John Fischer The Catch

Dear Catch Community,

Somewhere, we imagine two boys on bicycles, newspapers tucked under their arms, grinning from ear to ear.

Johnathon and Ben have done it!

Well, actually, YOU have done it!

Together, the Catch community has reached our $20,000 goal for the 2026 Annual Fall Gotta Get the News Out Campaign! And we couldn’t be more grateful.

Remember how the story began? Two boys. A newspaper route. A message worth delivering.

At first, Ben followed Johnathon. But eventually, Ben realized something important: there was another side of the street. And if the news was going to reach everyone, somebody had to deliver it over there, too. So Ben took the other side.

And suddenly, the route became something bigger than either boy could accomplish alone.

That’s exactly what happened here.

You took the other side of the street.

Some of you gave generously. Some gave sacrificially. Some encouraged others to join in. Some prayed. And together, you demonstrated something we have believed from the beginning: Nobody runs the route alone.

We want to offer a very special and heartfelt thank-you to Noel Paul Stookey, our 2026 Annual Fall Campaign Chairman.

Noel, your friendship, leadership, encouragement, and willingness to lend your voice to this campaign have meant more than we can adequately express. You helped us remind people that the Good News is not something we simply receive and keep to ourselves. It is something we are called to share. Thank you for riding alongside us.

And to every member of our Catch community who participated, whether your gift was large or small, please know this: You made this victory possible.

But here’s the funny thing about a newspaper route. Just when you think you’ve delivered the last paper, tomorrow comes!

And somewhere, someone is waiting.

Someone who hasn’t heard that God’s grace includes them. Someone who doesn’t know there is a place for them at His table. Someone who has yet to discover that there is a God-shaped hole in their heart that only God can fill — and a place in God’s heart that belongs uniquely to them.

That’s why our work doesn’t end with a successful campaign. In fact, it’s why we had the campaign in the first place.

Our purpose is to develop disciples. Our vision is to introduce the Gospel of Welcome—Grace Turned Outward—to everyone, everywhere.

And now, because of you, we’re ready to keep riding.

Johnathon has one side of the street. Ben has the other. And all of us have streets of our own — our families, neighborhoods, workplaces, churches, and communities.

The goal was $20,000. The mission is everyone, everywhere.

So celebrate with us today! Ring the bicycle bells! Toss a few newspapers in the air! (Just remember to pick them up afterward.) And tomorrow?

Well, tomorrow we’ll be back on our bicycles. Because somewhere in this great big world, it’s 3:00. And you know what that means.

WE’VE GOTTA GET THE NEWS OUT!

With overflowing gratitude and love,

John and Marti Fischer
The Catch Ministry

P.S. Ben, you can stop counting the money now. We’ve reached the goal. But don’t put your bicycle away. We’ve still got a lot of streets to cover.

We celebrate those who have graciously participated:

Peter & Jan – Branson, Missouri
Neil – Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Olivia – Waterloo, Ontario CANADA
Mike – Cambria, California
Chilly – Livingston, Louisiana
Wayne – Modesto, California
Richard – Concord, California
Thomas – Bow, New Hampshire
Judith – Nolensville, Texas
Dick – Lantana, Texas
David – Chehalis, Washington
John – Cupertino, California
Todd – Franklin, Tennessee
Jeanne – Vacaville, California
Tom – Washington D.C.
David – Fullerton, California
Gaetane – Powell River, BC CANADA
David – Lakeville Minnesotta
Patrick – Milan, Michigan
Steve – Keswick, Ontario, CANADA
Christina – Colorado Springs, Colorado
Basil – Sparta, New Jersey
Cynthia – Sonora, California
Daniel – Washburn, Wisconsin
Merlyn – Goodyear, Arizona
Elizabeth – Chicago, Illinois
Ray
Gary – Franklin, New Jersey
Richard – Nashville, Tennessee
William – Livingston, Louisiana
Steve – Nashville, Tennessee
Tim – Twin Falls, Idaho
Joe – Houston, Texas
Joyce – Mount Joy, Pennsylvania
Allen – Exton, Pennsylvania
Keith – Portland, Oregon
Tami – Pensacola, Florida
Pat – Normandy Park, Washington
Mike – Sacramento, California
Laura – Medford, Massachusetts
Kristin – Chesterfield, Missouri
Linda – Bainbridge Island, Washington
Lisa – Sunland, California
Joanne – Lynden, Washington
Tom – Orinda, California

THANK YOU!

click here

To participate in the “Gotta Get The News Out” Campaign

Ben was an influencer.

You are an influencer if:

you want to make a difference in somebody’s life;
you have a gift and you want to use it;
you want to be found doing the will of God when the Lord comes back;
you want to make right what’s gone wrong;
you want people to feel like they’ve been with Jesus when they’ve been with you;
you want everyone to know that the grace that has been bestowed upon you is available to them, too;
and, finally, you are an influencer if you are reading this right now!

That’s right: you are an influencer because you care enough to be here.

