About Us

Our Mission

Our Beliefs

Our History

Our People

Randy and Marji Hughes met in 1992 when she attended a study he was leading on the significance of the "cup of betrothal" from the ancient Jewish wedding traditions - and in many ways, that was the beginning of Foundations Ministries.

Not long afterwards, they invited a few friends to celebrate a "Messianic Passover" with them. As Randy shared the portrait of Messiah that God had so vividly "painted" within this Feast, many were so moved by the event that they desired to share the experience with others. Soon, invitations to share the teachings on Messiah in the Passover began coming from area congregations and study groups.

In the meanwhile, Marji was introduced to the world of AOL. It wasn't long after her first visit to a chat room that she realized the tremendous ministry potential of the Internet. She was amazed by the volume of exposure to differing concepts, philosophies and beliefs that this environment provided. As she watched the resulting confusion, especially among those who lacked an understanding both of the "whys" behind what they believed and the Jewish background of their faith, she became convicted that it was not by chance she had wandered into this Strange New World.

She began to share her knowledge of apologetics and Hebraic roots at every opportunity and soon many began seeking her out for information and answers to their questions. Eventually, she was asked to lead a weekly online study which was titled "Exploring the Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith." She and Randy worked together to answer the e-mail inquires, but the increasing volume of inquires made it difficult to keep up. This lead to the development of a web site on AOL, where they posted many of the answers to the most commonly asked questions. as well as papers they had written on topics that came up often in conversation and the text from the weekly studies, along with supplemental material. As the number of inquires continued to grow, so did the web site. They soon outgrew our allotted space on AOL and determined to obtain our "own" domain, which they first named based on the screen name Marji had been using in the online chats - Psalm Singer Ministries.

They continued to study and minister together and married in April of 1999, recreating the ancient Jewish wedding ceremony as closely as possible and using the ceremony as an opportunity to teach how the ancient traditions illustrated the relationship between Messiah and His Bride. This lead to further invitations to share the insights they had gained. Soon, the various teaching presentations became so popular they decided to pursue the idea of a Retreat Center that would provide a home base for their seminar ministry. As they began the search for a piece of property that would suit their needs, the Retreat Center Concept expanded and solidified, in large part due to their relationship with the missions department at a local university and a couple named Jason and Stacie Amschler.

In April of 2000, Randy became the Pastor/Teaching Elder of Living Stones Fellowship. which is part of a House Church Network in the SW Missouri area. Jason and Stacie became part of our fellowship in 2002. Stacie, who is deaf and has Cerebral Palsy, works as a Disability Advocate for an Independent Living Center where Marji volunteers. Marji's experiences in this capacity, as well with her nephew (who suffered a closed-head injury in an automobile accident and is now confined to a wheelchair,) her father (who suffered from ALS until his death in January 1999) and many others she served while working in the Rehab Department of a local hospital, made her realize the need of a facility that would accommodate those individuals with limited mobility. Also, in a desire to better communicate with Stacie, both Randy and Marji began to study American Sign Language, which introduced them to the Deaf Community and the distinct needs they have. Knowing that facilities that focused on the special needs of adults were rare, they determined to make this a large part of what the Retreat Center will be.

Their relationship with the missions department is due to their relationship with many of the people who staff that department whom they have ministered with and to for many years. Since many of the people involved with the missions department are also part of the same House Church Network as Randy and Marji, they have shared the blessings and burdens of their ministry through the years, listening to them and praying with them as they began to sense a leading toward expanding the ministry to include a Retreat Center and shared with them their own frustrations over finding a place suitable for training staff and students, especially those who would be traveling to areas of the world where "traditional church planting" was not an option, due to political or cultural opposition.

After searching for several years, they found a beautiful 120 acre abandoned farm near Ava, Missouri, which was purchased in June of 2006. Realizing the enormity of this undertaking, they determined to incorporate as a 501c3 ministry. Since the necessary paperwork provided a good opportunity to do so, they decided to give the ministry a new name that better described who they were and what they did. Based on the passage of Isaiah 58, especially verse 12, they chose the name Foundations. With the new name, came a "new and improved" web site. and what you are reading is part of the end result. It is the sincere prayer of all involved with its development that those who utilize it will be blessed by what they find.