You’re part of our story

In past years, WORLD included a year-end appeal, often from Joel Belz himself. Now that we’re monthly, I won’t spend the entirety of this column on fundraising. We do have needs this year, and I’ll get to that, but first, let me catch you up on a few things.

First, you may be wondering how we’re faring after flood waters roared through our offices. Writing this just before Thanksgiving, I can summarize by saying we have much to be thankful for this year. Despite the flood, we continued producing our publications, podcasts, digital news, and video programming. We didn’t miss a single deadline. That resilience is due to several factors.

Those staff members who lost power or access were able to relocate to unaffected areas, or we supplied generators and remote access. Our video programs—WORLD Watch and The World From A to Z—have small studio spaces in Charlotte and Atlanta. These enabled us to keep producing, even though our main Asheville TV and radio studios were destroyed.

On the business side, which includes accounting, fundraising, HR, IT, marketing, and member services, the team was slowed but not stopped. In the flood’s immediate aftermath, we found a short-term rental about 45 minutes outside Asheville. It had cell service, internet, and electricity—all we needed to keep going. The rental even had hot water, which allowed staff to do laundry and take showers—comforts that were especially welcome in those early days.

Within days and unprompted by us, our friends at Evangelism Explosion International got in touch with us, and when we let them know that our offices had been destroyed, they immediately offered space in their headquarters. Two weeks after the storm, our entire local staff had a workspace.

WNG staffers from various departments at work in the Evangelism Explosion office. Photo by Jeremiah Godfrey

But the EE team wasn’t the only group who reached out. Almost immediately, many of you—our readers, listeners, and viewers—asked what you could do to help. When we mentioned the situation on The World and Everything in It, your response poured in. Within days, you had provided everything we thought we’d need to get through the immediate crisis—and we had to ask you to stop! Because you met our needs, we were able to better focus on meeting the needs of many in our communities. What a team we have!

We are truly grateful for God’s provision through our staff’s commitment, the stewardship of other ministries, and the ­generosity of our WORLD family.

We thank God, and we thank you, for keeping us going.

And now we ask for your support of our regular Year-End Giving Drive. I can’t stress enough that all our work—not just recovery from unexpected setbacks—depends on you.

WORLD has always relied on contributions from readers, listeners, and viewers like you, and the coming year will be no different. The kind of journalism we produce is costly, and exploring new areas of coverage and new ways of delivering the news requires up-front investment.

This work matters—journalism grounded in facts and Biblical truth, as we like to say. I don’t want to overstate it, but if the performance of mainstream and highly partisan news outlets during this past election campaign wasn’t a vivid enough reminder (please don’t miss Nick’s column on the subject), we believe that WORLD’s kind of reporting is as vital now as it has ever been.

Together, we can affirm the need for alternatives to social media, mainstream news, and sensationalized headlines.

So, whether you’re a longtime supporter or considering a gift, I hope you’ll support WORLD’s work this year. There’s an envelope in the printed issue for those who prefer sending checks. For digital donations, please visit wng.org/YearEndGift. Your generosity in December will help further strengthen our work—in the face of Hurricane Helene’s fury and whatever else may come, whether challenge or opportunity.

Thank you for being part of our mission and our story. God’s provision and your support make all we do possible.