Marti and I were talking about doing some Catches honoring some of the key influencers especially at the start of The Catch Ministry, when we suddenly realized you were all influencers, otherwise you wouldn’t be remotely interested in getting or keeping up with the Catch. Am I right? Check that list above one more time. Isn’t that you? If it’s not, you would have deleted us long ago.

It’s pretty simpl0my past when I was in a financial crisis but God helped me find ways out. 

So I’ve just made my donation. In the long run it won’t hurt me and I pray it helps you. I also pray I can inspire others as you have inspired me. 

Those are the words of an influencer. He’s figured out something and he’s sharing it with you. He’s experienced a new freedom, and he’s eager for you to walk in it as well.

The final report about our current Gotta Get the News Out campaign will be forthcoming. In the meantime, if you haven’t contributed already, we welcome your participation.

Below are the influencers who have already participated:

Judith, Nolensville, Texas
Dick, Lantana,. Texas
David, Chehalis, Washington
John, Cupertino, California
Todd, Franklin, Tennessee
Jeanne, Vacaville, California
Tom, Washington D.C.
David, Fullerton, California
Gaetane, Powell River, BC CANADA
David, Lakeville Minnesotta
Patrick, Milan, Michigan
Steve, Keswick, Ontario, CANADA
Christina – Colorado Springs, Colorado
Basil – Sparta, New Jersey
Cynthia – Sonora, California
Daniel – Washburn, Wisconsin
Merlyn – Goodyear, Arizona
Elizabeth – Chicago, Illinois
Ray
Gary – Franklin, New Jersey
Richard – Nashville, Tennessee
William – Livingston, Louisiana
Steve – Nashville, Tennessee
Tim – Twin Falls, Idaho
Joe – Houston, Texas
Joyce – Mount Joy, Pennsylvania
Allen – Exton, Pennsylvania
Keith – Portland, Oregon
Tami – Pensacola, Florida
Pat – Normandy Park, Washington
Mike – Sacramento, California
Laura – Medford, Massachusetts
Kristin – Chesterfield, Missouri
Linda – Bainbridge Island, Washington
Lisa – Sunland, California
Joanne – Lynden, Washington
Tom – Orinda, California

THANK YOU!

click here

To participate in the “Gotta Get The News Out” Campaign

When Ben died, everything in Jonathan’s life stopped except one thing:

His paper route.

It was delivered every day with the precision of a Swiss watch.

A large part of that was Jonathan’s grief. It was all he could do to keep the paper route going, because delivering newspapers made him feel close to Ben in that Ben’s final words had been, “It’s three o’clock. Gotta get the news out.”

Continue reading →

Click here for Noel Stookey’s Final Video.

Click here to contribute to our Gotta Get the News Out Campaign.

Then come back for today’s Catch:

Ben lived all of his brief life in a constant state of urgency. He knew his life would be short, and that lended an intensity to everything he did. This was why he was brash and always insisting on the truth. He simply didn’t have any time to waste.

There is something in this solemnity for all of us. The brevity of Ben’s life was only brief in comparison to the average lifespan of the human beings he observed all around him. But what if you compare an average lifespan to eternity? What do you find out then? You find out what the Bible says about our mortal lives:

You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. (James 4:14)
The length of our days … quickly pass, and we fly away. (Psalm 90:10)
You have made my days a mere handbreadth. (Psalm 39:4)
The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone. (Psalm 103:15)

It doesn’t take much to realize this talk about brevity of life is all relative. Ben’s life was short, but compared to what? When you consider the known history of life on earth, what is the difference between 10 years and 80? Not much. So the same things that drove Ben should drive us as well.

That is just one of the values behind this story. Why shouldn’t we live with the same passion? As we said before, not in panic, but in a sense of healthy urgency?

Do not pass this story off as only fiction about an unusual 10-year-old boy in the 1950s. And don’t pass it off as about someone else. See it as a story about you, because you matter. You are all part of an army of love — boots on the ground, making relationships wherever you are all over the world.

When Jesus said Go and make disciples, He was also saying Go and make relationships, because you can’t make disciples outside of a relationship. It’s all one-on-one. That’s one of the reasons why you all are so important.

The Catch Ministry isn’t John and Marti, members of the board, staff members and volunteers. Our relationships are limited. The Catch Ministry is not limited when it is seen as you. All of you. And it’s growing. That’s why we are having this campaign — to inspire your participation in our purpose to introduce the gospel of welcome — grace turned outward — to everyone everywhere.

And finally, see Ben’s story as a challenge, at whatever your age, to live with a sense that your life is a mist, a handbreadth, a flower of the field that the wind blows over and is gone. So what are you going to do with the time you still have?

Grace Turned Outward — to everyone, everywhere.

2026 Annual Fall Campaign — Gotta Get the News Out

The Catch Ministry is developing disciples to carry the Gospel of Welcome into the lives of others. Your contribution allows this work to continue and grow.

Click Here to contribute.

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.

Continue reading →