Just yesterday I sent out an email telling our partners that although we had fifty-two percent of our staff working from home because of state guidelines about the coronavirus, we were functioning at one hundred percent efficiency. Every part of the ministry was still pumping out the Gospel through all our different outreaches.
Then, yesterday evening, Colorado's governor put a statewide stay-at-home order in effect until April 11. That changed everything.
Because of our incredible staff's leadership and foresight, we had made plans for such a time as this, and it didn't catch us totally unprepared. Just this week we had invested in new technology and equipment that would allow over 100 of our phone center employees to take calls from home if something like this happened. We have partially implemented that system now, and by Monday, March 30, we will be back to full strength for our phone ministers to take calls from their homes. That's awesome! Praise God for people who listen to the Holy Spirit.
We handle over 40,000 calls per month with twenty-five percent of those being first-time contacts. The phone ministry is where the vast majority of our new people first contact us. It would be a real loss if we could not have our phones up and running.
We are able to keep our facilities, maintenance, and security staff in place. We are allowed to keep our payroll functions and financial department working. We've enabled all our IT employees to work from home. If necessary, we can do reruns of our Gospel Truth television broadcast. We are in negotiations with the local emergency management director to keep our shipping and warehouse services functioning but won't know the results of that for a few days.
Because of all our distance education platforms, our Charis Bible College students will not miss any classes. We've been faithfully recording everything done at Charis for twenty-five years, and the students will be able to continue their classes off campus till we are given the all-clear for them to come back. I know they will miss the fellowship of their classmates, but the Word will continue to go forth and change lives. Even our third-year specialized tracks are going to continue to be taught by the instructors with interactive live streaming. Praise God for this technology.
We are still assessing the situation, but we think at this time that about two-thirds of our staff will be able to work from home with a limited number allowed to come to The Sanctuary and work there.
Obviously, not everything can be done offsite, but Jamie and I are determined to keep the ministry functioning at the highest level possible, and we have no plans to lay off any of our 600-plus employees. We intend to keep paying them even if they can't work. I firmly believe that is what the Lord would have us do. We also have no plans to take any money from the government to help us do this. We are trusting God and would appreciate your continued support during this time.
I know many of you are also having to deal with a multitude of problems and inconveniences in your own life caused by this pandemic, and we are here for you. As of Monday, March 30, our Helpline will expand its hours to twenty-four hours per day, Monday through Friday. We would love to pray with you and help you in any way we can. Just call us at 719-635-1111. We are in this together.
Remember that our website is fully functional, and we have over 200,000 hours of free material there to help you in your relationship with the Lord. If you watched and listened to all that's available there free, twenty-four hours per day,
it would take you twenty-two years to go through all the material. If you only watched and listened eight hours per day, it would take you sixty-eight years to cover it all. Please take advantage of all the Lord has provided for you at
awmi.net.
On our internet TV network (GospelTruth.TV), you can not only get all my television broadcasts, but over a dozen of my good friends in ministry are there for you each day too. We have conferences, business programs, our new Beyond the Game with Tony and JB, musicals and much more available to you twenty-four hours a day.
The kingdom of God is open for business and the Holy Spirit is right there with you to encourage you and make you a blessing to others during this unprecedented period in our history. Our light shines the brightest in the dark. While others are panicking and don't know where to turn, we pray the Lord will guide you to opportunities to share the best news the world has ever heard. I see seeds of revival in all of this.
Thank you for being the best partners and friends in the world. It's an honor and privilege to be partners with you in the greatest work on earth. The government might not consider us as "essential" in times like these, but we know better. Jesus is the BEST and ONLY hope for this world, and we are full steam ahead proclaiming the Gospel truth.
We will share updates with you as they become available.
You are a blessing,
Andrew and Jamie
