-- Allyson & Mike Marshall

When the Grace Transforms campaign began, I was asked to be on the prayer committee. This was the first blessing because it really got me focused on daily prayer for the church and the transformation, introduced me to a bunch of cool prayer warrior people, invested my time in the campaign, and started our thought about our personal involvement in the campaign.

Then Senior Pastor Matt Cassidy asked us in a sermon one Sunday to fast from something for a week. We talked about what we would fast from with our three kids (at the time, age 5, 4, and 2).  They each chose something (milk, cereal, and dessert I think) and Mike and I chose our things and we all fasted that week. It was harder than any of us thought!! The kids still remember doing that and the beginning of their involvement in the transformation of Grace.

Next, Dr. Cassidy asked us to consider what we thought we would give and “lay out the fleece,” based on Gideon’s experience seeking God’s will, to see if God would confirm our understanding of what He wanted. We decided God was asking us to cut our budget and give what we could trim off, and then double that as a step in building our faith to see where God might come up with the cash. Then He asked us to set a “comfortable” standard of living from an income perspective and give whatever income He gave us beyond that.

We did that. A little background: we were currently at half salary with the start-up Mike works for and had been on a roller-coaster salary ride for the previous year or so. We had just been through the toughest years of our lives financially and two Crown financial studies, which gave us a true perspective on money and stewardship.

Then… God showed up! The first year (6/05 to 6/06) we were able to barely give the amount we trimmed off our budget. I will call that amount X. The second year (6/06 to 6/07) we were able to give 2X and were so excited to see God come through with money we didn’t have when we “signed up.” During that same period, we saw Mike’s work situation doing much better and a range of possibilities for what God might be giving us to give back to Him. So, from 6/07 to the present we have been able to give the original 2X “faith building” pledge and 8X in salary over our “comfortable” standard of living. We hope to give even more than that between the time I write this, in February 2008, to the end of our pledge in June of this year.

Most of the time, when we write a check for Grace Transforms, we talk to the kids about what God has given us to be the steward of and how we are able to give it back to Him.  We talked about the new church and how the sacrifices we as a family have made (we talk about what things the kids might have if we weren’t giving so they can see they have sacrificed too) will be used to build the new church that Jesus, long after we are dead, will be using for His Kingdom.

The whole experience has really given us a better glimpse at God’s sovereignty.

Editor's Note: The Marshalls' testimony was a highlight of our recent special worship service, where the people of Grace were given an opportunity to make pledges for "the next step" in our Grace Transforms campaign. One extra blessing that wasn't mentioned in their story but was obvious in the service: Mike & Allyson are expecting their fourth child!  How does one arrive at the point of seeing God at work in such an exciting way? Read the letter the Marshalls submitted with their pledge in 2005.