God called me into the ministry in May/June of 1980. There was no one but me. I ran my own advertising business named Advertising Distributors. As a result, I paid for the printing and postage of the first Newswatch Magazine out of my own pocket. It stayed that way for about six months. Donations finally began to trickle in to help me.
A few people began to meet with me. After paying rent on a meeting hall, the few donations left helped pay for the printing and mailing of Newswatch Magazine. Some of our readers were now donating to help pay the expenses.
Notice what the Bible says: “Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working? Who goes a warfare any time at his own charges? Who plants a vineyard and eats not of the fruit thereof? Or who feeds a flock, and eats not of the milk of the flock? Say I these things as a man? Or says not the law the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, THOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE MOUTH OF THE OX THAT TREADS OUT THE CORN. DOES GOD TAKE CARE FOR OXEN? Or says He it altogether for OUR sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that plows [works in the ministry] should plow in HOPE [that someone will support the ministry]: and that he that threshes in hope would be partaker of this hope. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things [tithes, offerings, donations]? If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power [to ask donations]; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. Do you not know that they [Levites] which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? And they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar [the sacrificed meat]? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should LIVE of the gospel [donations, tithes, offerings]” (I Corinthians 9:6-14).
Eventually, donations built up to publish Newswatch and go on the smallest radio station in St. Louis. By January 1983, we could afford 50,000 watt radio station KAAY out of Little Rock, Arkansas. It covered 27 states. Donations from listeners of KAAY helped us go to yet another station. Little by little the donations built until we were on about 20 stations. In the late ‘80s you could not drive across America without hearing our program from one to three times a night. The reason we could go on many radio stations is that many of our listeners believed in supporting ministries that were feeding them with BOTH spiritual and prophetic messages!!!
They believed that Abraham was right when he gave a TENTH to Melchizedek, who was a priest of God, and also was Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7).
Today, we are in need of added support because of the economic times we live in. We know there are individuals who could give more support. For some reason, they may think we are rich but that is not the case. We are probably one of the smallest ministries that are doing so much with what we have.
We have had to cut off one night of television because of the lack of donations. TV has become the top media for us, but it cost money. We can’t make up money out of nothing. Only the Federal Reserve Banks can do that.
I remember back in the late ‘90s a man drove about 500 miles with a donation of gold – $38,000.00 worth. He said he made sure he didn’t violate one driving law because the gold might have been confiscated. It was a true blessing!
I remember another time when a Canadian was passing by heading for south Texas. He stopped in for a visit. I told him about barely making it from day-to-day. We were waiting for the mail, so hopefully we could mail our magazine. I told him exactly how much we needed. When we finished opening the mail, it was to the penny what we needed. God has been merciful to us by furnishing what we need. It would be great to have a cushion just in case we need it. That, of course, will depend upon the readership’s generosity.
America gives more to help the poor in the world than all other country in the world. Americans have a generous attitude toward giving to their churches also. Will Jesus Christ inspire your mind to give donations, tithes and offerings to help us reach out to America in its time of need? Most in America have turned their back upon God, but we are crying out to repent and turn back to God. Will you help?