Who wants the Charis experience to affect future generations? Ben and Joy Johnson do!
Right after Ben and Joy got married, Joy developed multiple sclerosis and, soon, was in a wheelchair. Although Ben had been a pastor and Joy had been a missionary to Hong Kong before their marriage, the couple stopped going to church after Joy’s health continued to decline.
One Saturday night, Ben went into his office to have it out with God. “I know You can heal. Why are You holding back Your hand?” After the struggle, he searched online for local churches, and Charis Christian Center came up. The next morning, they went back to church, and Pastor Lawson preached on spirit, soul, and body. By that fall, Ben and Joy were enrolled at Charis Bible College.
Ben said that they were living from miracle to miracle when they went to Charis. The school was small then, and they sat in the front row. Ben would ask Andrew how he was, and he’d always respond, “I’m blessed!” Andrew would ask Ben how he was, and he’d say, “Groovy blessed!”
From sitting under God’s Word for hours a day, the “Charis experience,” Joy’s health stabilized and has continued to improve. Ben said that they can never thank Andrew and the other instructors enough for everything they’ve learned. While finances were tight for them during school, they still experienced the love of Christ flowing toward them. One time, a student showed up at their door and gave them a check that was nearly the exact amount of their electric bill—the very day that their electricity was going to be cut off. Another time, an instructor paid the last part of their first year’s tuition and the first part of their second year’s. The Gospel and the love of like-minded believers was transformational for them.
“Charis changed our lives,” Ben said. “Joy is getting better and better. When she’s out of the wheelchair, we plan to go back and do our Third Year.”
As the couple learned how to live out of blessing, they became financially stable and then began to prosper. So, they decided to invest in future Charis students. They actually called Gary Luecke (then Vice President Charis Bible Colleges and International Operations of Andrew Wommack Ministries) to find out how they could include Charis in their wills. That’s when they heard about the Charis Endowment Fund.
“The seed that was sown in us, we want to give back to the ministry,” Ben said.
Now Joy and Ben are not only monthly partners with Andrew, but they also give to Charis. As Ben put it, “We do it so that we can leave a legacy and help pay the tuition of students for years to come.”
For Ben and Joy Johnson, sowing into Charis is their way of giving back to a ministry that changed their lives. You, too, can help the next generation of believers succeed. Partner with Charis Bible College today and help us provide scholarships for future generations of believers wanting to become disciples of Christ.
