Hey Team Punk Monk,

It has been a busy winter. I’m really sorry for getting behind in posting these updates.  Here is a little of what I have been up to…

TrueCity Prayer Room Stations:

I’m happy to report that my year end fundraiser was a big success. I exceeded my goals for both one time donations and art sales. I raised $410 in new monthly giving plans! That is a really big deal, since Monthly Giving Plans are the most sustainable way for me to raise support for my ministry. I now receive 50% of my income through predictable monthly donations. Over the next year I will continue to focus on this area and try to get this number up to 75%.

If you would like to sign up for a Monthly Giving Plan, or find out more info click here.

If you would like to make an Online Donation through CanadaHelps: click here.

Please be praying…

• Continue to pray that I would meet my monthly fundraising goals.
• Pray that I would grow in my ability to fundraise. I find it hard to ask people one on one to consider giving. This is by far the best way to fundraise so I need to learn how to do this.
• Pray for a healthy rhythm.  The main part of my job isn’t fundraising but I can’t work without consistently engaging with potential partners. Pray that I would find a good balance in this area. 

Recording my Old Reverend Randell songs:

I have 4 songs that I’m recording professionally at Sheepdog Studios with my friend Eric Fusilier. These songs really encompass my spiritual journey over the last few years and I think they give permission for people to be honest about the hard things in life while still leaning into a God that is expressed through the fruit of the Spirit. I look forward to sharing more about this as the project comes together. My guess is I will have something for people to listen to in the summer.

• Everywhere I have shared these songs live, there has been a really positive and meaningful response. Pray that the recordings carry that same resonance and spirit. 
• Pray that my body and voice will be strong. I have had some pain flare ups that have me worried about my guitar playing. I also find that anxiety & stress constricts my voice, so feeling relaxed and well is really important. 

TrueCity Prayer Room Stations:

I contributed a number of prayer stations to this year’s TrueCity Conference Prayer Room. I created a new labyrinth guide to tie in to the conference theme of Shuv (to repent or to turn). I also made a guided prayer resource (see attached) to help people take some baby steps into Jesus’ teaching of blessing those that curse you. I like to use the prayer room to create things that might be useful in other places. I made the prayer guide like a little folded church bulletin that people could use in a service or in a small group. You can download the resource here. let me know what you think, or if you use it. 

We try to feature a lot of art in the prayer room. This year my Looking For Kindness Cartoons were highlighted along with some new pieces reflecting on the Plank in your eye verse. 

Lastly, I really wanted to connect some of our year long ministries at GOHOP to the TrueCity prayer room. 

Every Friday GOHOP staff and volunteers get together and pray for pastors & leaders for a couple hours. I reused my prayer candle cartoons to invite people to join us in praying for leaders. Prayer room visiter would draw the flame on the   little candle card and then write the name of the pastor or leader on the inside that they were praying for. These little cards really caught fire because 123 prayer candles were “lit.” On Fridays the GOHOP team took turns praying through each name on every card, adding our prayers to the fire. If you would like to find out more about how GOHOP prays for pastors & leaders check out: https://www.gohop.ca/prayer-for-leaders-contact

• Although the 2 week TrueCity Prayer Room is done, the prayer room isn’t closed. We keep this space open for drop in hours every week (I’m there Monday nights from 5-9pm). Pray that the momentum from TrueCity would carry on into people using the prayer room throughout the year. You can find out more here: https://www.gohop.ca/pray-with-us

Asah & the Art of Being Seen:

A couple of weeks ago we had a homeless lady drop by during our Asah: Creatiivty & Prayer Studio in the TrueCity prayer room. She was in a snowsuit and had all her belongings in a garbage bag. She thought it was the Tuesday meal night (that Lift church runs out of the space) and was a little disappointed to find out it was Monday. I told her about the prayer room and that we did have coffee. I also let her know that she was welcome to sit in the prayer room or in the lobby until as late as 10 o’clock. She was very surprised and said “Really? I can just sit down and have a coffee?” I answered, “Absolutely!” 

