Pastor Juanita Rasmus and Dr. Rudy Rasmus are co-pastors at St. John’s United Methodist Church in Downtown Houston. The church that began with 9 members in 1992 has grown to thousands, and every week, people from every social and economic background share the same pew.
The duo founded Bread of Life, Inc. (a not-for-profit corporation) in December 1992 and began serving 500 meals per day to the homeless in the sanctuary at St. John’s. Years later, the Bread of Life has changed the landscape of Downtown Houston, providing an array of services to families in peril and homeless individuals. The project has been on the forefront of HIV/AIDS prevention, providing solutions to food insufficiency, and housing the homeless. For many years, Rudy has coordinated domestic and global anti-hunger initiatives in conjunction with Beyoncé’s concert tours and, most recently, has teamed up with Tina Knowles Lawson and Beyoncé to provide needed support to Houstonians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to addressing health and disaster relief issues, Rudy and Juanita launched the Temenos Community Development Corporation in 2006 and have completed over $62 million in housing development projects for the formerly homeless in Downtown Houston. The Temenos CDC portfolio includes four residential communities designed to provide permanent housing for formerly homeless individuals.
The Rasmus’ have served on the boards of the C.G.Jung Center Houston- MindBodySpirit Institute, the United Way of Greater Houston, Houston Graduate School of Theology, Renovare Inc., United Theological Seminary, The Coalition for the Homeless of Houston and Harris County, Liberty Bank of New Orleans, and many other great organizations over the years.
Rudy and Juanita have been married for 36 years and are the proud parents of two amazing daughters, a phenomenal Son-in-Law, and the cutest grandkids in the universe.