston providing an array of services to families in peril and homeless individuals. The project also distributes over 14 tons of fresh produce weekly to hungry families who have been financially challenged by the Coronavirus. St. John’s is one of few faith communities in the U.S. providing HIV/AIDS testing to churchgoers on Sundays through the innovative “Get Tested Project.” For many years Pastor Rudy has coordinated domestic and global anti-hunger initiatives in conjunction with Beyoncé’s concert tours and travels extensively developing and supporting programs around the world for people experiencing poverty. Today, with a focus on social impact investing, the Bread of Life owns and operates the Amazing KMAZ 102.5fm radio station.

Dr. Rudy Rasmus competed a (DMin) Doctorate of Ministry in 2019 at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio with research focused on “The intersection of millennial culture with institutional religion.”