Three years ago, our lives changed forever. The familiar became a distant memory and
faith became more than just a word…it became reality.
In the
three years since taking that initial step, we have experienced just about
every emotion a person could imagine...joy, awe, confusion, fear and complete
adoration. But through all of the
emotions, one thing has remained constant.
No matter how unclear things around us may seem; our calling has only
become more vivid.
Three
years ago we came to a realization. No
matter how crazy, how absurd, how ‘out of the box’ it seemed; we wanted to
follow God. We would rather pack up all
our belongings, put the house up for sale, resign from the jobs and move across
the country than say ‘no’ when God called us.
And we’re
so glad He gave us the faith to trust Him!
It seems
like this would be a nice happy place for this little story to end; right? Not so much…
You see
about a month ago, God began to unveil another calling to us. Over the past three years, C1 has gained
enough individual and church support to pay its monthly bills as well as a
small salary of $800 per month to Donn.
We’ve been happy with this scenario and have felt blessed that God has
also provided a great job for me that allowed our family to pay our monthly
bills. All was happy…all was good…until
…
One
morning, as I sat at my desk devising the annual fundraising plan for my
employer, something hit me right between the eyes…I spend 40 hours every week
raising money for another organization!
As
I took a deep breath and tried to understand what God was saying to me, I
watched as some pretty big puzzle pieces fell into place in my mind.
Since
moving here, we have never had time to put into helping C1 get fully
funded. Donn is too busy with the
growing ministry and I’ve been swamped with my job, ministry and keeping our
family going (as is evidenced by the lack of activity on this blog over the years)!
For the
past 18 months, Donn and I have prayed that God would lead a woman to join him
at the store front to help “even out” the ministry that he doesn’t feel
comfortable doing as a man.
For the
past 2 months, our Board of Directors has been praying for someone to come
alongside of Donn to help carry the load that the day to day ministry
entails.
Over the
past month, we have prayed tirelessly over this new calling, sought much wise
counsel and begged for God to make it clear.
And every time we prayed for wisdom; one thought kept coming to mind;
“Do you have the faith to leave the paycheck behind to pursue Me?” Gulp.
And so, I
say again: Three years ago we came to a realization. No matter how crazy, how absurd, how out of
the box’ it seemed; we wanted to follow God…
Three
years later, we’re trusting in that same Sovereign God as we take another absurd
step into the unknown. Knowing only one
thing…that He has asked us to ‘go’.
And so,
as of March 8th I will resign from my position as Marketing & Development
Director with Hospice and I will put all
of my efforts into keeping our supporters informed of all that is going on here
in Gloversville (through newsletters, blog, phone etc.) while seeking to bring
C1 to a fully funded status.
We
believe that God has big things in store for this city and its people and we
believe that He is saying that we need to get all of our financial needs taken
care of so that we can focus on what really matters. Once the finances are out of the way, I will
be freed up for women’s ministry, expanded youth ministry and to help Donn with
the day to day needs.
Don’t get
us wrong…we’re scared out of our minds.
We have 4 precious lives who look to us daily and the thought of not
having money to meet their needs frightens the daylights out of us. But; the thought of disobeying God when He asks us to ‘go’ scares
us even more. We’ve taken the leap
before…we pray that we’ll have the faith to follow it through again.
And
here’s where you come in. If you are
currently a regular monthly supporter of C1, then we thank you from the
bottom of our hearts. You have been part
of the ground floor of this incredible adventure and we are counting on your
ability to continue to partner with us.
We have already factored your support into our budget and we are honored
that you believe enough in the work God is doing in Gloversville to be a part
of it. Please pray about continuing to
support C1 with the regular amount that you already give. You are such a blessing.
For those
of you who are not regular monthly supporters, this is where we need your
help!
We are introducing the 150/40 Challenge.
This simply means that we are looking for 150 NEW
supporters to come behind us with $40 a month (or higher). For $40 per month, we can link arms and watch
as God unfolds His next steps for this great city and its people. I can hardly imagine what He will choose to
do if we all dive in and take this leap of faith together! When we reach the goal of 150 new supporters
at $40 per month, C1 will be fully funded to both pay Donn a regular salary and
continue to pay for the current operations and growing ministry outreach.
And
so we’re asking from the bottom of our hearts.
Would you consider partnering with us on this adventure by committing
$40 per month? Of course, as a 501c3 organization, your gifts are
tax-deductible. More importantly, your
$40 per month will open the door for God to expand the ministry throughout our
city and to those who are hurting.
We are so excited as we take this next step of faith and
trust in our Lord to direct the path. We
hope you will join us on this adventure!
For more information, please call 518-725-6058 or visit www.changeof1.com
For more information, please call 518-725-6058 or visit www.changeof1.com
1 comment:
Cyndie!!!! Frank told me this was in prayer but to read of the final decision and to see that you are making the change, WOW! I am so excited for you to enter this new world, and can't wait to see God blow your minds!
Love you guys!
Carisa
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