Their church: the dusty arenas of Cowboy Mounted Shooting & ProRodeo events. Their congregation: thousands of cowboys & cowgirls across the U.S. Their stage: flatbeds of the semi-trucks that carry The GunnPoint Band’s professional musicians, singers and equipment. 

They’re Randy & Heidi Gunn. Through them, God is reaching thousands of lives with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Their powerful ministry focuses on reaching the cowboys & cowgirls they love. We’re proud they’re a vibrant part of the Christian Country Music Association. We sat Randy & Heidi down at their home in Colorado to ask them about themselves and their ministry.

PS: Randy, some dramatic events brought you into the ministry. Please tell us about them.

Randy: I was raised in church by very godly parents. My mother and father are the greatest people I know & the closest resemblances of Jesus Christ that I’ve ever seen in my life. They’re my heroes.

In 6th grade, I remember going to the altar. Understanding what it meant to be a Christian, I cried, repented, and asked God to come into my life. The moment I gave my heart to the Lord, I knew God was calling me into the ministry. But, as I got into junior high, my desire for the Lord left me. My greatest desire was to be a pro football player. My language, heart & actions, in general, were nowhere near God. My father was a pastor for 21 years. Always working a business to support our family, he never took a dime from the ministry.
 
One day at age 15, I was working at his nursery, driving a tractor. A man driving one of our trucks got stuck in a ditch on the other side of the nursery. I drove over to help him.

As I began to pull him out, the tractor flipped up and started coming backwards. It was too late to push the clutch and put it back down. I tried to jump off but my foot got caught. I landed on my back and watched as the tractor steering wheel went through my chest, breaking my ribs and pushing three of them through my lung. Looking down, I saw a huge hole in my chest and my insides hanging out.

I knew I wasn’t ready to meet the Lord. At that moment, the excuses we all think of every day about how we’ll be “okay” were not holding water. I knew if I stood before God I would not spend eternity in His presence. I would be eternally in Hell.
I prayed a simple prayer. I never blacked out, never lost consciousness. I was awake through the whole thing. I said, “Lord, if You’ll let me live, I’ll serve You.” 

They rushed me to the hospital, but didn’t expect me to make it out of the operating room. When the doctor said, “If you believe in miracles, that’s your son’s only hope,” my father & brother came in and laid hands on me and prayed.

When I made it out of the operating room, they didn’t expect me to live through the night. When I made it through the next day, they finally agreed I had a chance to live. At that point they determined I’d be in the hospital for 3 months. I began healing rapidly every day. So much so, that “3 months” became “2 months” and “2 months” became “one month.” 2 weeks from the time they rolled me in, I walked out of the hospital on my own 2 feet, healed.

My focus became the ministry. At the age of 16, I preached my first sermon. By 17, I was traveling across the country with my first group, a 7 piece band.

At 18 & 19, I was doing joint concerts with groups like the “Imperials” and other prominent Christian artists of the day.

At 24, I recorded “Commitment,” my first album with Benson, the #1 Christian music label at that time. It became #20 in the nation. Three of its songs hit the Top 10. I devoted my life to God. He let me live and I did my best to fulfill my promise.

PS: Heidi, you grew up in Europe, but were born in the U.S.

Heidi: Yes, in Wabash, Indiana. My parents are first generation citizens. They came to the U.S. when they were 16, my mom from Nice, France and my dad from Dresden, Germany. They met in New York, fell in love, were married and then had me and my two sisters. Growing up, we moved a lot, from Indiana to Illinois, then to Belgium for 6 years. At 6 years old, I attended French schools and became fluent in English & French. I also studied Flemish & Spanish. My dad tried to teach us German as well, but it was a little too much!
 
