| About Me: |
GREAT HARVEST
INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES
Missionary Pastor Rob & Kelly Cowden
23 Chicago Ave. Columbus, Ohio 43222
(614)271-3038 Cow1den@yahoo.com
I'm a half hearted pastor.
GREAT HARVEST INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES
Greetings Pastors, Elders & Church leaders, friends and family.
My Name is Rob Cowden. My wife and I have been Inner-City missionary Pastors & Evangelist, since September 1999. I have been in the ministry since 1989. I went to school @ International church of Las Vegas, an Assembly of God church. God has also used us to start Great Harvest international school of ministry and Great Harvest International worship center. I was youth & associate pastor at Franklinton Community of Hope. An Assembly of God church. I was also blessed to be on the pastoral prayer team for Awake America Cincinnati. Put on by Brownsville A.O.G. Revival.
I Believe God has given me a testimonial and a cry to the church.
Half hearted Christianity.
I look around at the church today and wonder what has happened. Over all we are dead in spirit. But there is hope. Just like the dry bones of the army of Israel came back to life so can the church. God has called us in power and love. Third Day has a song, show me youre Glory I only want to see your face. We need to be dead to flesh and alive to God. There are so many Christians that claim to be alive for God but I dont see the works that God called us to once we were saved. If Moses had to put a Vail over his face to cover the glory so the people would not be afraid. The high priest had to tie a rope around there leg just in case they had to be pulled out dead because of the heaviness of God from the Holy of Holies. I dont understand why we who can go into his presence any time any where. But dont move by his Glory.
I dont claim to be anybody because Im not. I have been blessed to be used by God. By knowing who I am in Christ and who He is in me. He has used me to walk in to the middle of gangs with guns drawn and spoke in the authority of Christ and seen them disband. Just This past December I had a knife pulled on me? Again God delivered me. When we seek to be in his presence to love on him, he will openly use you even when you dont know it. Example, I walked out side and somebody was leaning against the funeral home across the ally from my home. I asked if he was OK. He had his face in his hands. Ive never met the man before. He said Im sitting here in the presence of God. I ask what you mean. Gods presence is coming out of that house and I have been convicted by God. God Can and will use anybody if we are willing. Jesus said you will cast out demons and heal the sick. When was the last time pastor have you heard of this happening with the people in your church? Or even out side of the four walls of the church. You will do greater things than I because I go to the father for you.
At this time I was driving a truck, was home nightly but was putting about 50 to 60 hrs. a week in at work, and about 30 hrs in the ministry. That is why I was running late on March 19th 2001 for our youth center for Friday night, which was running 50 to 60 Inner city kids. I pull into the lot and there is a young lady leaning against a wall. Remember we live in the inner city. She was a prostitute. God spoke to me to go tell the woman that Jesus loves her. Im running late already Lord. Finally I said yes Lord. When I did this the woman said good because Im having a baby. I told my wife, she thought the woman just wanted a ride some where. I went back to find out the story. There was a puddle of blood on the ground. I called my wife to help. The baby had already started to come out. Im on the phone with 911 and they are talking me through things. When the baby was completely in my hands it was cold and limp. Not breathing or anything. I prayed God give this baby life in Jesus name. Right then and there the baby started kicking and crying.
Some time in early 2000 AD I had a major heart attack. I had gone to the hospital thinking I was having one and they just said this to shall pass it is just gas. Well come to find out in 2002 I did have a heart attack back then, and half my heart was dead. They put a defibrillator in me in 2003 because they could not do open heart surgery. And gave me a 50% chance to live for 1 year and every year after that take off another 10%. In May of 2004 we started Great Harvest IWC. During the week before opening I was shocked 5 times we still opened the church as planned. Wow what a first service. In November we went to Las Vegas, for thanksgiving to visit mom. My appendix ruptured. It was almost 2 weeks before I noticed. Went to hospital, doctor thought it was just kidney stones because of the amount of pain I was in. They took a cat scan. And in shock the Doc. said I had to have surgery now if I was to live, they where surprised I was even alive now. And then because of my heart condition they said I had a 50% chance of living. Came out of recovery and was out of ICU within a one & a half days again doctors where shocked. In February of 2006 I found out a new surgery for the heart. They cut out the dead part of the heart. This is called the Dor procedure or left ventricular reconstructive surgery. What they do is remove and fold over the dead part of the heart, and then if possible they do by-pass surgery and connect the arteries to the good part of the heart. When seeing a different doctor about this, they were in shock again. They said I was a dead man walking for the last 6 years. They said they could do the surgery on me praise God. On May 4th I had half my heart cut out. Things went well. I was out of the hospital in seven days again doctors where shocked. My ejection fraction has gone from 20% to about 40%. The day I got out I was back at our Christian light club. This is a place where people can play pool shoot darts get free food and drinks, play cards & bible studies through out the day and night. Friday and Saturday we bring in bands. So I am now ready to step up my work for God all the more.
