It was a gloriously sunny day in December 2015. I was at the ARCO gas station with my ‘new to me’ Prius. A relentlessly upbeat pop song played on the radio, and I couldn’t help but sing along. There was a lot to celebrate - gas was cheap and the Prius turned on every time I wanted it to start (a truly great quality for a car).
My phone rang. It was Chris Earwicker, founder of The Cause, and my long-time friend and mentor. I had just recently brought the ministry I was pioneering into partnership with The Cause and had moved all my financial supporters over.
"Hey Morgan, do you have a second?"
"Yes, how are you?"
Chris paused for a moment, longer than usual, and took a deep breath. I could feel the tension in her voice like she didn't really want to say the next words. "I'm so sorry. We are shutting The Cause down. God is leading me in a different direction, and it's just too much to keep running."
My stomach dropped, then exploded into wild butterflies. I didn’t know if a nonprofit transfer was possible, but right then I was sure: I was supposed to take The Cause.
I hung up the phone and drove back to my apartment in shock. What the heck! I had followed God in bringing the ministry I was leading into partnership with The Cause. My entire goal had been to NOT run another 501(c)3, because of the soul-crushing burnout I experienced after founding and running a nonprofit.
A week prior to Chris' call, my close friend Jenn Ryan had come to me with an out-of-the-blue thought. "Morgan, I think God is telling me to quit my job and work with you, whatever that means."
Jenn is a sure-thing person. She is all kinds of organized, the queen of spreadsheets and systems. I was honored, but I couldn't figure how it could work out. The ministry I was doing didn't really need two people. So, we spent some time praying about working together, but we didn't know how to move forward.
Turns out Chris’ phone call was the missing piece. I called Jenn that afternoon, and shortly thereafter we decided to embark on a wild adventure. With almost no financial resources and no idea (besides my personal experience running a nonprofit) how needed this ministry was, we decided to take up The Cause.
When the transfer was final in June 2016, The Cause had a few partners, some basic structures, an incredible domain, and a 501(c)(3) number. From there, we started building relationships with potential partners and creating organizational structures to serve Kingdom leaders.
Every day we are grateful that God continues to provide for The Cause and our partners. We love getting to see people with Kingdom visions flourish in their callings because of the structures and support that The Cause provides. God has miraculously provided for The Cause. We are overjoyed at the caliber of individuals that God is aligning with The Cause. And, as The Cause grows, we get to provide more and more for our partners.