Ricky Venter grew up on the wrong side of the proverbial tracks in apartheid South Africa. When his dad died at the age of 10 months his mom had a miraculous encounter with the Lord that led to the whole family being saved. He grew up in church and started leading worship at the age of 13 but after his sister was publicly disciplined in a legalistic church he walked away from his beliefs and spent years experimenting with what the world had to offer. His prodigal experience ended when the Lord encountered him during a particularly extreme evening of partying. This encounter started a miraculous road to restoration. In the time after his return to the Lord, God has used him to lead a dance music band called UWJ(Useless Without Jesus) leading hundreds of school children and young people to the Lord using hip hop and dance music as a tool. This is also where he met his wife and ministry partner Natalia who was a dancer in the same team. He started youth groups in “under privileged” communities, pioneered an advertising agency and ministered from a grateful heart anywhere the Lord would open the door preaching a message of hope and salvation.
The last 10 years Ricky has been serving in a Vineyard church in Port Elizabeth where he started off as a youth and worship pastor and finally as the associate pastor. He has accepted a call to lead the Vineyard Church in Brussels and is trusting the Lord for transformation of a nation and revival of salvation for Europe. His story is one of hope and restoration, of a loving Father that will never let us go even when we let go of Him. A God that saves, delivers and heals and sends us out to be agents of this great salvation wherever we go.
[powerpress]