Debt Free by ‘23

Testimony of Rev. Andy Dayton, Indianapolis First Church

I’m so glad I embarked on the COMPASS Journey. And, I’m even more glad that we went on the journey together as a staff. The camaraderie really helped our individual journeys, and combining our efforts for the church portion was also helpful! When I first looked at the materials it was a bit daunting. But, once we understood the process and outlined the plan, it was easy to move through the plan item by item, month by month. The year flew by! It never felt cumbersome, and it brought real results, even before the grant money arrived!

PRAISE THE LORD! I cannot praise the Lord enough! During the second half of our yearlong Journey program, we found out that the IRS accepted our “offer in compromise” and reduced our $12,900 tax debt down to the $1,200 we offered! What a miracle! The weight of this debt was looming over us. There was no way, but God made a way. He is faithful! (The lady at the IRS got to hear my testimony of God’s providence, and about the COMPASS Initiative as well!)

We also searched for three months to find a more affordable home to rent that would meet our needs. We did not find anything. However, our landlord did not raise the rent in a season when so many people’s rent was increasing significantly. We see the Lord’s hand at work in this as well!

At the beginning of the Journey we set some three-year goals: 1) To have the car paid off, 2) To have our tax debt paid off, 3) To have our credit cards paid off. This would make us totally debt free. PRAISE THE LORD! Our credit cards are now paid off! We had some money to pay for my wife’s medical bills, but the hospital mentioned that we could make payments interest free, so we decided to use that money to pay off the credit cards (which had high interest rates), and make interest-free payments to the hospital. Then the hospital wrote off our entire hospital bill!!! Thank You, Jesus!!! All three goals were met in less than one year.

God has literally transformed my family’s finances. And, I have watched our younger staff members thinking and planning for the future with more wisdom. Our staff member who is close to retirement has also been radically pursuing financial freedom, thanks to the Financial Peace University. Without a doubt, I would recommend the COMPASS Journey to every pastor and staff!