What happens when you heed the voice of the Lord? Something amazing, something beyond your wildest dreams—something like Charis Bible College.
“When Jamie and I started in ministry, a Bible college was the last thing on my mind,” said Andrew Wommack, founder of Charis Bible College. However, in 1993, the Lord impressed 2 Timothy 2:2 on Andrew’s heart and showed him a groundbreaking way to fulfill that verse’s call to discipleship, with a college that offered a unique blend of God’s Word and practical, on-the-job training. In 1994, Charis Bible College was born. Though its first graduating class had fewer than fifty students, as Andrew and Jamie remained faithful to God’s call, Charis exploded. “It’s awesome what God is doing through Charis, and I know we’re just getting started. I think the impact of this school may be the biggest thing God does through this ministry.”
“We are so thankful Andrew listened to God all those years ago. His obedience changed our lives and taught us how to hear from God ourselves,” Ruth Rauch, a graduate of Charis and business owner, said in a recent interview. “Because of his teaching and that of Charis Bible College, both our business and our marriage are prospering.”
Before attending Charis, Pete and Ruth Rauch had built a successful business in South Carolina, but their outward accomplishments only masked a longing within them for more. “One day while I was doing laundry, I left the television on and overheard a man talking. He was answering questions I’d always had about the Word and teaching things my church always skimmed over. I was hooked, and soon my husband and I were watching Andrew every morning.”
During one of those broadcasts, the Rauches heard about Charis Bible College. “We wanted so badly to learn the Bible for ourselves and stop taking everyone’s word for what it said, but we didn’t know where to start. When we heard about Charis, we figured that if Donald Trump could run his business from anywhere in the world, we could surely run ours from Colorado Springs. And, by God’s grace, we did.”
God’s grace not only allowed them to run their business cross-country, but it also taught them how to live productively. “The grace of God changed our entire lives,” Ruth recalls. “Before Charis, we lived under the burden of our self-imposed expectations. They were stifling and really hindered us from experiencing God’s best.” Charis taught Pete and Ruth how to live and love together, as God intended, in their marriage. “When Pete and I first got married, my primary use for a broom was as a weapon, and I broke several during that first year! We loved each other, but we didn’t know how to be married. We didn’t understand how God’s grace toward us could be extended toward one another.” In their business, Ruth worried and fretted over every decision, every employee, and every client. But at Charis, she learned to trust God to be who He said He’d be—her provision (Ps. 54:4 and 1 Tim. 6:17). Now Ruth and Pete rejoice that the fruit of their lives is overflowing!
“Charis really discipled us in every area of our lives. Not only is our marriage a blessing, but our business is prospering. And we are debt-free! Thank you for teaching us to hear from God. Thank you for sharing God’s grace with us. Thank you for helping us think bigger and look for ways to not limit God. We are changed!”
