MEET THE LEAD PASTORS
mark Horvat
With more than 20 years experience in the world of cybersecurity and now the CEO of a cybersecurity company, Mark has a fascination with understanding and decoding the mysteries of the world. As a child he was raised catholic and while he had an understanding of Jesus, he never knew the real power of God.
At the age of 33 he was diagnosed with a serious heart condition that threatened to bring his life to an early end. But as he would humbly learn, this was not God’s plan for him.
In 2014 Mark had an encounter with Jesus that bought him to his knees in surrender. This was just the start of understanding God’s immoveable power, and from that point on, his heart desired to walk in true relationship with Jesus.
In 2017 his health seriously declined and it was here on his death bed that God picked him up out of his darkest moment and moved in a way that would change him forever. At this point, Mark committed his life to serving God and after realising he had been given a gift in the prophetic, he started serving at the Brisbane Healing Rooms where he saw many healed, delivered and set free.
Mark’s daily focus is to walk and talk with God just like Enoch did. His heart is to stay humble under God, live faithfully to the truth of God’s word and each day deepen his relationship with the Father.
Along with his work in cybersecurity and six years of serving at the Healing Rooms, Mark is now senior pastor at River Church Brisbane International with his wife Samantha. Mark has a clear calling to bring prophecy over nations and bring healing to those in need. His heart is that everyone see the wonders of God’s power move in their life.
Samantha Horvat
Samantha was raised in a Pentecostal church and from a young age experienced the true power of God. In her late teens however, this all came crashing down as her seemingly “perfect world” came to an abrupt halt bringing emotional and spiritual trauma with it.
This led her to go searching for another way as she walked away from God and buried herself in building success in various businesses both overseas and back home in Australia.
During this time, Samantha worked in the film industry for nearly 20 years where she built her own company along with her business partner.
In 2008 Samantha started a second business with a diploma in the coaching industry focusing on business and leadership coaching and healing. It was here that she delved into New Age spirituality in a desire to get closer to God without the religious perimeters that had left her with so much pain to heal from.
This bought an incredible amount of insight into the world of the supernatural and all of its many facets but true happiness and healing continued to elude her and she knew in her heart that something was greatly missing.
In 2014 Samantha was about to experience the hand of God in a whole new way as a serious illness saw her chronically ill, bed-ridden and unable to function.
It was here that she started the process of surrendering to God as her two businesses, financial security and health were all stripped away. It was through a powerful encounter with God that she renounced everything new age and fully surrendered her life in obedience to what God had in store for her.
This decision to fully live her life for Jesus bought radical change as she experienced the full power of God’s healing love.
Samantha now uses her skills and experience all for the glory of Jesus. She is passionate about helping women break free from the bondage that brings separation from really knowing their true identity and walking powerfully in God.
Together with her husband Mark, she pastors at River Church Brisbane International wile also providing pastoral care through their healing rooms and women’s ministry.