My new friend spotted the fancy mocha mixes and asked “Who are those for?” I said “You! Would you like me to make you one the professional way?” I started talking to her about how you need to mix the powder with the cream first and then add the water. She told me, “You should work at Tim Hortons.” I laughed and replied, “Actually, I used to manage a coffee shop called The Freeway and this is how we made our cafe mochas.”

The conversation then went a little deeper. She confided that she wished she was invisible and said, “I wouldn’t usually stay in a place like this, I don’t like people to see me.” I said, “Wow! Thank you for sharing that with me. Sometimes I feel like I’m invisible, and I just really want people to see me.” We chatted a little more and then I traded off with Megan from Asah to teach the second half of the art workshop. When I came back out the lady was gone but Megan said she had asked her to say thanks to me for the coffee and the visit. The ironic thing was that the art workshop I was leading was all about using drawing to help us see each other as children of God. It was amazing that what God was teaching in the lobby through hospitality was the same thing God was teaching the people in the prayer room through drawing.

Thanks so much for all your support and being part of my Punk Monk journey. If you would like to hear more about what I’m doing I would love to talk to you over a coffee, zoom, or an old fashioned phone call. Let me know.

Grace & Peace,

Randell (Randy) Neudorf
Artist /// Musician /// Punk Monk
C# 905-379-3717
randellneudorf@gmail.com
www.RandellNeudorf.com

To make an Online Donation in support of Randell’s ministry through CanadaHelps: click here.

Hey Team Punk Monk!

I wanted to start off by saying thank you to everyone for supporting the online Punk Monk Fundraiser in December. Your prayers, likes, shares, encouragement and donations made the fundraiser a big success. 

There are a number of new people getting this newsletter this month, so welcome to the team! This newsletter is a place for me to talk about my ministry with GOHOP (Greater Ontario House of Prayer), share prayer requests, and to give fundraising updates (financial accountability is always a good thing). 

I won’t always be putting finances at the top of the list but in light of all that has happened in the last few months it’s a good place to start this time.

The Punk Monk Fundraiser Story:

The idea was super simple, I was just going to post selfies online asking for money to help finish my first year with GOHOP on budget. No rewards, no shaving my beard, no song or dance, just an honest ask for help. The very first donation that came in was for $10, with a note that read “Praying God multiplies this!” God absolutely took that first donation and grew it. The goal was to raise $3000 and by Christmas I raised $3655. On top of the online fundraiser an additional $1905 came in from other places, which brings the November & December total up to $5560. I am overwhelmed with the generosity God has shown me through friends, family and strangers.

Fundraising in 2022:

My monthly fundraising goal is $2897. If you would like to see the cost breakdown of my hours and rate of pay, click here. 
The most sustainable (and least stressful way) for me to reach that goal is increasing the number of people signed up for a monthly giving plan. Right now I have 13 monthly givers contributing about $1300 in total each month. To reach my monthly goal, I need to raise an additional $1597 each month. With the extra money that came in at the end of 2021, I have now raised enough to be paid in full until the end of February. 

Here are some ways you can be praying for my fundraising:

• Pray that more people would sign up for a monthly giving plan. Currently 44% of my monthly goal comes from giving plans. I’m praying that this would increase to 75%. 
• Pray that one time and annual donations would continue to make up the monthly difference. Please pray that I wouldn’t have a month this year where I have a shortfall and need to do crisis fundraising.
• Pray that I could connect with potential givers & prayer partners in my wider network or even outside my current network. 

Here are a few other practical ways people can be helping:

• Ask your church, small group, or network if they would like me to come speak, sing, or lead a creative prayer activity. I’m happy to connect with groups no matter how large or small. I work hard to always combine stories, learning and practical application into everything I do (whether it is preaching, singing or leading an activity). Here is a participant quote I got after leading an Imaginative Gospel Contemplation workshop at a church planting retreat:
  
  “One of my favourite parts of our New Venture retreat this summer was the Gospel Contemplation hosted by Randall Neudorf. I am familiar with lectio divina but have never really tapped into my imagination the way Randall encouraged us to. I absolutely loved considering the different roles, as though I was reading a screenplay from different perspectives and then as an active participant in the story. It spoke to me deeply and I’m grateful to have another way to immerse myself in the scriptures.”  – Christina  
  
• If you gave a donation last year and plan on doing so again this year, consider splitting up your donation into a monthly giving plan. Last year’s$120 or $1200 donation could be this year’s $10 or $100 a month giving plan. I know the math works out the same but the monthly giving plan adds the gift of predictability (and stress reduction) to that number. 
  
