Family Renewal Ministries, Inc.

​PO Box 293 Defiance IA 51527 
Info@intothemountains.org

© Copyright. All Rights Reserved

As they volunteered with Des Moines ministries, they became aware of a void in Christian service to families in crisis needing temporary shelter and assistance.  They began to serve families referred to them from area ministries in their home.  During a three year period they provided extended hospitality and assistance to more than a dozen families in crisis. This was a season of incredible personal awakening that eventually led to the formation of what is now Des Moines Family Promise.  As Family Promise was being developed they served for three years as the first house parents with Ruth Harbor, and later came along side Freedom for Youth helping with  remodeling efforts for the Promise House where they house parented while helping build the current youth campus.

Their first experiences in Mexico came with short term mission trips taken as vacations with friends and family.  Their hearts were broken by the poverty, lack of opportunity, and the adversity that they discovered with the disadvantaged people of Mexico.  Thus began a long term commitment to embrace God’s work in Mexico.  They lived off and on for several years in Mexico organizing and hosting many mission teams while helping build dozens of houses, a school, and a homeless youth shelter.  They assisted in construction of five churches, served two years with the MCCS School for deaf youth, and served two years with Padre Pascual at la Mesa School. 

Family Renewal Ministries, Inc. was incorporated in 1998 as a 501(c)3 and was formed when Tom and Collette were serving homeless families in their home.  They look back and see clearly the hand of God guiding them to fruitful work during the twenty years that have transpired.  God has directed them as independent missionaries serving in a Barnabas ministry capacity.  Early on they volunteered and assisted with Hope Ministries, Good Samaritan Ministries, Interchange Freedom Initiative prison ministry, and were active with Bible Study Fellowship, Walk to Emmaus and Chrysalis retreats.  God was equipping them through prayer, study, fellowship and experience to join God doing God’s work.   

Padre passed at age 89 serving the children and community he loved.  His legacy is far greater than space allows, suffice it to report that several thousand students have advanced opportunities because of Padre’s work, with hundreds attaining college level study. He lived his life sharing... "the truth would set you free."

Because Family Renewal Ministries is committed to working interdenominationally we do not emphasize a specific denominational doctrinal statement but in it's place affirm that...

  • The Bible is God's inspired and authoritative word, revealing that Jesus Christ is God's Son. We believe that man is created in God's image and that He has created us to have eternal life through Christ. Although all men have sinned and come short of God's glory and are eternally lost without Christ, God has made salvation possible through the death on the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We believe that repentance, faith, love and obedience are necessary and fitting responses to God's initiative of grace towards us and that God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. We believe that the Holy Spirit's power is demonstrated in and through us for the accomplishing of Christ's last commandment: Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15).


The following form the foundation of our ministry and leading: 

  • Matthew 5:19 “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
  • Matthew 25:35-40 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you visited me…..I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
  • Luke 14:27-28 “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”
  • John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
  • John 15:5-8 “I am the vine and you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing….This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
  • 1 John 3:16-18 “This is how we know what love is: Jesus laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him.  Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”
  • Mark 16:15-16 “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”