When I was a kid growing up in the 1960s in Midland, Texas, Mom would go into the kitchen after church on Sunday nights and fry us up some bologna. I remember climbing on the counter and watching the bologna bubble up in the frying pan. She let me cut its edges and press it flat. I grew up thinking fried bologna sandwiches were gourmet dishes fed to the rich and famous.
My wife Angie and I married in 1983. I still ate fried bologna sandwiches because I was in seminary, and we were poor. These days, Angie won’t fry bologna for me because she says it’s bad for my health. Well, that may be the case, but I still like it. So, one day a few years ago, I decided to make my own fried bologna sandwich. It sure did taste good and brought back some fond memories. But around bedtime, I was having regrets. Finally, after five soft-chew Tums®, I slept, but boy, did I have some strange dreams.
In one of those dreams, our church gave an entire Sunday morning offering to the World Missions Offering. I woke up the next morning wondering if it was a nightmare caused by indigestion or inspiration from the Holy Spirit. The thought wouldn't go away, so I met with my church board. I didn't share the part about the fried bologna, but I did tell them I felt the Lord was leading us to give an entire Sunday morning offering to the WMO.
The room got very quiet. Finally, one board member asked, “Can we do that?”
What he meant was, “Can we afford to give an entire offering to missions and still pay all of our bills on 51 weeks of income rather than 52 weeks?” No one knew the answer, but we decided to give it a try.
And it worked.
That year, we not only met our church budget, but we also exceeded it with only 51 weeks of giving. So, for the last six years, we have had a “Give It All Sunday,” where the entire offering goes to the World Missions Offering.
Last year, I ate another fried bologna sandwich and had another brilliant dream which led us to “up the ante” and challenge the church to give $50,000 to the WMO. We promoted it. We prayed over it. We encouraged our people to “take it to the next level” in giving to missions.
On WMO Sunday, I preached a missions sermon from the book of Jonah and told the congregation, “Today, IM is trying to raise a million dollars for world missions. I’m not a mathematician, but I did some calculations and was shocked to discover the entire WMO goal could be met if every Free Will Baptist church member gave just $5 today. You think, ‘How simple!’ But the reality is we’ve never raised that much in a single offering.”
After the service, one of my board members came up to me and said, “Preacher, I think the church will come through, but if we are short, give me a call and I'll make up the difference.”
His willingness was a great comfort, but we didn’t need it. After the offering was counted, I called Clint Morgan and asked if he could come to Cavanaugh Church and receive the gift the following Sunday. He came and brought Don Matchett with him. On that Sunday morning, we presented Clint with a check for $73,000.
It is amazing what God’s people will do when they are challenged and follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit in their lives. A couple of months ago, I ate another fried bologna sandwich. I had another dream. And this year, our goal is $100,000 for WMO.
When’s the last time you ate a fried bologna sandwich? You never know....
About the Writer: Will Harmon has been the pastor of Cavanaugh Free Will Baptist Church, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, since 1997. Originally from Midland, Texas, Will accepted Christ at age six, recognized the call to ministry at age 11, and began preaching at 12. He served 12 years on the D6 Family Ministry board, 16 years on the Randall University board, and currently serves on the board of IM, Inc. Will and his wife Angie have three children and three grandchildren.
