First, Mark Tronson wrote to Mr John Skinner, the CEO of the Australian Rough Riders Association (ARRA) based in Warwick, Queensland.
To his surprise, he received a letter in reply from Mr John Skinner, who identified himself as a Christian, and welcomed the concept to explore a formal ministry to rodeo athletes. The concomitant invitation to visit Warwick to start this process was continuing evidence to Mark Tronson of God's providence.
The ARRA was in the throes of changing from a semi-professional sport which had attempted to cater for both amateur and professional events, to a fully professional, sponsored organisation. Many sports codes in Australia at that time were travelling along a similar pathway.
John and Marion Skinner invited him into their home and hosted him for several days leading up to the third weekend of October 1984, the date for the annual Australian Rodeo Championships.
He learned that one-third of those on the ARRA professional rodeo circuit were active followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, with a very strong touring Christian fellowship along the American frontier model, with straight-down-the-line preaching, primarily by US 'rodeo contender' pastors.
This proved to be a learning time for Mark Tronson as he listened with much joy to these preachers and the rodeo fraternity as they responded to such messages of hope and the potential to become new creations in Christ. As he witnessed full immersion baptisms in a motel swimming pool and evangelism meetings behind the bails, Mark Tronson recalled as he grew up on a dairy farm.
John Skinner had invited Mark Tronson to an ARRA national board meeting where he was given a short time to detail to the rodeo family how the practical aspects of a chaplaincy ministry would work out.
It occurred to Mark that he should reciprocate by supporting what was already in place and invited as many Christian rodeo people to the Sports and Leisure Ministry annual conferences providing them opportunities to present seminars and workshops on their ministry.
This is precisely what took place. Over many years, a number of the Australian rodeo troupe would make the annual sojourn to the sports ministry conferences where they gave illuminating and challenging testimonies. Mark Tronson exclaimed that everyone lapped up their stories with exhilaration.
The miracle of the Rodeo ministry was that it was already functioning and was further encouraged and supported by Mark Tronson turning up on their doorstep and speaking to their national board. In effect, it was a statement that Christians across the nation supported the Rodeo ministry.
