I cleaned out my Jonah folder for yesterday’s finale of our Missions Month sermon series on Jonah. I made one more horrible pun and showed our church family two more cartoons that only I think are funny. And then we gave.

The goal for Missions Sunday yesterday at GCR was an ambitious $281,600 to fund our foreign missions efforts in 2027. But, just like last year, our merciful God blew that goal right out of the water. God opened up our heart and our wallets yesterday to the tune of more than $483,000! And the money is still trickling in this afternoon!

Thank you to my brothers and sisters at GCR. Thank you so much for reminding me again about the Golf Course Road Church.

I’m reminded that I belong to a very missions-minded, very generous, very over-the-top giving church. You people give. And I’m so honored to belong to you. I also know you truly believe in our foreign missions initiatives. You are committed to our goals of sending more of our own people out into the field. You are dedicated to our efforts to bring salvation in holistic ways, to partner with God in restoring all of an individual through medical missions, justice missions, and evangelistic missions. You are completely partnered with our missionaries and their families. You pray at night for little orphaned children in Kenya and for the destitute and sick in Zambia. You email and send care packages to our teams at SerCris in Brazil and Mission Lazarus in Honduras. You’re invested in everything we’re doing in global missions, with who’s where and what’s happening when. I love that about GCR.

And I am so privileged to be your preacher.

Thank you so much to our hard-working missions committee and to our wonderful shepherds and ministry team. And to you. Thank you.

I believe our giving yesterday truly reflects our gratitude and joy in God’s amazing grace. I believe our generosity was motivated by our genuine love and concern for all of God’s people all over the world. And I believe I should never, ever take that for granted.

It was a really beautiful Sunday. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Peace,

Allan