At home, full of grief and devastation over the loss of his best friend, Ben, Jonathan’s only solace comes from delivering the newspapers on his paper route at three o’clock each afternoon. In fact, the Independent Star-News never had a more dedicated delivery boy than they had in Jonathan over the days following Ben’s death. That and one other thing were the only things to bring him any comfort.
It was 3:00 in the morning. Ben was dying, but only Jonathan knew. He was the only one awake when he snuck into Ben’s hospital room and climbed into bed with him. Jonathan was wishing for something neither of them could have. More time. One more adventure. One more outrageous idea. One more argument with the boy who had waken up the whole church and given Jonathan courage well beyond his years.
In the story, Saint Ben, three o’clock is an important hour. It’s when Jonathan gets home from school and starts his paper route. And as Ben and Jonathan have become fast friends and do almost everything together, Ben has taken up joining Jonathan for this delivery experience, each taking a different side of the street. Ben fittingly has the side with the odd numbered street addresses, and Jonathan, the even.
Chairman of The Catch Ministry’s 2026 Annual Fall “Gotta Get the News Out” Campaign announces a special complimentary audiobook gift for campaign contributors.
October 23, 2026 — Noel Paul Stookey, legendary singer-songwriter of Peter, Paul and Mary and Chairman of The Catch Ministry’s 2026 Annual Fall Campaign, “Gotta Get the News Out,” is delighted to announce the release of the audiobook edition of Saint Ben, the beloved novel by author, musician, and Catch Ministry pastor John Fischer.
Featuring acclaimed voice actor Bob Souer, the new audiobook brings to life an unforgettable story of friendship, faith, courage, and the extraordinary difference one ordinary life can make.
Stookey, an enthusiastic admirer of the novel, has described his experience of reading Saint Ben in deeply personal terms:
“Absolutely loved Saint Ben … was moved to tears several times … the honoring of each person’s soul-searching-for-integrity [is] brilliant.”
Now, as Campaign Chairman, Stookey is inviting the entire Catch community to share in the excitement surrounding the audiobook’s release.
A Special Announcement from Campaign Chairman Noel Paul Stookey
“I’ve had the pleasure of reading Saint Ben, and I can tell you it is a story that stays with you long after you’ve turned the final page.
“Now, with Bob Souer bringing John’s unforgettable characters to life, an entirely new audience will have the opportunity to experience this remarkable friendship.
“I’m especially pleased to announce that a complimentary download of the newly released Saint Ben audiobook will be our gift of appreciation exclusively to those who contribute toward the success of The Catch Ministry’s 2026 Annual Fall Campaign, ‘Gotta Get the News Out.’
“This campaign is about something much bigger than reaching a financial goal. It is about developing disciples and carrying the Gospel of Welcome — Grace Turned Outward — to everyone, everywhere.
“And that is news worth getting out!”
— Noel Paul Stookey, Chairman, 2026 Annual Fall Campaign
The Campaign Is 60% of the Way to Its Goal!
The Catch Ministry is pleased to announce that its Annual Fall Campaign has reached 60% of its $20,000 goal, with $12,000 committed and just $8,000 remaining.
Under Stookey’s chairmanship, the campaign celebrates the ministry’s purpose of developing disciples who carry the good news into everyday relationships across generations, communities, and countries.
The ministry is now inviting every member of the Catch community to participate in bringing the campaign across the finish line. Every contribution matters. Every person matters. And every member of this community has a place in the story.
Why “Gotta Get the News Out”?
In Saint Ben, a young boy named Ben possesses an extraordinary determination to discover the truth and share it, regardless of the obstacles. His unforgettable words to his friend Jonathan capture the spirit of the campaign:
“It’s 3:00. Gotta get the news out.”
For The Catch Ministry, those words have become more than a memorable line from a novel.
They have become a call to action. The good news was never meant to be kept to ourselves. It was meant to be shared, one person, one relationship, and one life at a time.
An Invitation to the Catch Community
The Catch Ministry invites its entire community to join Noel Paul Stookey in celebrating the release of the Saint Ben audiobook and participating in the final stretch of the 2026 Annual Fall Campaign.
Those who contribute toward the success of “Gotta Get the News Out” will receive a complimentary download of the newly released Saint Ben audiobook, narrated by Bob Souer, as the ministry’s gift of appreciation.
Together, we can finish what we have started.
Together, we can introduce the Gospel of Welcome — Grace Turned Outward — to everyone, everywhere.
The news is good. The story is unforgettable. And the time to get the news out is NOW!
About The Catch Ministry
The Catch Ministry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Christian ministry dedicated to developing disciples and introducing the Gospel of Welcome — Grace Turned Outward — to everyone, everywhere. Through the Daily Catch, Sunday Church, prayer, counseling, and an international community of believers, the ministry equips ordinary people to fulfill the Great Commission through meaningful relationships.
2026 Annual Fall Campaign: Gotta Get the News Out
Campaign Chairman: Noel Paul Stookey
Campaign Goal: $20,000
Campaign Progress: 60%
Remaining Goal: $8,000Participate in the Campaign: [CLICK HERE] to contribute.
Media Contact: The Catch Ministry
[email protected], http://www.CatchJohnFischer.Live
This week we’ve been telling stories about aspects of the Catch ministry — the Daily Catch, the prayer and counseling ministries — today we illustrate boots on the ground and what it means to discipleship. It’s longer than our usual Catches, but it’s a great read. Enjoy!
Joseph retired at sixty-seven, right on schedule. After forty years of building a career, solving problems, leading teams, and occasionally rescuing upper management from its own brilliant ideas, he had earned the right to do absolutely nothing. And he was getting rather good at it.
This week, as part of our current “Gotta Get the News Out” campaign, we are telling stories that come out of the various aspects of our ministry here at the Catch. Today, our story features one example of what happens through our prayer ministry. Please prayerfully consider what the Lord puts in your heart to give to this campaign.
The kind of late when the world grows quiet, the lights go out in neighboring houses, and the questions you’ve been avoiding all day suddenly demand answers.
Susan had plenty of questions.
This week, as part of our current “Gotta Get the News Out” campaign, we are telling stories that come out of the various aspects of our ministry here at the Catch. Today, our story features one example of what happens through our counseling ministry. Please prayerfully consider what the Lord puts in your heart to give to this campaign.
Let’s call her Sarah. She isn’t a particular person from our counseling ministry, but she represents something we’ve encountered many times: people who have gradually become strangers to themselves.
Like Ben and Jonathan, who don’t know what happens to the news after it’s delivered, so we don’t know how lives are affected by the Catch every day, or how the Catch gets passed around, but some stories do come back, and this is one of them.
For 34 years, Ron has lived behind prison walls.
He is 73 now. His health isn’t what it used to be. His family has long since severed ties, and the ordinary freedoms most of us barely notice are simply not part of his world.
A newspaper leaves Ben’s hand, lands on a porch, and disappears inside a house. What happens next? Ben and Jonathan will probably never know. Maybe somebody will glance at the headlines; maybe somebody will find out what their favorite local sports team did, maybe someone will read the obituary about a friend who had died; maybe somebody’s canary cage will get a new flooring; maybe it will just get dropped unread in the recycle bin because no one had the time for it.
It never was.
It’s not about expanding the Catch Ministry.
It’s not about reaching a fundraising goal.
It’s not about John writing the Catch every day.
