Mini Marathon Fundraiser
Donna and I extend our thanks to you for being willing to join our team as we participate in the
Indianapolis Mini-Marathon on Saturday, May 7th. As I have done the Mini-Marathon for the past 3 years,
I am excited to announce that Donna and I will be running the Mini-Marathon together this year and raising
support for the outreach ministries of New Beginnings Church in memory of our sons, Rick and Jeff Jr. who
have passed away.
We are celebrating my recovery from cancer and our continued healing from the grief and trauma of losing two sons in a 2 ½ year span. Our son, Jeff Jr., died in 2005; I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in my neck in 2006; and our son, Rick, died tragically in 2007.
In the midst of fighting cancer, enduring enormous and overwhelming grief, Donna and I have hung together and,
now more than ever, we are dedicated to honoring God and serving Him. God is doing a genuine healing work in
our lives and in our marriage, and our participation in the mini-marathon is a metaphor of what we are doing
and where we are headed.
We have worked hard to keep our lives and our marriage together in the midst of the deep grief
we have been through. At one time we seemed to be going opposite directions, and then just living in parallel
universes. Now we have open, healing, and helpful hearts toward each other, we are growing closer to God and
to each other. We are seeking to grow in our faith and to serve God together. God has given us a continued,
committed love; a deep, sweet joy; and a genuine, abiding peace together. These are huge milestones and were
not minor hurdles to get over. We rejoice and celebrate the goodness of God in bringing healing to us as we
love and serve Him.
The memory of our boys is in the forefront of our minds and we are dedicating our mini-marathon run to their memory. We invite you to give a donation in their memory with the proceeds going to the outreach ministry of our church.
Donna and I are committed to winning souls and making faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.
We led our sons to Christ and we know they are in heaven with Him. We desire to share our story and the Good
News of Jesus Christ with as many as possible with the time we have left.
Donna and I thank your for your prayers and your donation to "New Beginnings Christian Fellowship."
You can do this securely over the Internet by clicking here.
You also can send your check made payable to:
"New Beginnings Christian Fellowship" and mail it to:
New Beginnings Christian Fellowship
C/O Bill Guffey, Treasurer
P.O. Box 309
Kokomo, Indiana 46901
To see a short video of my testimony, please click click here.
If you have any questions, you can call me at 765-776-0868.
Donna and I thank you again for your love, support, and prayers. May God bless you richly as your serve Him.
Love In Christ,
Pastor Jeff Russell