We serve an awesome God!! Months went by in our struggle with Harris Bank. People left the church over the fear of what was going to happen, foreclosure, bankruptcy, the worst fears people could imagine.

When Harris Bank sent us a letter in March indicating their intent to begin foreclosure, things began to happen. One of the men in our church remembered a man he met very early in his Christian life.

This man came from a background of running drugs, a very hard life. Shortly after he was saved, he came in contact with a man that was 180 degrees from him. This man was a business man, but he took an interest in this former drug running criminal. That interest made a lasting impact on this man.

So, when the letter from Harris Bank came, this man called his old friend to let him know what was happening. This man lives in Syracuse, NY and his name is Jerry.

The church was investigating other financing options, such as church bonds. And people were praying fervently for God to do what we believed He would do.

One of the steady prayer warriors got a word from God one night. God told her to pay for a trip to New York, to meet with Jerry. Jerry had been in conversations with our pastor and his old friend and agreed to meet with them.

When God told this prayer warrior to fund the trip, it became obvious that someone needed to go. So, three men loaded in a pickup truck and drove 700 miles to Syracuse, NY.

The morning of the meeting, these three men were all reading from the same devotion. In it, they read these words; “What does God want from His people who live in a consumer society? Perhaps He wants a generation of frugal Christians who earn pennies by saving them, and by earning, give. Maybe He wants to establish a visible community of people whose sacrificial giving honors Him and furthers His work. A community that society can observe but can’t explain. A community that demonstrates the most curious economic phenomenon: The more they give, the more they have.” (Chris Tiegreen - Worship the King)

The devotion was written from Philippians 4 and some of the key points that jumped out were the last sentence of verse 5, “The Lord is near.” And verse 17 “…I am looking for what may be credited to your account” and verse 19 “…God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

These men spent more than 3 hours in a meeting with Jerry and his partners. Throughout the meeting it was obvious God was speaking into Jerry’s heart. Multiple times, tears were streaming down his face as these men shared what God was doing through FBC in Channahon.

At the end of the meeting, Jerry bought them lunch and for the first time indicated a possible solution. But, the three left the meeting and the lunch with no promise, or any indication as to whether Jerry would help in any other way than to buy church bonds if we elected to pursue that route.

On the drive back, at about Erie, PA the three men were talking. One said, wouldn’t it be nice if Jerry would just write the check to pay off Harris Bank. One of the others said, why stop there, why not pay off Harris and give us enough money to finish the building. As these statements were first hitting the air, the phone rang. Jerry was calling.

Jerry asked if he wrote a check for 2.5 million dollars, would it help our church. The truck almost wrecked as the three excitedly said it would be a huge help. Jerry began to lay out some thoughts and asked that the men call him first thing the next morning. He wanted them to know God was in it, or not, before moving forward.

Over the last few weeks, the details have been worked out. And on Monday, June 1, we signed the papers and received the funds to pay off Harris Bank. The construction funds will be drawn out as the construction project goes forward.

What a great opportunity for you to join us as we continue on this journey. We've seen God open many doors and God has used many people to help build this new facility. What is God asking you to do? Whatever it is, we pray that He finds you obedient to it.

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