Dear Friends,
The School of Kingdom Writers had a productive quarter!
On May 23rd, our daughter was born! Margaret May was delivered in the wee hours of the morning at 8lbs. 9oz. Melissa and the baby are healthy, and we’re all adjusting to a new normal with an infant in the house.
About a year ago I heard God prompting me to sell all of my farm animals. We have a little six-acre hobby farm. Typically this time of year we have meat rabbits, turkeys, and meat chickens running around the yard getting fat, plus whatever else I find on clearance at Rural King while Melissa isn’t with me. I love working with animals and I like the idea that our land is productive. But last year, I sensed that we needed to put 100% into this ministry, and honestly, selling the animals was a real test of obedience. I’m really happy now that I listened.
It’s been challenging to balance everything with the new kid in the house (number five for us!), but I’m really pleased that with the Lord’s provision we’ve continued to push forward in this time. With the support of our board of directors I did enjoy a little time off with my family, but our progress has been remarkably unfazed. It turns out God can do as much without us as He can with us.
On June 7th, we received word from the IRS that our 501(c)(3) charity status has finally been approved! We are now officially a tax-exempt organization, and this status backdates to our first day of operations in August of 2018.
We have now received more than $190,000 in donations and pledges (all of which are tax-deductible)! We are more than halfway to our Phase I funding goal, which will cover all of our operating expenses for our first five years, including our first two years of full operation with students in-house. In 2023, we will be tuition funded and 100% sustainable.
Most of those donations have come from people with whom I have personally met and shared the ministry vision. Since October, I’ve conducted more than 100 one-on-one presentations of the mission with individuals and organizational leaders. Thank the Lord for open hearts and minds!
We’ve also received donations from all over the country, thanks in large part to our social media audience.
However, only a tiny fraction of our social media is designed to directly solicit donations. Most of our content is designed to teach, encourage, and build up the body of Christ. To that end, we have reached more than 200,000 Americans with our message of a unifying, loving, powerful God.
If you don’t follow SOKW on social media, please do so and please engage. Positive comments, “likes,” and “shares” mean more than you think and help our content to be distributed more widely.
We’re training others to have an impact on social media as well. Our four-week Author Bootcamp concluded in June. This course was designed to test and improve a portion of our professional development curriculum and specifically taught authors how to build successful, effective online relationships with new audiences. While I learned a great deal about how to organize and format some of the material, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
The summer quarter will close out our first official year as an organization. In the coming months, we’ll be intensifying our search for a building or property to house the school. As we develop a wish list for our future home, our board is relying on the Lord to guide us to the right opportunities. We encourage you to keep your eyes and heart open as well, and please let us know if the Lord brings any opportunities to mind.
While most of our test classes to date have been offered on a secular basis in partnership with the Ohio Writers’ Association, we’re also finalizing the development of new resources and opportunities that will train and build up specifically Christian writers and social media influencers. We plan to launch these classes this fall. We’re excited to test new parts of our curriculum with Christ-motivated writers.
God is good. And He loves you. We’re praying that what’s happening with the School of Kingdom Writers not only serves the Lord’s purposes in our mission, but also bolsters your faith, inspires you to walk obediently with Him, and encourages you to step boldly into His mission for your life.
Thank you for being a friend to Melissa and me. Your prayers, encouragement, and support make such a huge difference. Thank you for partnering with the Lord and with us as we do our best to put His vision into place.
In the love of Christ,
Brad & Melissa Pauquette
P.S. We’ll begin hosting an open prayer meeting on the last Sunday of each month, beginning Sunday evening, July 28th at 6:30 p.m. We’ll pray for the school, for Zanesville and Muskingum County, and for each other. Kids are welcome. Find more information here.
