Tom Ravasio is a Mon Valley native who comes from a large family of nine brothers and sisters. Tom grew up with a passion for horses, which led him to work after school and on weekends at a ranch in his community. There he became an experienced rider and owned two of his own horses.

He left home at the age of 18 and moved to Florida to pursue a new life. Tom took employment at a restaurant where he met a man who eventually earned his trust and led him to faith in Jesus Christ. That took place on July 4, 1982. A radical change was evident in Tom's life and he immediately began to serve the Lord through his local church and then with the missionary organization "Operation Mobilization" on their ship "LOGOS".

That experience took him to over 20 countries through Central and South America, the Caribbean Islands, the Eastern Coast of the United States and Canada. It was during this two-year term that Tom met his wife Karen and they were married in December of 1986.

Tom then served as an interim Pastor of Evangelism while waiting for the fall semester to start at the Florida based Trinity Bible College. Tom earned a Bachelors Degree in Pastoral Ministries, graduating in 1991. Tom served as associate pastor of the former West Pasco Church of God the last two years of Bible College.

Late in 1991 Tom began to sense the Lord leading him to return to the place where he grew up. He and his wife and first child returned to Monongahela, PA in July of 1992.

While at home, the family took some well-needed time off and spent a month resting on a Christian campground. It was there that Tom went on a two week fast to hear from God and discover His divine plan for him. During that fast, God revealed to Tom a three-part mission. The first part was to plant a church. The second was to open a Christian Western Ranch for children and youth and the third, to open up a home for pregnant teens and un-wed mothers.

Tom and his wife planted the Mon Valley Community Church of God in 1993. He also serves as president and founder of the Shekinah Ranch.

Tom and Karen have three daughters and two grandchildren. The Ravasio family lives on a 20-acre farm where Tom enjoys caring for his horses and spending time with his family.

Megan Paterra: Assistant Director
mvpaterra@yahoo.com

She grew up in the Mon Valley, where she built a strong faith in Christ and a love for horses. Since Megan was 3yrs old, it was evident that horses were going to be part of her life. She started riding at 6 and continued on to have horses of her own and compete in local western rodeo style competition. After high school, she attended Slippery Rock University where she earned her degree in Health and Physical Education. There she became involved in many outdoor adventure activities and developed strong ties with Christian campus organizations. In 2005, she spent a spring break doing mission work in New Orleans to help with Katrina relief efforts. This trip helped her decide to live a life of service both to God and people. Since then she has been pursuing a career in camp administration. She has worked for various camps as a counselor, including Shekinah Ranch and then moved on to a 4H camp in North Carolina, where she taught environmental education, leadership programs and served as a summer camp coordinator.

After serving as a counselor in 2006, Megan’s desire was to return to Shekinah Ranch where she could apply her new experiences and training. She believes in the people and mission that God has for this organization. She has seen many young lives transformed and is excited to be a part of its future.

I was born into a family that spent much time and affection on horses and riding. I started to explore my interest in horses at 7 yrs old when I started English riding lessons. This love grew into my teen years when I attended youth camp at a western ranch in the Allegheny National Forest. I eventually became a counselor at this ranch as the barn manager for one summer. This position allowed me to work with children, to care for a very large herd of horses and to trail ride daily in the beautiful forest that I loved!

In the midst of my time in the mountains, I got my own horse, a palomino quarter horse mare named Lacy. I rode every moment that I could and my passion for horses continued to grow. As a young adult, I attended Colorado State University where I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Equine Science under some of the most respected horse professionals in the world. Some additional studies I pursued were in Agricultural Journalism and Child Psychology. I also competed on the university’s horse judging team. We won the Southwest Regional’s, the Morgan Nationals, and the reserve champion at the National Reining Horse Futurity in Oklahoma. I served as a teaching assistant to the following year’s team, in addition to judging many 4H and open shows in Colorado. I also coached a 4H judging team there. My love of horses and children continued to grow with these new experiences.

Following graduation, I returned to Pennsylvania and ran a boarding, training, day camp and lesson program at my family’s farm for 3 yrs. Following this, I held several other positions including manager of a riding program in Washington, PA; children’s photographer for Pittsburgh day care centers and vet assistant/part of team management at a local veterinary hospital. During this time, I also earned a certificate in Christian counseling. Presently, I am the riding instructor here at Shekinah Ranch!

On a personal note, I am married to Scott and we reside on the ranch with our small terrier, Beverly, our golden retriever, Aslan, our cat, Talitha and our two horses, Chester and Belle. Scott and I are both Christians and as much as we love the outdoors, children and animals; the most important aspect of our lives is our relationship with our Lord, Jesus. He is the center of our existence and we try our best to live our lives for His glory. We are grateful to him for the opportunity to live on the beautiful Shekinah property and look forward to sharing His love with you as you visit the ranch!