• Introduce me to someone who you think would like to be part of the Punk Monk Team. If you know someone who might like to learn more about my work, be part of my prayer team or make a donation, please make the introduction. We all have different networks of people with different gifts and strengths. I’m always happy to meet and connect with new people. 
  
• If you would like to make an Online donation to support my work with GOHOP you can do that here: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/53164 (to donate by cheque click here)

TrueCity 24-7 Prayer Room:

This year I’m leading the planning team for the TrueCity Prayer Room that is part of the annual TrueCity Conference. The conference is happening on April 29th & 30th and the prayer room will run 24-7 for two weeks after that. I’m very excited to be given the opportunity to lead this team. This prayer room has always had an emphasis on connecting people to creative forms of prayer and building bridges between churches, which are two things I’m very passionate about. If you are in the Hamilton area and would like to help create an indoor (or outdoor) prayer station, please let me know. We will also be approaching local churches and challenging them to fill a 24 hour time slot as part of their TrueCity journey. 24 hours might sound like a long time but all it takes is 24 people each praying for 1 hour to make that happen. It is amazing how fast an hour goes by in the prayer room. 

Here is how you can be praying for the Prayer Room and the planning team:

• Pray for flexibility. We are going to need to hold all our ideas and plans very loosely, as we wait to see what the COVID regulations look like in the spring.
• Pray for safety & creativity. We will absolutely be following all the health and safety guidelines, and we will be working hard at finding creative ways to host a prayer room that is both meaningful and safe. My goal is to always look for the idea that feels like a “get to” and not just a “have to.”  The way to find those “get to” ideas is to allow safety challenges to push us into creative solutions 
• Pray that we can connect with the right volunteers, churches and individuals to be part of the prayer room. Last year the prayer room was online and it took a much smaller volunteer base to make that happen. Pray that we will have a strong group of volunteers and participants to re-engage with this annual expression of prayer and church unity. 

Art Journal and my Personal Journey:

When I was out Christmas shopping I ran into a stranger at an art supply store who really surprised me. They said, “Hey, Randell, you don’t know me but I follow you online. I really appreciate your art journal posts, especially the ones on pain. They are so important because so many people don’t know what it feels like to live with chronic pain.” A couple weeks before that I got a message with a donation that said “Your art is truly a ministry. I’m thankful that you are spreading God’s love through this thought provoking medium. Many blessings to you!” Both of these surprise compliments have encouraged me to keep being really open and honest with my online art journal posts. In that spirit of openness I wanted to share a little bit about my latest Art Journal post. 
Christmas is a really hard time at my house and that proved to be true again this year. Christmas day I had a panic attack and it came and went over the next 3 days. Sometimes it would even hit me in the middle of the night and I would be in panic mode for a couple hours. The best way I can describe these episodes is that it feels like everything is buzzing in a bad way (like a swarm of bees rather than a strong cup of coffee). In my latest Art Journal post I talked about my panic attacks and some of the things that helped me get through them. The response to these drawings and stories continues to be very positive. I know this isn’t the main part of my job but it really feels like an important part of my ministry. 
You can see all my Art Journal stories here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10164895225245179&type=3

Here are a few personal prayer requests:

• Pray for my mental health and my chronic pain. I am in the process of seeing a counselor but that is just starting. I also have a spiritual director and a physiotherapist, so I’m working on my mind, body and soul. My pain has been under control better lately and I feel like I’m getting stronger. I have even been able to play guitar more recently, which is very helpful (sometimes my pain interferes with my hands) 
• Pray for my family. I know everyone has experienced hard times during the pandemic but we have definitely found that it exacerbates our unique dynamics. 
• Pray for my art journal posts, that God would continue to use them. Pray that the right people would see them. Pray that I would continue to find creative outlets that are life giving. 

