In 1978 I was asked to join staff of Kansas City Youth For Christ...and challenged to trust the Lord to provide income through "deputation" or "support raising."
My initial response was less than enthusiastic. I knew very few people then, and was only a year out of prison.
But I prayed, and the Lord guided...and 34 years later I (and since 1982 my wife and children) have subsisted solely on missionary support.
This afternoon, after distributing Bibles in a prison, I opened a bunch of incoming envelopes with checks.
As always I was amazed that God would raises a partnership of individuals (and a few churches) that sacrificially invest in our lives that we may be able to serve the Lord vocationally.
Whether I'm talking to a teen, preaching at a prison, communicating via the internet, or any of the other things to which the Lord opens the door; I am able to do so because there are a group of people who give (and pray).
As I tell them often, it is their gifts that make the ministry to which the Lord has called us possible; while it is their prayers that make it powerful.
Over the three-decades-plus I've learned a few things, and it is part of my work to educate, edify, encourage, exhort others in the support raising process.
If you or someone you know is about to embark on support raising; or is struggling with the issue, I'd be honored to try to help.
Or, hey, perhaps you didn't realize that I was "on support" serving as a home missionary, and perhaps you'd like to partner with us...
Either way, feel free to connect at jack.hager@gmail.com
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