When Paul closed a letter to a church he often called out some people in that congregation for special recognition. To the church in Rome he wrote, “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus.” “Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.” “Greet Apelles, tested and approved in Christ.”
Let me tell you about a few folks in other congregations who are very special fellow workers. Know Your Bible is seen in 10 states and is responsible for students studying the Bible in all 50 states plus many foreign countries. That is only possible because of a host of fellow workers. In each broadcast area, KYB relies on one “partner church” to handle all the responses in that market. That includes: recruiting and training workers, answering phones, grading BCCs, delivering certificates, purchasing and stocking all courses, stationery, etc., paying postage, promoting and coordinating with other congregations in that market, and communicating all the results to Northside. While many, many members accomplish pieces of all that, there are three special couples that deserve a special “greeting!”
In the Springfield, MO, market our partner is the Watermill congregation. Gene and Ruth Lund keep everything operating smoothly there. Since Northside answers all the questions, we need to know the questions and names and addresses that were called in each Sunday. You can count on the Lunds’ report being in first thing every Monday morning! So, “Greet Gene and Ruth, our fellow workers in Christ Jesus.”
In the Rock Island, IL, market our partner is the Burlington, IA, congregation. Terry and Cindy Sarrazin have faithfully managed everything there since our debut in 2001. They keep excellent statistics of all responses and have fostered great relations with many other congregations in the area. So, “Greet Terry and Cindy, who work very hard for you.”
In the Sioux Falls, SD, market our partner is the Southeastern congregation. Jim and Kim VanderWoude are the ones who keep everything rolling. They are zealous promoters of the program and do a great job of sharing their excitement with others. The Southeastern congregation – although small in number – is second only to Northside in financial support from a congregation. A few months ago, Jim had a very serious heart attack. Thankfully, he’s doing well now, but it’s noteworthy that during all those problems the KYB work never faltered. They continue to do a great job. So, “greet Jim and Kim, who are tested and approved in Christ.”
All of these fellow workers have done their work faithfully for many, many years. They get no pay and very little recognition, but continue to sow and water the seed for His sake. So, greetings! – plus our thanks.