Two Years In, Year Three Begins
Our Annual Summer Ministry Update & Support Raising Letter
(This post is the annual summer ministry update and support raising letter Megan and I send to our friends and supporters. I promise to get back to the normal news and culture commentary on Friday, but for more about our “day jobs” and how we afford to do what we do, please take a few minutes to read and consider our need. Hope you enjoy!)
Dear Donors and Friends,
Greetings from Springfield, IL—home of Abe Lincoln, the horseshoe sandwich, Exodus Church, and the Dunhams. Megan and I hope to update you here on life in central Illinois. But first, a story.
Helping People Who Have Been Hurt
Six weeks ago, I was in Memorial Hospital four consecutive days. It wasn’t because I was sick. I was visiting a man sick of life and suicidal as a result. Now in his early 50s, Chris had grown up in an abusive home disguised as a Christian family; his step-father pretended to be a pastor and his mother embezzled thousands of dollars from their church. The charade wore thin and Chris (then 14) reported his parents’ misdeeds, leaving him to figure out life on his own.
He sold drugs to make ends meet, following tours of bands like The Grateful Dead and peddling his product throughout his twenties. Later, he imported fentanyl from China for himself and others. He eventually got out of the drug business and (ironically) became a drug counselor, but the change of venue and vocation didn’t improve his life. He went back and forth with his own addiction, fathered a couple of kids (from whom he is now painfully estranged), and battled depression, twice attempting (but thankfully not succeeding) to take his own life.
And he was still alone.
When I first met Chris, he had just had painful surgery on his foot and was again suicidal. After the third morning, during which I brought up hope in Christ, he texted me this:
“I can assure you I would much rather end my life than put my hope in your Messiah. Yes, I am void of hope, but I don’t believe that pinning my hopes on a god who allowed me to be tortured would really help much. This being the reason I say I would rather die. I don’t claim to understand why he wouldn’t help me now when he did not help me at all then. Granted, I’m sure you have a rationalization for why God allowed my suffering as a child. Or the fallen nature of man, human will, etc. It’s hard for me to accept that God is only responsible for the good and that he plays no part in the bad. I know you do this so you can function in your belief. Well, okay. I, however, don’t believe like that. I’m sorry.”
The next morning, I listened some more and tried to help Chris figure out his immediate future. He was always emotionally up and down because of the depression, but also always thanked and hugged me with tears in his eyes for spending time with him. He also told me he loved me.
By week’s end, we got Chris into a nursing home in southern Illinois, where he has had to stay for five weeks to continue his 10-12 hour/day antibiotic IV treatments for his foot. I contacted the PCA church there in town and a few members have been intentional in visiting him, which he has appreciated. Still, he calls or texts about every other day, continuing to vacillate between emotional extremes. But thanks be to God, he’s still with us.
I’m not sure what the future holds for Chris, nor how much of it he actually wants to hold. Apart from checking in from a distance, all I can do is ask God to regenerate and grant him faith to respond to Jesus despite awful things done to him in Jesus’ name. I may visit in a few weeks…or I may never see him again; regardless, what matters is if Chris meets and trusts Jesus. It’s that hope I hold onto, even if Chris is not able to hold onto it for himself right now.
While not nearly as extreme as Chris’ story, I’ve met plenty of people like him who have been hurt by people in Christ’s Church. Megan and I include ourselves on that list, and I even preached on the topic a month or so ago (below). Because Jesus loves and died for his Bride, we are called not to give up on her; true, she is not perfect, but that’s because she is made up of imperfect people (including me).
At a time when denominational membership is on the decline (especially within mainline denominations who have walked away from the authority of Scripture), professor and researcher Ryan Burge observes that, “the two outliers are the Assemblies of God and the Presbyterian Church in America…growing faster than the natural increase in the population.” Though still small compared to other mainline denominations, the PCA has been our home for 20+ years. And we continue to be excited to establish Exodus Church as a healthy, God-honoring local church for those the Lord effectually calls to love and follow him.
The Past Year: SCS, CDC, Internship & Ordination Update
At the end of May, Megan just completed her second year teaching 2nd grade at Springfield Christian School, all while having earned her certification as a dyslexia practitioner from the Children’s Dyslexia Center. In addition to teaching 18 SCS 2nd graders Monday-Friday, she tutored multiple students after school four days a week, took part in every-other-month all-day Saturday intensives, and completed all required tutor coursework to attain this certification, the work for which she has already implemented in her teaching and tutorial efforts.
