ABOUT HENDRIK P. STRAUSS

  • Born 3rd November 1950
  • Grew up in a very conservative Afrikaans “Dutch reformed church” community.
  • Got married to Charmaine in 1971
  • They have three daughters. Israel Lisa, Angela, Nicola. Angie is married to Wayne and have a son Caleb.
  • Got saved in the Assemblies of God in 1977
  • I left the church in 1988 and pioneered “church in the home”. The home became too small to accommodate what God was doing.
  • I planted the Uitenhage Community Church in 1989. Out grew that building, moved to school halls and eventually a tent.
  • Built own auditorium in 1998 and changed the name of the church to Open Doors Christian Church.
  • Ministered in various countries: America, Netherlands, Germany, England, Romania, Zambia, Malawi

I grew up in a protestant church, got saved in the Pentecostal church and planted a charismatic church.

In 1999 while in the Netherlands the Lord spoke to me about church planting. At the time I was being released to plant new churches.

The Holy Spirit said to me: “do not plant a new church, but plant a “living organism”. At that time I was not sure what the Lord meant by living organism. I did not realise that the Lord meant, organic untreated, unprocessed and pure. Not a structure but a life. It is about the plant not the hot house, not the farm or nursery. The time and finances must be spent on the plants (the people, not the structures). Normal everyday church cared more for the pole that would keep the newly planted tree straight and secure than the tree itself.   

I knew that the charismatic move or season had come to an end and that there was a new move of God on its way. I also knew that I had to somehow renew my wineskin in order to receive that new wine.

In 1999 the Lord said to me that the apostolic needs to go back to the market place. In October of that year I planted my first business. In May 2003 I blessed a ministry, which the Lord appointed, with my church and residential premises.

The difficult part was that the status quo could not understand the, HOW'S and the WHY'S. Fortunately I did not feel the need to explain something that I did not understand myself. To shift from a place of international ministry to a second hand dealer – how do you explain that? But I knew I heard the Lord.
The “church” thought that God had abandoned me because of some gross sin and rather stayed away as they did not want to be associated with such atrocities. “Imagine - giving your church away!”

The Holy Spirit prompted me in the past few months, as I waited patiently to commence with “the journey” or URBAN LIFE MINISTRIES. So I am carefully and faithfully counting the cost as we prepare to pioneer the “journey” that will accommodate the future generations.

Street sense

On may 5th of this year, a horse by the name of "Street Sense" won the Kentucky Derby. In this, the lord said that He is bringing forth the "Sons of Thunder" anointing through those who have had "Street Sense" and have been as wild horses in the streets. Some would frown upon them and disregard them, but the Lord says that they are his prized ones, brought forth for such a time as this!
Mark 3:17 (nkjv) 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”;

Joni Ames
A.C.T.S. Ministries
email: joniames@aol.com

I believe that the present day church has done a tremendous work and that the Lord will bless them ‘till Jesus comes. I also believe that there is a desperate need for a ‘Church’ that is profoundly prophetic and multi dimensional. I believe that it is this ‘Sons of Thunder’ anointing that will bring the break through in the market place.  That will bring a powerful manifestation of the many faceted Kingdom of God.