Open Doors and Open Hearts
Christopher and Shawna Mann, congregational leaders of Jordyn Springs Messianic Community in Ozark, Missouri, recall a recent Passover Seder the fellowship held in the building they share with Ozark Assembly of God, pastored by Bob and Laura Smyer. Addressing the gathering comprised of both Jewish and non-Jewish peoples, Mann said, “We are here because Pastor Bob said yes.”
OPEN DOORS
One Sunday morning almost two years ago, Smyer, 59, scanned across the Ozark Assembly congregation as he preached. He saw Mann and his family, recognizing them as visitors. After the service he made a point to find and greet them. As they spoke, Mann, 51, told Smyer that he was searching for somewhere to host a Messianic fellowship he sought to establish to serve the area’s roughly 200-300 Jewish residents.
“In my mind, I immediately thought, ‘Yes! Let’s do this,’” says Smyer. “But of course I couldn’t say that so directly, I needed to pray and to get approval from the board, despite my own immediate desires. The Lord needed to be the one to open the doors.”
After several weeks of prayer, the Lord did indeed open the door, and Smyer’s board was onboard immediately.
Mann, who along with his family works internationally within Jewish communities as well, decided to call Smyer after returning from a trip to Germany. Having misplaced Mann’s card, Smyer was glad to receive the call.
Mann says, “I felt rather emotional at the goodness Pastor Bob and his leadership showed. We had been to other congregations as many as 11 times and were never greeted, but Ozark AG was exceptionally open to us, and we felt that deeply.”
ONE YEAR OF GROWTH, ONE YEAR OF BLESSING
On October 4, 2025, Jordyn Springs celebrated its one-year anniversary. Since inception, the fellowship’s goal has been to create an atmosphere where Jewish people can accept Yeshua — the Jewish name of Jesus — without violating their consciences regarding Jewish laws such as meeting on Saturdays.
The Manns say they expected their family to be the only ones at the launch service, which was advertised by a simple sign marked with a Star of David. Nearly 40 people attended the first service, and today attendees — hailing from Ukraine, Russia and Israel, in addition to the U.S. — number between 70 and 80, both Jewish and non-Jewish. “Our sign surprises people in rural Missouri,” Mann says. “Some come out of curiosity.”
He makes a point to always keep the Messiah as the center of each message and has already seen several responses to calls for salvation, including a non-Jewish young man who quite literally ran up the church aisle to accept Yeshua.
“There is such stigma attached to the name of Jesus in the Jewish world,” Mann says. “It has been so abused. We must reach out in a loving, contextual way and seek to give back in a healthy, positive way.”
Jordyn Springs itself has experienced little to no resistance, yet they remain vigilant and take precautions. To those who may have questioned Jordyn Springs’ presence in the Ozark Assembly building, Smyer’s message is simple: “This isn’t Ozark AG’s church. It is God’s church and if He wants to bring the Jewish community into it, He can.”
Smyer and Mann both recall their parents’ teaching them from their earliest years to honor Israel as God’s chosen people, which they attribute as key to the partnership they engage in today.
OPEN HEARTS
In addition to partnering with Jordyn Springs, Smyer also leads Ozark Assembly in reaching deep into their community, and around the world. The church is a faithful missions supporter and the congregation is always looking for new ways to open its heart to the community.
In May 2023 the church began conducting a drive-through prayer event in their parking lot every other Tuesday. 149 cars drove through the first summer, and today the event has become weekly. Attendance continues to climb, with Smyer and his team having led participants to Jesus and receiving reports of resulting miracles, including physical healings. “Our goal is to build the church,” Smyer says, “not just the drive-through prayer events.”
Additionally, in January 2025, Smyer received a rather cryptic phone message that led to a remarkable turn of events. The successful coffee shop brand 7Brew requested to rent the land right at the front of Ozark Assembly’s property to open their first shop in Ozark, offering a very substantial rent in addition to allowing the church to have a say in all the necessary proceedings. Smyer again proceeded only after prayer and receiving consent from his board.
The coffee shop will be opening at the beginning of November 2025, with 7Brew having redone a portion of the church’s parking lot in addition to adding about 1/3 more to it.
“This is just one of the unprecedented kinds of financial and other blessings we’ve been seeing lately,” Smyer says.
Southern Missouri AG Network Superintendent Don Miller says, “We are thankful for the ministry of Pastor Bob Smyer and Ozark Assembly of God. Their heart for their community and the world shows clearly in their willingness to open their arms to Jordyn Springs Messianic Community and through the many other ways they reach out to impact lives.”
