Support Requests

We have had quite a few people ask us how they can financially support us beyond the package that my home church is generously providing us to live on for the next 6 months while I am pursuing my education degree. We are truly blessed by the outpouring of love and requests for opportunities for additional support. And one thing I have learned is not to rob people of the chance to give to others when they honestly desire it. So, for all of our loving and faithful friends, here is a list of specific items we could use help with over the next year.

Doxa Mailbox: $150 for One Year
Having no physical location for the beginning of the church plant, we will be renting a box at the UPS Store on Forbes Avenue. This will give us a physical address separate from our homes which we can use for all manner of application for 501c(3) status, EIN numbers, etc....

Panther Bucks: $320/semester
Being a commuting college student, I will end up eating many a meal on campus, and there is a special dining plan which allows you to buy flexible dining dollars that can be spent anywhere on campus, and even a a dozen or so off-campus restaurants. It saves a little money to buy a semesters worth, and since eating is something I like to do 2-3 times a day, This would be a great help.

Car Insurance: $550 in November
Yeah, the state kinda likes it when you insure your cars. And we like to be able to drive places and meet people. I put this one up because I haven't quite figured out how we will pay this lump sum when the time comes without breaking the tight budget.

Health Insurance: $70/mo
We have been blessed to be covered by the Adult Basic program for the last 3 years, which has saved Stewartstown Baptist Church an incredible amount of money. For low-income families, it offers full coverage for only $35 per person (with a LONG waiting list). Now that I will be making significantly less (nothing), this will be an even bigger blessing to have health insurance at this cost. what would be even better would be a Good Samaritan covering this expense for us to keep us healthy and safe on the field.

Tires: $600
One situation we are running into right now is that BOTH of our cars need ALL new tires. That gets expensive fast, even for cheap tires. We could use some help here.


Two final things here, this is a link to my amazon.com wishlist, of all the books I would like to read. Being a church planter and missional leader means LOTS of reading. These are the books that would be benefical to me right now in preparing and plantings. I will keep the list updated. This is a wonderful and simple way to support us with equipping material at $10-$20 at a time.

And since this is all personal, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that the church plant itself will need support. Right now all gifts to the church plant can be made out to the Southwest Baptist Association of Pennsylvania, designated in the memo line for "Doxa Church".

UPDATE #5: Some very close friends, who have requested to stay anonymous, have very graciously gifted me with a new guitar. Not just any guitar, but the guitar of my dreams. A top-of-the-line Ovation with a Spalted-Maple Top. I think the sound of it makes God cry. It has been ordered and received...at my parents house in Lancaster. So I have not actually beheld it yet, but I look forward to meeting my new child. Thank you anonymous people! I hope this gift will help a whole new community of people draw close to God in worship.

UPDATE #4: Two "thank you"s to dole out. First to Stewartstown Baptist Church, which voted 82-2 to support Becky and I financially with a support package of three months salary. This will be enough for us to keep our heads above water for the rest of 2008, and is a huge blessing as well as a vote of confidence. Many blessing to all in Stewartstown as we partner together to share the gospel for years to come! Second thank you goes to Kay Anders, who very kindly sent us a gift to help pay for some of the moving expenses. It was very touching to read you card and accept that gift.

UPDATE #3: The Johnston Family (David, Laura, Chris, Brooke & Ashley) has donated enough funds to pay for our moving truck and the diesel fuel to Pittsburgh...assuming that fuel does not rise another $14 a gallon by next Wednesday (which it might - sheesh.) Thank you so much for your love and support for us in the transition.

UPDATE #2: Many thanks to the Benge Family, who will be paying for our telecommunications for the year while I am in school. It is a gracious gift, and one that will be incredibly helpful not only financially, but relationally as well. Thank You!

UPDATE: Thanks to my parents, who bought me two books off my amazon.com wishlist for my birthday! I will be getting "Christ & Culture" and "Christ & Culture Revisited" in a week or so... With the removal of two books from the list, I have added a few more, including a much needed new study bible...ESV of course.