I love to worship. I will sing, shout, dance, run, and fall prostrate on my face. How ever God is moving I just want to praise his name no matter how I feel. One month to the day of my surgery God came upon me and I ran around the whole outside of the church. Praise His Holy name.
We have personally led close too 200 hundred people to salvation in the neighborhood. Most of which has been on are front porch. This in not including church services. Over 60 since March of 2006. In the last 2 months 2 people that we have led too the lord have been murdered with in 2 weeks of excepting Jesus Christ in there lives. One of them was killed about five feet from our garage. I have had my life threatened many times; even have 2 gunshot holes in the back of the house. 1 shot about a foot from our bedroom window and 1 a foot from our back door. Of course I will be here until My God is finished with me. Even if my heart was completely dead God will keep me here till He is done with me. Here are a few other things that have happened to us and through us here in the bottoms. The bottoms is the nick name for our area. We have dealt with manifestations of demons many times. One time horns started to grow out of a boys head. Another took seven people to keep down when manifesting. Curses cast on us many times. Whole chicken legs with feathers and all put on our car. Birds are being thrown into our yard all the time with no heads. Car window busted out for telling kids what they were doing was wrong. Drug addicts set free. Prostitutes delivered. Cancers healed. A deaf boy received his hearing. I went riding up and down the streets on a horse and bull horn for a block party. We had 2 or 3 block parties a year for 4 years with the average of 5 to 7 hundred people at each. Had a bus that the side came down, and took church to the streets. We pulled up some place set up and sent people out to invite others to service. Over 15 people have stayed with us a month or more. My wife and I have had somebody living with us almost our whole marriage. We just had 8 yrs of wonderful marriage Oct. 17th 2006.
Now all of this is taking place in Franklinton. An Inner city In Columbus, Ohio. It is the fourth largest Appalachian community out side of West Virginia in the United States. The thirteen worst white ghetto in the United States. Even though about 35% of those that has gotten saved through our ministry is other races. 75% of the youth that make it to high school drop out. At least 40% of the people here are felons. There is not a lot of work around here for them. Almost all are on welfare, so they dont have money.
Most of this has taken place during the time that half my heart has been dead. Again I wonder what is going on with the whole church that most likely has a whole heart, they say. When theres ones (in the church) that seem to have half a heart. I shared this with another pastor. He says that most pastors will not experience half of what we have in their whole ministry. As we have in just six years of ministry. Believe me there is a lot more to. Lets arise to our calling church. And become the whole church that we have been called to in His glory.
Hello my name is Adam Everett. I am Pastor Robs assistant. I have been with him just over a year. In that time I have seen how much he cares about the community. All of these things have taken place since this letter was last up dated in Nov. 2006. He as been robbed 4 or 5 times, at least three more people hes helped has died or been killed. People he helps are always getting mad at him when they ask him for his advice or help, and he tells them what they should do or say. He tells them the truth and they hate it. He has had his car stolen, and broken into to many times to count. His wife was sexually assaulted this year. Pastor Rob then sees the person who did this and tells him he loves him. He trys to look past everyones faults to see who they could be. I know of a drug dealer who wanted out of the business and came to him for help. Pastor Rob walks into the crack house and says this house is closed down everybody out. Theres no more drugs or prostitution going to be going on here. There are guns and every thing there. The bouncer of the house is about 65 300 pounds of muscle, PR is only 56 and about 190 pounds. This bouncer says to the dealer when is this little guy leaving he scares me. PR is short for Pastor Rob he always puts others before him self. That dealer is now in church with his whole family. PR has been in the hospital about six times this year for his health. Many people have turned theyre lives over too God. In this neighborhood it seems familys are always fighting, PR is the one person that everyone knows they can come to for help. He was helping this family, they had the cops out to their house, the cop was talking to PR, and their son asks the cop you know PR. The cops response was doesnt every body.
All of this is physically draining and often times financially draining to him. With Gods support and hopefully your too, He can continue to be a light in this troubled neighborhood with Gods grace..
Hello this is Pastor Rob again. I want to thank my wife Kelly for all of her support and love through my entire health problems. And she stands up for Jesus right next to me. What a strain this has been on her emotionally and spiritually to. Please pray for us.
Missionary Pastors Rob & Kelly Cowden
23 Chicago Ave. Columbus, Ohio 43222
(614)271-3038 Cow1den@yahoo.com
Pastor Rob Cowden
Great Harvest is. Our call is to go into the entire world. Preach the gospel and be ready to reap the end time harvest. |
Im glad to here that you like inner city missions. It is a special calling. Gods blessing to you. It is not my profile But Gods. Im just blessed to be that instrument he has used.
