“We knew from that very first service we had found a church home.” This is what Dave and Belinda Reynolds said about their first visit to Pathway church in 2007. It was evident even then that Pathway was a church where people walked alongside others.
Over the years, the Reynolds have had numerous volunteer roles at Pathway. In 2018, they felt moved to join the Valley Center Campus, where they also serve and lead a Home Team. Their Home Team in Valley Center is their family. “I don’t know what we would do without our Home Team. Support and encouragement are essential,” Dave commented. They love what God is doing in Valley Center.
The Reynolds began their generosity journey at Pathway shortly after first attending. They have connected their generosity with what God has been doing through Pathway for decades. For Dave, generosity was taught in his family, but for Belinda it was different. She said “When I saw how much bigger generosity was than just me, I was moved, specifically, when I saw all the global partners. I knew I wanted to help invest in what God was doing through Pathway.”
Over the last year Dave and Belinda shared that God has been growing their hearts even more in the area of generosity. During Give One last December they felt nudged to contribute. They discussed it as a family, and Dave said, “We decided that no matter what, we were going to up our personal giving to Pathway.”
Other ways that God has grown them in their generosity is by being generous with their time and by mentoring others. They have begun regularly giving their time to partner with organizations around Wichita, one of which is Youth Horizons. “God wants your heart more than anything–generosity is not all about money, you can make a difference in the lives of others.”
When things have happened in the Reynolds lives, life like layoffs or major expenses, they have seen God’s faithfulness take care of them through everything they’ve faced. They both said they plan to make a Give One gift again this December.
Their faithfulness hasn’t stopped at generosity. They also felt God prompting them to take the step of baptism; this past August they were both baptized. God has grown the Reynolds family tremendously over the years, and it all started with them surrendering their hearts to God through generosity.
When asked what advice or encouragement they wanted to share, they said, “Start small, start somewhere, and watch what God will do. Don’t get frustrated, and don’t give up on giving because God will show up.”