Doing the Impossible to Bless Others

Janet Ward Black owns a law firm in Greensboro, North Carolina.  Her team specializes in civil litigation, helping clients navigate some of the most difficult times in their lives.   

Janet Ward says, “Justice is God's idea, so we help people seek justice when they're not able to do it for themselves.”  

Her firm has also been making a difference around the world, through giving.  Already a faithful tither, Janet Ward says the idea came to her after Christmas in 2012.  

Janet Ward shares, “I felt like the Lord was telling us if we started tithing on the law firm's gross revenue, I would, in fact, be tithing for all of our thirty employees.”

But at the time, the firm was only a few years old and barely breaking even.  

As Janet Ward explains, “It was mathematically impossible.  So there were tremendous risks involved for our business to do this.  So I knew that God would have to do it if that's what He wanted us to do.”

The first person she told was her Executive Director, Ronda Holloway.  

Ronda remembers the moment: “I said, ‘You-you mean gross revenue, as in before we do anything with a dollar, we're going to give away a dime?’  She said, ‘That's exactly what I mean!’  So I was, you know, stoic as I could be and nodded my head.  I went home that night and I-I told my husband, ‘Janet Ward has lost her mind!’  All the things run through your mind, ‘How am I going to explain this to the employees?  How are we going to do that?’”

But Ronda, who’s also a Christian, was willing to give it a try.

She says, “I honestly did not know where the money was going to come from, but I was committed to doing it.”

So they formed a committee that would decide where that 10% would go.  

Janet Ward says, “We looked to Matthew 25 about ‘hungry, thirsty, jailed, strangers, naked, sick’ and we said, ‘Why don't we use those as parameters.’”

As the firm’s Office Manager and Bookkeeper, Wendy Campbell says she knew it would be tough to give away 10% of their revenue, and still meet all of their overhead and payroll.

She shares, “Seeing the numbers and the balance statements and the income statements, I didn't think it was a bad idea, but I didn't necessarily know how we were going to pull it off.”

But month after month, they did. 

Ronda remembers, “Around month four, I realized no matter what we had in the bank account, enough was always there.  We had not suffered at all.  And we actually had reported a profit every single one of those months.”

Wendy says, “Cases were just kinda falling into our laps.  Settlements that we weren't expecting to get that were much larger than we were expecting to get.  This was not our math, this was definitely God's math because I was writing checks that I shouldn’t have been able to write.”

Janet Ward says, “Not only did he allow us to tithe 10%, but He allowed us to give the biggest bonuses we've ever given in the history of the law firm.”  

Ronda says, “It really made us feel like we were doing what we were supposed to do.  And that's really kind of been the story the entire time since then.”

Since 2013, the small North Carolina law firm has given to over 160 organizations, and helped change the course of countless lives.

Janet Ward explains, “We have built churches uh in India, in Vietnam.  Orphanages in Rwanda and Burundi.”

Wendy adds, “We have worked with food pantries, // addiction programs, homeless shelters.  

Ronda says, “We do a lot of work with organizations that are spreading the Gospel, translating the Bible so that no language is left without the Word.” 

Ronda says her favorite part is delivering the news to those organizations selected to receive a donation.  She says, “Their reaction is just...something that you don't get to see!  How lucky am I to be a part of being-being able to do this.”

Janet Ward says, “We thought when we started this that we would be doing things for other people. But we're the ones that are blessed by it.” 

Ronda shares, “It just makes you feel like everything you've done, every prayer you've sent up, every case you've worked, every time you pull into the parking lot it made a difference.  It changed a life. That, to me, just speaks the love of Jesus.”

It’s been over seven years since the fledgling firm took a step into the impossible – giving out of obedience and a heart to help others.

Wendy remarks, “The blessings on us have been far greater than the checks that I've written.”

Janet Ward says, “There's a verse that says, ‘Test me in this.’  And this is God, the one time saying, ‘Test me.  I will protect your 90% if you give me 10%.’  Frankly, we'd much rather have God protecting our 90% than us trying to protect our 100%.”

Ronda adds, “And we don't have to worry about next month, next year.  We don't even really have to worry about tomorrow. We just have to take that step and trust that He's walking with us today.”