Leader Magazine: 

For 5 years I have been writing articles for Leader Magazine (a Mennonite publication). It has been a great opportunity to talk about where I have been seeing God show up in my neighbourhood and ministry. In my latest article I got to highlight a resource I created called  “A Visual Guide To Prayer Walking.” The guide is a series of drawings and prayer prompts intended to inspire people to try out prayer walking. Every few years the magazine switches up their contributors to hear from new voices. My prayer walking article was my last piece. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to share so many of my stories with people all across Canada and the United States.

You can download your own free copy of “A Visual Guide to Prayer Walking” here: https://randellneudorf.com/prayer-walking/

Connecting with Pastors & Leaders: 

GOHOP’s Pastors & Leaders prayer time is going really well. As the interim coordinator, I have consistently been able to book in a really diverse group of leaders for our listening prayer ministry. We have prayed with pastors, chaplains, denominational leaders, church planters, leadership teams and students. I have also been able to attend a number of networking events for pastors. This has helped me to connect with a number of leaders I hadn’t met before from a wider range of denominations. At one event, I was giving my listening prayer spiel to some pastors who were new to Hamilton when a bunch of other Pastors in the room jumped in and said “You need to go and pray with GOHOP!” It was amazing to realize that half the pastors in the room had already been prayed for by GOHOP in the last year.

Pray for my work with pastors & leaders:

• Pray that I would be able to continue to book in a diverse group of pastors and leaders. 
• Pray that we would continue to practice listening prayer in a safe and supportive way. My prayer is that our prayer time would open up the idea of listening prayer to leaders that have never experienced listening prayer before.
• Pray that we would be able to pray for more denominational leaders. I would love for them to feel confident to refer their pastors to GOHOP for prayer.

Thanks so much for following along with my journey. 

Grace & Peace,

Randell (Randy) Neudorf
randellneudorf@gmail.com
905-379-3717
randellneudorf.com 

CLICK HERE to make a donation 
in support of Randell’s ministry with GOHOP https://randellneudorf.com/gohop/donate/

Budget Short Fall

As of December 2021 it will be one year since I officially came on staff at GOHOP as a prayer missionary. Most GOHOP staff have an open ended fundraising model with no set rate of pay. Each month staff receive a pay cheque for the donations that came in for them that month. Some months are lean and other months are not. 

When I came on staff I was willing to step into fundraising my own support but I didn’t feel comfortable with not having a predictable budget. I started fundraising 3 months before officially joining GOHOP to build up a buffer so that each month I could receive a consistent pay cheque that reflected working 25 hours a week. GOHOP was happy to let me do this to make the job more sustainable for my family.

It has been amazing to see people’s generosity and belief in what I do. Overall my fundraising efforts have been a huge success. I have often had a 3 month (or more) buffer in my budget and this first year has been very stable up until September 2021. 

In my last newsletter I let people know that I had raised enough to be paid in full until the end of September. I was very surprised to find out that in reality there was a $300 shortfall. Over the next month, I leaned into fundraising, prayer and trying to find out where the discrepancy was. I felt like I was doing what needed to be done and my records showed that I had raised enough to continue to be paid in full but at the end of October the short fall was $1215. My last pay cheque was about half of what I would normally receive. Andy (the director of GOHOP) and I went back and forth on all the numbers, trying to figure out where the discrepancy was. In the end it turned out to be a monthly $192 tax called ER (employee remittance) that is charged to employers (in this case GOHOP) and that is why it doesn’t show up on my paystub. This added up to an annual hidden cost of $2300. GOHOP doesn’t take a percentage of staff fundraising (lots of charities do) but in lieu of this all costs associated with being an employee of GOHOP are paid by the staff.

I’m not going to lie, I was really upset that this deduction didn’t appear anywhere in the financial updates I received. I have also felt very overwhelmed by the stress of this financial surprise. I completely understand that GOHOP is in new territory with how I have been fundraising and I don’t begrudge raising the funds needed for my employment. Andy assures me this will no longer be a hidden cost and GOHOP will be using this as an opportunity to help staff to more accurately budget & fundraise what they need.