At the end of this month, I’ll have completed my internship with the Presbytery of Northern Illinois and my second year as Ministry Coordinator at Exodus Church. My work has focused on planning and coordinating our Sunday worship liturgy, as well as handling the church’s general operations, communications, and finances. In addition, over the past five months, I led two Life-on-Life groups (one in Hebrews, the other in 1 John), met one-on-one semi-regularly with three men, and prepped and preached once every 4-6 weeks from the pulpit.
As I did last April, I again went before our Presbytery’s Credentials Committee in hopes of making it to the floor of Presbytery in May to preach for licensure, which would enable me to preach beyond my internship. Though I did better than the year before, the Committee still felt I needed more time to study to show myself approved (2 Timothy 2:15) and take the next step toward pastoral ordination. So, the plan is to go before the Committee a third (and hopefully final) time in August, then before Presbytery in September.
Thankfully, the elders at Exodus want me to continue in my role as Ministry Coordinator. By God’s grace, relationships seem healthy among members and regular attenders, and we continue to welcome multiple visitors interested in the Reformed faith. In January, we started five Life on Life groups of 6-8 people each, and installed three deacons last summer who have led us in meeting needs of more people locally. Our little church is growing up!
Funding Year Three
Though giving has been consistent and generous for a church our size, the church is just not able—yet—to take on the financial burden of two full-time staff. While ministry expenses are covered (which is nice), Pastor Stephen Lawrence and I both raise funds to supplement our salaries.
Going into Year Three, Exodus and the Presbytery of Northern Illinois have committed again to each put $12,000 ($24,000 total) toward my salary. In addition, the elders at Exodus voted in Year Two to add an extra $7,980 ($665/month) to cover our Samaritan Ministries cost-sharing health plan, and will raise it to $8,388 ($699/month) to cover the increase this year, which is tremendously helpful. All that remains is to raise $18,000 by July 1—the start of our fiscal year.
Here’s a look at the breakout:
How You Can Help
In the past two years, over 50 generous people/families made gifts of support. Now, as we begin Year Three, Megan and I would appreciate your prayerful consideration of supporting our ministry for another year here in Springfield, with either a one-time gift or on a monthly basis.
The breakdown of $18,000 is $1,500/month and can be reached in different ways. One scenario:
1 person/family $3,000 one-time gift (or $250/month for 12 months)
2 people/families $2,400 one-time gift (or $200/month for 12 months)
3 people/families $1,200 one-time gift (or $100/month for 12 months)
4 people/families $ 900 one-time gift (or $ 75/month for 12 months)
5 people/families $ 600 one-time gift (or $ 50/month for 12 months)
In this permutation, just 15 donors would be all it takes to reach our goal of $18,000 for the year. Obviously, however, no gift is too small, and we would be honored to welcome as many giving and prayer partners as God would lead.
With that said, could we hear from you between now and July 1? Two easy ways to give (note: all gifts are tax-deductible and 100% goes directly to our support):
Check made out to Exodus Church and mailed to:
Craig and Megan Dunham, 1605 Dial Court, Springfield, IL 62704
Of course, if you would like to talk personally about this opportunity, we’d be glad to hear from you! Email or call/text 406-595-0446 and we’ll set up a time.
Whatever you decide, thanks for taking the time to read our letter, as well as for praying about coming alongside us financially this next year. We do not take your consideration for granted.
For Christ and His Kingdom,
Craig (for Megan)
PS: As a reminder, to give, you can do so easily and securely through our Exodus website. Again, all gifts go 100% to our personal support and are tax-deductible.
PPS: Megan and I were touched by many of you reaching out in the wake of my father, Roger, dying of cancer in February. In the Lord’s providence, all our girls were able to make it to Illinois for the funeral. Though far away geographically, they continue to be a blessing to us. Thank you for praying for them.
Two years in, and no moral collapse, financial scandal, or open revolt. Not bad. Most guys don’t make it past the first Easter without considering a career in artisanal coffee or light landscaping.
What struck me most in your reflection wasn’t the survival, but the tone. Measured. Sober. A little weary, but not cynical. Resolute. It reads like someone who’s begun to understand that planting/growing a church (and a ministry) isn’t about momentum so much as metabolism. Day to day. Often slow. Often invisible. And still, somehow, alive.
You're doing faithful work. It shows. The people you're pastoring may not say it often, but they're watching. And what they see, I suspect, is a man still learning how to die to himself without needing a round of applause for it. That’ll stick with them longer than most sermons.
And if now and then it feels like you're just improvising under someone else's name while trying to keep the whole thing from collapsing into the salad bar... well, you're in good company. Remember, if worst comes to worst, you can always charge it to the Underhills.