Dear Friend,
It is a sobering thing that I must write this letter to you. Due to my illness, we are having to close Christian Concourse Ministries, Inc. as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry. Therefore, as of September 1, 2026, we will no longer receive donations.
Some of you have supported us for many years, while others are newer to our circle of friends. We are deeply thankful to all of you for your kindness and support.
Although illness will limit what I am able to do, I intend to keep our website available with all of its free downloads. We are also working with our printer to make our hymn booklets, Scripture booklets, CDs, and DVDs available for purchase through their online store, with a link from our website.
As Dar and I go through this major transition, we covet your prayers.
I was recently diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Although the diagnosis came on June 2 of this year, medical professionals who specialize in ALS believe, based on my symptoms and medical history, that I have had the disease for about three years.
ALS is a progressive disease of the nervous system that causes increasing muscle weakness throughout the body. Eventually I will lose the use of my arms and legs. I won’t be able to speak or swallow, and breathing will become a major concern. The timeline for each person’s journey with ALS is different, and no one can tell me exactly how quickly mine will progress. But, barring a miraculous intervention by the Lord, I understand where, sooner or later, this ALS road leads.
Thinking about this ALS road causes me to think about another road I have traveled for much of my life.
I began a relationship with Jesus Christ as a little boy, just before my seventh birthday. But my journey into young adulthood was not godly…to say the least! There were a few highs and many lows—sometimes very low. A few bright moments were scattered among long seasons of vanity, arrogance, and rebellion.
Then came a Saturday morning in August of 1978. I was twenty-nine.
Running down the sidewalk on Wisconsin Avenue in Washington, D.C., around 6 AM, I was desperate to see the sunrise. I won’t go into all the circumstances that brought me to this crisis over the breaking of daylight. Just know that in my sin-sick mind, seeing that sunrise was the most important thing in the world at that moment. With the apartment buildings and tall houses packed tightly side by side, my goal seemed hopeless.
Suddenly, shockingly, I became aware that I was not alone. I could not see anyone, but I knew Someone was right there with me!
I followed what I sensed to be His leading. It is hard to explain unless you have experienced it. He led me to a specific place on Wisconsin Avenue. Across the busy street was a huge trash can bearing the image of an elderly American Indian with a tear on his cheek. Between two large houses, directly above that trash can, the sun began to rise.
At that moment I realized I could never have known exactly where to stand at exactly the right time to see what I so desperately wanted to see.
But the One who led me there knew.
And I knew who He was.
Jesus Christ!
Instantly, all my prideful rebellion and sin flashed across my mind! I was overwhelmed by His faithfulness to me despite my wicked unfaithfulness to Him. The embrace we shared when I first came to Him as a child—He had never forgotten it. More importantly, He had never let me go.
He had patiently endured my wandering and the damage I had done to myself and others. And there I was, helpless and in a panic on Wisconsin Avenue. I certainly wasn’t seeking Him.
But, at just the right time, He showed up!
Since that morning 48 years ago, by His grace, I have been learning to know Jesus as my Savior and Lord…and more and more as my Friend. There have still been victories and failures, but He has always been faithful.
Through His written Word, prayer, anointed preachers, fellowship with other believers, and the presence of His Holy Spirit in my heart, He continues to renew my mind, strengthen my spirit, and deepen my love for Him.
He has always been there. Even when I could not sense His presence, I can look back and see His faithfulness.
And He asks me to love others as He loves me.
Oh boy. Are You kidding me?
But I try. And that is what I am doing with this little testimony.
Now I find myself looking down another road.
I don’t know whether I have one year, two, three, four, five, or more. None of us really knows. As ALS progresses, I expect to become increasingly dependent on others. Conversation may become difficult, and eventually I may lose the ability to communicate with those I love.
At first glance, that could look like isolation.
But that isn’t what I see.
When I look down this road, I see Jesus.
He is there, faithful as always. What may become isolation from the world may also become deeper intimacy with Him.
This road will become harder. I may lose much of my ability to express myself to others.
But ALS cannot keep me from communicating with my Savior.
It cannot stop my fellowship with Him.
It cannot separate me from His presence in my heart.
And so, while I don’t know what lies between here and there, I know where this road ultimately leads: into the heavenly presence of my Friend and my King—the One who knew me and loved me before the foundation of the world.
Not because I am special.
Not because I deserve it.
Not because I earned it.
But because He loves me.
And if you have read this far, I want you to know something. If there is even a flicker of faith in your heart that Jesus Christ is who He said He is, do not let go of that precious faith!
When God seems distant, when you feel hopeless, worthless, helpless—look up. You will find Him there. He has proven Himself faithful to me through all my wandering, failures, and fears. You will find Him faithful to you too!
So, to those close to me and to those wondering what lies ahead, understand this: as ALS takes more of my independence and perhaps eventually my ability to communicate, I may drift away from many things in this life. But I am moving closer to His embrace.
I love Him.
I know He loves me.
And I keep hearing His invitation:
“Come unto Me.”
That invitation is not just for me.
It is for you too.
Dar and I, together with our Board members, Larry McAdoo and Nathan Montgomery, thank you for your friendship, support, and prayers through the years. We pray the Lord will richly bless you.
Sincerely,
Gerald T. Johnson
President and Director of Ministry
Christian Concourse Ministries, Inc.
August 22, 2026