SpeakingPage

Recommendations:

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Ruston, Louisiana

"It is seldom that you meet someone who knows their spiritual gift and ministers within it faithfully. As the pastor of Ray Mears, I know he is one such person. He is a gifted communicator and a very effective evangelist. He is one of the greatest soul-winners I have ever known and will be a blessing to any church that uses him in their ministry. He loves the Lord Jesus and believes His Word. He will preach and teach the Bible without compromise. It is amazing how he uses wildlife or God's creation to talk about our Beloved Creator. If God leads you to use Ray in your church, you will be blessed by his ability to minister through the Holy Spirit!"

Dr. Mike Holloway

Senior Pastor /Past President of Louisiana Baptist Convention

Cook Baptist Church

Ruston, LA 71270

Choudrant, Louisiana

"I booked Ray Mears for our annual Wild Game Supper this year. He is an outstanding speaker who is proud to share with you the Greatest Adventure of his life. His photographs are the best I have ever seen of wildlife actually in the wild. I highly recommend Ray Mears for any type of event pertaining to the great outdoors God has created." In Him,

Dwayne L. Monk, Pastor

New Hope Baptist Church, Choudrant La.

Monroe, Louisiana

"Ray is one of the most gifted people I have met. His heart for sharing the Good News and presentation of the Gospel is both clear and authentic. While bringing a smile to a child's face and encouraging their faith, He boldly challenges the status quo of adults and inspires men to live a life of true adventure in Christ Jesus. I recommend Ray for anyone attempting to help others start or strengthen their relationship with God."

Justin Winstead, Pastor

His Church

Monroe, LA.

Jackson, Louisiana

"...The gift that God has bestowed on you for His ministry is very unique. I will start by saying your "slight of hand" demonstrations were just so amazing to the congregation, especially the children. The illustrations were perfect examples of God's salvation through Jesus. ....Your gift for photography is amazing. The way you correlate God's creation of the animal kingdom with His great love for mankind is revealing. The many photographs you have taken of wildlife and the stories you have to tell of how you filmed them is very inspiring. The photos were an example of how God changes us from ugly to beautiful through His saving grace. ...I want you to know that I am praying for you and your photography ministry. I know the Lord has greatly blessed your life. I hope you will be able to come again to Second Baptist Church and share your photographs and speak the word of God to our congregation."

Mack Stewart, Pastor

Second Baptist Church

Jackson, Louisiana

Enterprise, Oregon

We were blessed to have Ray Mears travel all the way from Louisiana to be our guest speaker at the Annual Hunter's Banquet in Enterprise, Oregon in November of 2009. He also spoke at our Sunday morning church service. Both messages were very powerful and hunters, as well as non-hunters, were touched as he incorporated his beautiful outdoor photographs into his testimony and sharing of the Gospel. It was refreshing to work with a servant of the Lord who is so committed to sharing Christ with the world. I found him to be very flexible and easy to work with and am blessed to be able to call him a friend.

I highly recommend Ray Mears as a Christian speaker for your event, or to share a message from the pulpit!

Garry Wagner

Elder/Men's Ministries

First Baptist Church of Enterprise

Enterprise, Oregon 97828

541-426-3109

Statement of Faith:

GOD - We believe that there is one God who exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1, 26-27; 3:22; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 14:6-12; II Corinthians 13:14; I Peter 1:2; and I John 5:7)

JESUS - We believe that Jesus is the Son of God, was born of a virgin, was wholly God and wholly man, lived a sinless life, died in our place as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind, was buried, arose bodily from the grave, and ascended into Heaven. (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 53:1-12; Matthew 1: 20-23; Luke 2:4-14, 21; John 1:1-5; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; I Corinthians 15:3-4; and Hebrews 4:14-15, 9:28, 10:10, 12, 14, 19)

CHRIST’S RETURN - We believe that Jesus Christ will literally return to earth. (Matthew 16:27; I Timothy 6:14-15; II Timothy 4:1; and Titus 2:13)

HOLY SPIRIT - We believe that God the Holy Spirit is active in convincing unbelievers of their need for salvation and is the comforter and guide who lives in every believer. (John 14:25-26, 15:26, 16:7-15; Romans 8:14-16; I Corinthians 2:12; and II Corinthians 3:17)

BIBLE - We believe that the Bible is the Word of God without any error, the sole and sufficient authority for life and faith. (Psalm 119:9, 11, 105, 160; Isaiah 55:11; and II Timothy 3:16-17)

MAN - We believe that man is a special creation of God, made in His image, but that through the sin of the first man, Adam, mankind as a whole “fell” or became sinners in need of salvation. (Genesis 1:26-27, 3:1-19; Romans 3:23; and I Corinthians 15:21-33)

SALVATION - We believe that salvation is a gift received through repentance (having a change in mind or the way one thinks about sin) toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 3:16; Acts 16:31, 17:30; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; and II Peter 3:9)

ASSURANCE - We believe that every person who is truly saved is eternally secure in the Lord Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 3:11-15; II Corinthians 1:22; and Ephesians 1:13, 4:30)

ETERNITY - We believe that those persons who die in their sins without Christ spend eternity in Hell, and those persons who die with their sins forgiven through Jesus Christ spend eternity in Heaven. (II Corinthians 5:6-8; II Thessalonians 1:6-9; Revelation 19;5-9; and Revelation 20:11-15)

PRAYER - We believe that each believer has direct access to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 6:9-13; Romans 8:16; II Thessalonians 5:17; and Hebrews 10:19-20)

"LIVING LIFE'S GREATEST ADVENTURE!"

Ray's Conversion:

I began living life's greatest adventure as a small boy in rural Tensas Parish, Louisiana. My mother had been institutionalized when I was child and remained so for most of my young life. This was the result of domestic abuse and the loss of twin girls at birth. She never fully recovered. My father deserted his family leaving myself and four older brothers in the care of our grandparents. My grandparents then took on the task of raising five boys after having raised five children of their own. My grandfather, the Rev. A.D. Langston, was a mission pastor and served smaller churches at the time. Adding five growing boys to his household resulted in difficult financial conditions. God was faithful and through the kindness of church members, hunting, fishing, and gardening we were able to make ends meet. We even sharecropped a few acres of cotton. I still recall pulling a cotton sack, cutting my hands on the cotton bolls, and the balogna sandwiches and cold cokes for lunch. It was during this time that I learned how to hunt and fish which established in me an early enjoyment of the outdoor life.

More important, however, was the fact that I learned about Jesus at an early age and that God had a plan for my life. I can remember that, periodically, we would have revival services in this small rural community. It was during one of the services, as a nine year old boy, that I remember gripping the back of the pew in front of me under deep conviction that I was lost. My best friend stepped out during the invitation and that was all I needed. I stepped out right behind him and gave my life to Jesus Christ. When Jesus came into my heart that night he made a permanent change in my life. Experiencing his love for me and what that has meant to me through the years could never be completely expressed. I have struggled as all believers do but God began the process of growing me up in Christ and the work he began continues today. I have spent a lifetime discovering the spiritual blessings that I received when I trusted Christ. I am still opening the treasure chest of his promises today and know that this life that he gave me will last for all eternity.

I have had the privilge of traveling all over the world telling people about Jesus. I continue today to tell the same sweet story of the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. If you would like to know more about how you can experience this new life and how you can live “life’s greatest adventure” go to the GOOD NEWS. May God bless you. ---Ray Mears