The Joy and Legacy of Service: Spotlight on Debbie Grissett
In addition to her work as Every Home’s Planned Giving Coordinator, Debbie Grissett has what she calls her “biscuits and gravy ministry.” Debbie’s signature dish has sustained believers for prayer meetings, fueled teams heading out for outreach, and encouraged her coworkers at Every Home on numerous occasions.
The biscuits and gravy ministry may not be glamorous, like much of Debbie’s ministry, it happens behind the scenes. But Debbie doesn’t seek public recognition. She says service is her calling. “[Every Home’s] mission is to reach everyone, every place, in every generation,” she shares. “That resonates with me. I want my legacy to be that I loved people, and served them, and told them we have a Savior.”
Debbie will celebrate twenty-six years at Every Home in April. While she has watched some things change as the work of Every Home has grown, the mission that first resonated with her, she says, has stayed the same.
The management of planned gifts is a ministry of details and diligence. And Debbie is as attentive to the stories of our partners as to the financial processes she manages.
Debbie has found building relationships to be the most meaningful reward. “For many years I have tried to serve and be a blessing, but it’s working the other way. Our partners are blessing me.” Debbie recalls many things Every Home’s partners have taught her.
“One person, who is with the Lord now, told me once as I was thanking her for her gift, ‘Well, it is the Lord who causes us to do of his good pleasure,’” Debbie reflects. “So many of our partners view what they have as completely belonging to the Lord. They want to get it as quickly as possible into the hands of someone carrying out the work [of Jesus.]”
The partner Debbie spoke of had a singular passion—the gospel—and insisted that her gifts never be used for anything that did not directly support the work of carrying Christ. She didn’t want her gifts to be used to build buildings or anything that could be considered a monument to human success or achievement because, she said, “those things fall down.”
“She didn’t care about things that many of us spend a lot of time and effort on,” Debbie remembers. “She cared about the harvest. That’s a common theme among many of our partners; they love things that are eternal—the souls of men and women and the Word of God.”
“I want my legacy to be that I loved people, and served them, and told them we have a Savior.”
Debbie relates to the desire for a spiritual legacy. “There’s joy in serving Jesus,” Debbie says. “And you want everybody to have that. You want your kids to walk in truth. You want your grandchildren to know there’s comfort in closeness to the Savior.”
Through her various avenues of ministry, Debbie has seen her faithful service bear fruit. Alongside her biscuits and gravy ministry, Debbie uses her kitchen gifts as part of her church’s bread ministry. After someone visits Debbie’s church for the first time, a group of church members bake fresh bread and deliver it the next evening as an expression of Christ’s love and an opportunity to answer questions about the church. Bread Ministry participants take turns baking, delivering bread, and praying over the visit.
It’s beautifully similar to Every Home, where every testimony is the result of many believers offering their gifts, reaching their neighbors, and covering the ministry in prayer.
Even when her work is behind the scenes or she doesn’t see the end result of the ways she serves, Debbie says, “Transformed lives are what make it worth it.”
“If we can be faithful, other generations will come along behind us, and they’ll be faithful.”
Like many of Every Home’s partner churches around the world, Debbie’s church sends teams on home-to-home outreach where they share invitations to church events, like Vacation Bible School (VBS). Debbie joyfully recounts the story of one family who began attending the church after the children participated in VBS. One by one, each member of this family has accepted Jesus as their Savior. Recently one of the young daughters was baptized.
“I love it when I see a little girl get saved,” Debbie says. “Because I think one day that’s going to make a difference in the lives of her children and grandchildren.”
Debbie is confident that the legacy built by Every Home’s global network of believers, past and present, will continue to transform lives. She says if she could say one thing to partners and friends now with Jesus, it would be: “The work continues!”
“If we can be faithful,” she says, “other generations will come along behind us, and they’ll be faithful.”
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