All that to say, I have had to increase my fundraising goal. Here are the numbers:

• $2897 is my new monthly fundraising target. This covers all the monthly costs associated with me being employed at GOHOP.
• $1300 is how much currently comes in each month from people signed up for monthly giving plans. This is the money that is predictable each month.
• $1597 is how much more I need to raise each month. Up until September 2021 this money has always come in before it was needed but is very unpredictable.

I would like to thank everyone over the last year who has contributed financially to my work at GOHOP. Even though I’m in a hard season right now, I know this is still a success story. The first 9 months of my work with GOHOP has been 100% funded by you. That is amazing! This early success has given me the confidence to keep fundraising and working to make this ministry sustainable as my primary source of income.
It is so important when talking about money and fundraising to be completely transparent, so here is my fundraising plan:

• A continued emphasis on Monthly Giving Plans. 
  Monthly giving plans can be set up online or mailed in with post dated cheques. People can sign up for a giving plan here: https://randellneudorf.com/gohop/donate/
• Contact one time givers to consider giving annually. 
  This has been a good way to catch up with people while inviting them to partner with me in my second year at GOHOP.
• Increase awareness about my work by speaking and singing more often at church gatherings and other events. Just last week I was able to be a guest speaker at Mount Hamilton Baptist Church and a guest worship leader for Redeemer Universitiy’s Act Five gap year program. I have developed hands-on teaching experiences focusing on prayer walking, imaginative gospel contemplation, art as prayer, and the practice of silence. In my music I have been experimenting with songs being sung as prayers & blessings over people. I have had the opportunity to try this and it has been well received in both church and secular community settings.
• Widen my support network by doing an online fundraising campaign through social media. I have been reluctant to do this before because I have people following my social media profiles that have no connection to the church. Some of these people might even be hostile towards the church. I don’t want to ostracise these friends but I also want to connect with people I know from church networks. I feel like I finally have the words to balance these two communities and will be starting to fundraise through my Facebook and Instagram profiles in the near future. If you see one of my fundraising posts please “like it”  to help other people see it. The more likes, shares and comments a post gets the better.

The good news is that I’m already seeing progress! Through these efforts I have covered most of my budget shortfall in September and October. 

If you would like to help cover my costs in November & December, 
you can make an online donation through CanadaHelps here:
 https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/53164

If you would like to send your donation by mail please visit here: 
https://randellneudorf.com/gohop/donate/

This practice of fundraising also has an important prayer component. 
Here is how you can be praying:

• Pray that the funds needed to finish 2020 well would come in.
• Pray that monthly giving plans would increase to 70% of my budget. 
• Pray that I would meet people outside of my current network who might want to contribute financially.
• Pray for my own spiritual ethic of fundraising. Pray that I would trust the Lord and not have stress overshadowing the work I’m doing. Pray that my conversations about money would also lead to good conversations about prayer and following Jesus.

A Few Quick Updates:

• I’m over halfway through being the interim coordinator for GOHOP’s Pastors & Leaders Prayer time. Networking with pastors and leaders comes very naturally to me and I have found this opportunity to be very fulfilling. Almost every week we have met with a different leader for prayer. About half of the pastors have requested to meet in person. Many of our zoom prayer weeks have been with pastors outside of Hamilton. We have prayed for leaders as far away as Saskatchewan. 
• Asah Creativity & Prayer Studio is having our next in person workshop on Wednesday November 17th at 7pm. The idea is to bend spiritual practices towards creativity, and to bend art practices towards prayer. You can check out the detail on our Facebook event page: https://fb.me/e/1EiYbjpS5 
• On October 15th, GOHOP entered our 20th year of prayer.  Check out our online Guest Book to send your Birthday message to GOHOP. You can also see other people’s stories, thoughts and photos.

Thanks for taking the time to read through all the financial info in this newsletter. I really appreciate you journeying along with me through this.

Grace & Peace,

Randell (Randy) Neudorf
Artist /// Musician /// Punk Monk
C# 905-379-3717

If you would like to receive this newsletter by email
please contact randellneudorf@gmail.com