At 12, it was back to the U.S., just in time for junior high and a little bit of culture shock. Growing up in Belgium, I was so different from U.S. kids. The first day at my new American school, I wore what I thought was a nice outfit, (blouse, skirt & heels), and carried my bookbag (which looks very much like a briefcase & is used by kids in Europe). But here in the U.S., kids were decked out in jeans, sweatshirts, sneakers & backpacks. That first day a bunch of girls gathered around me, whispering, snickering & pointing at me! 

From Illinois, we went to New Jersey for my freshman & sophomore years and back to Illinois for my junior year. Then we moved to Colorado for my senior year. During my high school years, I sang in the choir, traveling choruses & musicals.

PS: Where did you go to college?

Heidi: The University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. I wanted to major in Art, Dance, Music & Acting. But my dad wouldn’t pay for it because to him there was no way to make money in that sort of field, so I majored in Biology & Zoology. 

When we lived in Europe, we would go to Catholic churches occasionally but the services were in Latin. Although I had a hunger and reverence for God, I understood little of God’s plan for salvation. It was a Pastor at a Lutheran church in the U.S. who helped me better understand God’s word. 

One night during my senior year in college I was a wreck after a terrible fight with my boyfriend. I had a very close relationship with his mother who happened to be a strong Christian lady. It was around 1 a.m. and I was really upset, so I went to talk with her. She asked me, “Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?” I said, “No, what do you mean?” She said, “If you want the peace that surpasses all understanding and you want somebody there for you all the time, then you want Jesus. Jesus will never leave you or forsake you. He can take all your sins away and make you new.” I began to cry and said to her, “How can Jesus do that?” She explained that when you accept Jesus into your heart, your slate is clean, “You’re washed white as snow.” The wonder and the promise of that deeply touched me. I prayed that night, asking Jesus into my heart and for Him to be my Lord & Savior. 

Before I knew what happened, my whole life changed. I saw things differently. I couldn’t get enough of the Bible. I read it constantly. I wanted everybody to be saved and have what I had. I went around telling everybody. I was so excited.
 
Years later, living in Atlanta, I started going to a church that needed band members & singers. I felt God telling me, “You need to try out,” but I kept thinking, “No way!” I had a lot of fear from something that happened to me when I was 15. It really killed my spirit and desire to sing. I didn’t sing for about 10 years after that. So, in Atlanta I’m praying, “God, if You want me to sing with this band, please give me the courage.” I prayed for 2 months. Finally I got the guts to try out for the band. The moment I did, I knew I was supposed to be there. I walked out, grinning from ear to ear. The following three years, I had a blast, praising God and singing my heart out. We had a great bunch of people in the band. We had bible studies together, sang at church and did special events & outreaches. I eventually moved back to Colorado.

PS: Randy, you spent your younger years with horses?

Randy: Since I was eleven. I spent summers at my sister’s and her husband’s horse ranch in Missouri. That’s when I learned how to ride, train and work with horses. I’ve always been a cowboy at heart. The first song I ever sang in church, as a little boy, was “Christian Cowboy.”

I remember when I was 5, watching old black & white cowboy movies and wanting to live in Wyoming or Colorado.

When I moved to Colorado, God fulfilled my dreams.  I bought a ranch and was able to teach & train horses on more of a full-time basis as well as begin some business endeavors. 

PS: In Cowboy Mounted Shooting you’ve won a World and 2 National Championships, and other honors. But, how did you come to compete in CMSA?

Randy: My secretary brought me an article about Cowboy Mounted Shooting. Extremely interested, I flew out just to see the National Championship. I sat, watched, and said, “I can do this!!!” I’d already been riding & hunting off horses and I knew that my horse Cody & I could do this.

About a year later just before Nationals, I called Frank Turben, the president of CMSA, and asked if there was any way I could get involved in this thing. He said, “If you come out & qualify in a run the day before, I’ll let you join and compete as a Level One.” I did, and that’s how I got into Cowboy Mounted Shooting. 

PS: How did the Cowboy Church events begin?

