A life-long journey to service
From the Chairman
I was raised in a Christian home with both parents. We attended church as far back as I can remember and some of the earliest memories in the church include me standing on a pew belting out “Blessed Assurance” as loudly as I could. My father, although never ordained, preached throughout his life until he passed in 2024 from lung cancer. He was 82, a good and faithful servant. He taught me that you never retire from Christianity.
Moving around as a child—first from East Tennessee to Warner Robins, Georgia, then to Baton Rouge, Louisiana I was exposed to churches of all sizes and denominations. These ranged from small, nearly barren congregations with wooden benches and no air conditioning, to larger ones back in Tennessee. Attending different churches with various practices and beliefs grew my faith and expectations of how life should be lived. It also taught me that a faithful life would be one filled with struggle. I was baptized at 13 but didn’t begin maturing as a Christian until I was a young adult. I was most likely saved at age 42 when I volunteered to be a crew leader at VBS. Soon I was teaching a Sunday-school class of 4/5 graders and helping lead junior high boys in the youth group.
Life Challenges and Crisis
I met my wife in February of 2002, lost my grandmother in March, and my little brother in May of that same year. I believe that God had put me and Christina together for a reason and by November we were married. The next five years brought three job changes, and three daughters. The night my youngest was born in 2007, I lost vision in my left eye due to an un-diagnosed retinal hemangioma. I do have some vision but I am basically legally blind in that eye. It makes being a software engineer for my career a little tougher but I make it work. In 2009 I lost my job when the housing bubble burst but God quickly provided a job in Columbus OH. I commuted from Maryville TN to Columbus each week from the fall of 2009 to the summer of 2010 and then God granted me the ability to work from home so I could be with my family. In 2011, Christina was diagnosed with stage IIIA breast cancer and was soon undergoing treatment.
In 2013 she was again diagnosed with cancer. I don’t think the got it all the first time. However, the new treatment plan was more aggressive with surgeries and medicine. By 2014, my body just couldn’t handle the stress anymore. I had ballooned to 290 pounds and was diagnosed with type II Diabetes which brought its own challenges I am still fighting today. Things calmed down for a while which was nice. God gets you through the challenges in life and then it seems He lets you catch your breath for a while. I think I was kind of bitter during all of the chaos but I never lost my faith in God.
During this next relatively peaceful period I devoted more time at church leading my Sunday school class and one service, the pastor’s message was “Are you using your talents to advance the kingdom of God?” The silence echoed through the sanctuary and I realized I hadn’t really done anything to help anyone.
Birth of the Ministry: Books for Blessings
With decades in the technology arena and experience in the book industry I was able to couple new spiritual growth and my programming skills. One random Sunday the sermon was “Are you using your skills to advance the kingdom of God?” The silence echoed in the sanctuary. After a resounding “NO”, that sermon really led me to the idea of Books For Blessings. I would gather books people didn’t want, sell them, and donate the proceeds to those in need. Soon this became a family movement and the kids would help me go find books on the weekends. Over time, Books for Blessings raised funds for various nonprofits: Jubilee Project, Raising a Voice, Salvation Army, New Hope, FUMC Children’s Ministry. Additionally, by 2018 we as a family had expanded to personal fundraising—helping individuals facing dire medical situations.
I was also led to help people physically and emotionally and soon began helping a man named Bob who lived in the area. Bob lived in a single wide trailer that was so run down he slept with rat traps under his comforter so that the rats wouldn’t chew on his feet as he slept. His home had several serious issues and soon I partnered with with local contractors and community resources to help fix his home: patching the roof, replacing sub-floor, cleaning, providing appliances and heating, new drywall and flooring, cleaning up the yard, giving him basic dignity and safety. This was service in more than money—it was personal involvement and compassion. My mom passed in 2021 but mom’s kind and generous heart was definitely a driving force for starting Outreach25.
Formation of Outreach25
On Christmas Eve 2023, God just laid Outreach25 on my heart, moving beyond just books. I feel this needs to be a national movement. We are called to love and serve in Matthew 25. Jesus said there are two main commands in our faith: To love God with all of our heart and to love our fellow man. It has been a very hard journey trying to find people to share this vision for the organization but we are formalized, operational and seeking our 501(c)(3) tax exemption with the IRS. In 2024, I didn’t get much work done for this organization because my father was diagnosed with stage III lung cancer, A-Fib, COPD, and emphysema on the same day. I was his 24/7 care along with my sister from June until late September of 2024 when he passed away. He’s buried at the Church with my mother and brother where I used to sing “Blessed Assurance” loudly to the enjoyment of the aging congregation. This took a toll on me and my sister but during this time, God showed me what it’s like to have a family member go through something terminal. Christina’s battles with cancer and my own issues are tough but when you’re dealing with terminal cases, they take on a more oppressive weight like a wet coat clinging to you during winter.
Reflection and Looking Forward
Through all of this, there are recurring points of learning which we have used as a framework to carry this load which is heavy at times.
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God’s faithfulness, often unseen, prepares us for challenges in our lives and the lives of those around us. When we help others just for the sake of serving them, we are healed from our own pain and suffering.
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Persistent suffering and loss teaches dependence, gratitude, maturity, and purpose. We cannot go through life alone.
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Long seasons of waiting, questioning, and bitterness, may come; however, when we are still and just listen to God, he will walk us out of the hard times if we are just faithful.
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Trust and faith are not the same. Faith is an action word. You can trust that God has your back and do nothing. Faith, however, makes you live your life in a way that others can know he’s holding you up. This allows us to reclaim spiritual disciplines, participate in the church, serve the marginalized, and helping people in practical and meaningful ways.
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The gifts you realize during your experiences along the way equip you with the abilities of mobilization, urgency, and networking to do things outside of your normal comfort zone.
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Community involvement with local service providers, donations from businesses, and networking can amplify the signal the organization is sending so that others may hear and get involved.
Why Outreach25 Matters and What It Means
Outreach25 is more than a name or an organization—it’s the fruit of a journey. It embodies lessons from childhood faith, from trials, from personal losses, from observing suffering, and from returning to the path of service. It’s a response to pain with purpose. By making Outreach25 a structured nonprofit, we are multiplying our impact:
- to help more people
- to partner with other like minded servants
- to raise funds for more causes
- to bring comfort, love and hope to the weary
Outreach25 is not just an idea; it’s a journey forged in hardship, grounded in God, and manifested in service. Time is short and the burden is heavy. Please stand in the gap with us as we continue this journey of love and service. We need you to help us help others through faith and fruitful service.
Get involved today. If you can’t donate or directly serve, follow us and amplify us on your social networks.