In 1979, Gene Johnston purchased a 300-acre lodge in the mountains of northern California and founded JH Ranch with his son Bruce. The vision was simple: invest in people in a way that lasts forever.
From that foundation grew JH Outback – weekend experiences designed to bring the same impact into local communities. By 2000, the program had its own identity and was spreading across the United States. In 2009, it crossed its first international border. Today, Outback runs on multiple continents.
The same model that started in the United States has been running in Poland for 14 years – adapted to the local context.
Outback came to Europe through Poland – where a small team caught the vision and decided to try. That first Polish weekend was the beginning of something none of them fully anticipated.
Over 14 years, what started as one event grew into three active locations in Poland running multiple weekends every year. The model was tested across different cities, different teams, different seasons. The results were consistent: marriages restored, families reconnected, young adults finding their footing.
years of ministry
weekends held
participants transformed
volunteers serving
In the beginning a vision was only Poland. But very soon it became obvious that God is leading us to other countries in Europe.
The Czech Republic was the first to develop independently – building their own Outback team and running their own events. Lithuania is in active preparation for their first weekend. Slovakia, Belgium and Albania are in development phase. We have two counties that are temporarily suspended due to war and other obstacles. Ukraine and Croatia.
Each new country follows the same path: a leader who experiences Outback, catches the vision, builds a local team and eventually launches — with full support from the Polish team.
Fill in a short form and one of our coordinators will get back to you to arrange your visit to an Outback weekend in Poland. We cover your stay – no commitment required.