Randy: After being involved for a while, I was able to share Christ with a few people. One Sunday morning, at an event, they asked me if I would pray. So I did.  Randy Meyers of the Colorado Cowboys heard the prayer. As time passed, I happened to be at the Colorado State Championships and, when I came out in the arena, Randy Meyers was the announcer. He said, “Oh, and here’s Randy Gunn. He’s going to be doing our Cowboy Church for us Sunday morning.” I looked up to the crow’s nest to see what in the world he was talking about. He said, “You don’t mind, do ya?” “Well, no,” I said, “I didn’t even know you had a Cowboy Church.” He said, “Well, we do now.” That Sunday morning was my first Cowboy Church. At 8 a.m., about 20 people were there. My first sermon was 15 minutes. Over the next 2 years God exploded Cowboy Church. Now today thousands of people come. Actually more people are showing up at 8 a.m. for CMSA’s Cowboy Church than are registered for the events. People invite others to come out: folks who are not part of Cowboy Mounted Shooting. Some have never even set foot in a church before. Heidi and I have the privilege of ministering at CMSA’s four main World & National Championships. Many consider us their Pastors. People around the U.S. write us with prayer requests and testimonies. It’s overwhelming to see what God has done. We still speak in some churches, hold concerts and do citywide crusades, but we keep our main focus on the cowboys. The Pro Rodeo, Senior Pro Rodeo, and the Professional Barrel Racing Circuits are all talking with us about doing events with them. We feel really blessed to be a part of it.

PS: Heidi, when did you meet Randy?

Heidi: In September, 2000. But several years before, I had a vision. In it, I was part of a band that ministered to different communities around the country. There was a preacher and a dance & drama team. I couldn’t have imagined then what we’re doing today with the cowboys. It was more of a burning feeling inside that it would someday become reality and here we are. 

PS: Didn’t you & Randy meet at a concert?

Heidi: Yes. It was at the Westfest in Vail. I was there with my kids and some friends.

PS: Were you into Cowboy Mounted Shooting before you met Randy?

Heidi: No. I saw it for the first time when I went with him to Nationals. He was so passionate about the sport and the people. It’s obviously challenging, but it looked like so much fun. I’d done some horseback riding and shooting, but I’d never shot a gun from horseback. That scared me a little, but Randy helped me learn and get involved.

PS: You’ve done well in Mounted Shooting, winning the 2004 Ladies Level 2 Western U.S. Championship.

Heidi: Yes, I’m hooked and want to get better. It’s a very competitive sport, but the spirit of fellowship & camaraderie is unequalled. Cowboy Mounted Shooters don’t just encourage newcomers and lend them a hand; they’ll lend them their guns and horses and make them feel like family. They’re some of the most wonderful people you’ll ever meet.

PS: Tell me about the GunnPoint Newsletter. It keeps you in touch with the people you reach through Cowboy Church.

Randy: That’s right. What started with a couple hundred e-mail addresses is now read by approximately 10,000 people in 5 different countries. In recent months 3 different publications have chosen to add the GunnPoint Newsletter. In fact, PowerSource is now running “Heidi’s Corner.” We’re honored. 

PS: The last logical question is, where do you think GunnPoint Music & Ministries is going?

Heidi: We don’t even want to guess. Obviously we have aspirations, but we’re trying to stay out of God’s way. He seems to be doing fine on His own.

Randy: There’s no way for us to know what God has in store. He’s brought to us each and every person on our team. We’re blessed with the most terrific group of people anyone could imagine. Our band of remarkable musicians. Our Master Engineer, Dave Williams, who’s also an ordained minister. Our administrative & media teams, our ranch, horses & travel caretakers, and our partner & Co-Pastor in ministry, Randy Payne. God seems to want other talented people to be involved. Do you know how to make God laugh?

PS: No. How?

Randy & Heidi: Tell Him your plans.
At this point, the interview stopped and laughter took over.

Randy: As for our aspirations and goals, we can’t dream as big as God, so we don’t pretend to know the future. We’re just so thankful for what He’s doing.
 

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