FRANK HOUTZ
Frank Houtz was a veteran of the Hebrew Roots Movement long before he became one of BYNA’s Founding Elders. His father, LaVern Houtz, introduced him to the Messianic life before it was called Messianic. Frank was a co-founder with his father of Congregation Beit Minorah in Winchester, Kentucky, where he served as an Elder and teacher for over 25 years. He authored several books and booklets, including, A Sign Between You and Me, Machanayim: the Two Camps of Israel, Adoption from an Ancient Perspective, and A Frank Discussion of the Law. In the 1990s Frank founded Dry Bones Restoration Company as a publishing company for his writings. He toured the country offering seminars dealing with linguistics and Bible study techniques. He with others founded Kentucky Covenant Education Corp., as well as Jefferson College at Pilot View. These institutions were created to equip this generation and the next to better understand the principles needed in building strong families, congregations, and cross-cultural relationships. Frank and his wife Mary Lynn Houtz have five living children and a growing number of grandchildren. They enjoyed 34 years together before Frank went on to his eternal reward in February 2019. Mary continues her creative work as an artist, potter, songwriter, and musician.
DR. DAVID SLOSS
David and his wife Marian have been married for over 50 years and live in Meaford, Ontario, Canada. They are the parents of four children and have been blessed with 14 grandchildren. As a secular educator for 30 years, David shaped the lives of youths and adults both as a teacher and as a godly mentor. His experience in an Elder’s oversight role spans 40 years on church boards. His Hebraic journey began in 2000 during a course on Genesis taught from a Hebraic perspective by rabbis in Israel. David is involved in Baraka International Ministries, which teaches the Hebraic perspective to pastors and leaders in Africa and Asia. He was instrumental in the founding of B’ney Yosef North America, helping to shepherd us through our first two years before answering a call to further ministry work with Baraka International.
JOHNNY MARS
Johnny Mars has served for many years as the leader and as an elder and teacher for Kehilat Yeshua Messianic congregation in Carlsbad, New Mexico. He grew up in an agricultural environment as both a farmer and rancher. Johnny has a BA degree in Business Management, a technical degree in Electronics Engineering as well as Automotive and Diesel Technology. He and his wife Peggy have been married for over 40 years and have two children and a growing number of grandchildren. Johnny studied and taught from a Hebraic perspective for over 25 years before becoming one of BYNA’s Founding Elders, and helped to guide us through our first two years.
GREG AND SANDY CRAWFORD
Greg and Sandy had been married 43 years when they joined BYNA’s council of Elders in 2019. They met in junior high school and married shortly after Sandy graduated from high school, spending most of their married life in West Texas, with a short 10-year stint in the Houston area. They have three adult children and five grandchildren. In 1992, Greg and Sandy founded Covenant Ranch Ministries and began ministering to the working cow-men and women of West Texas and Eastern New Mexico. By cooking out of an authentic working chuckwagon, they faithfully fed the body with good food and brought the Gospel of Yeshua HaMashiac (Jesus Christ) to feed the soul so that many who otherwise may not have ever tasted how good forgiveness really is, might feast on G-d’s Holy Word. Repeated questions of “spiritual leaders” remained unanswered in their quest for truth, such as “what are the commandments that Yeshua/Jesus requires our obedience to?” They turned to rabbinic sources and were surprised at the simple answer no one else could or would answer: Torah.
The Crawfords began this Walk of Faith in earnest in 2000. Knowing the TANACH was the Word made Flesh, they began observing the Feasts and consequently Torah and have never looked back. Their first tour of Israel left us thirsty and hungry for more of The Land. They began conducting Shabbat Services at the Price Daniel Unit in Snyder, Texas (a medium-security facility) in August of 2017 after their regular Shabbat Services at Covenant Ranch Ministries Fellowship in Westbrook, Texas. They hope to establish Messianic Services in every unit in Texas before their race is run. Covenant Ranch Ministries is now a Shabbat/Sabbath keeping, Torah Observant Christian organization striving to be obedient servants of our L-rd Yeshua/Jesus. They strongly support Israel and believe that those who bless Israel will be blessed and those whom curse Israel will be cursed. We were blessed to have the Crawfords contribute their wisdom to BYNA’s development for a season before they returned to shepherd the growing ministry of Covenant Ranch.