Time. Talent. And treasure. 

Living by these three tenets, according to Pat and Amy Jones, can affect every aspect of your life. Stewardship — how you spend your time, natural God-given gifts, and money — is addressed hundreds of times in the Bible. Paul says in Roman 12:5-8: “We all have different gifts...If it is serving, let him serve, if it is teaching, let him teach...if it is contributing let him give generously.” 

Giving Timothy their time, talent, and treasure was, quite simply, obedience to God.  

“That’s how we want to live,” Amy explains. “Especially when it comes to Timothy. We looked at those tenets and said we’ve given our time to Timothy, we’ve given our talents to Timothy through service, but we haven’t necessarily gone big with our treasure with Timothy. I knew we had to do all three.” 

Since enrolling their two kids Parker (now in 6th grade) and Kate (now in 3rd grade) in 2016, Pat and Amy have been quite generous to Timothy Christian Schools, with time, talent, and treasure. They have supported fundraisers and volunteered as much as they can. But as Pat and Amy explained they never gave to Timothy with the specific intent to inspire others to reach deep and financially support the mission of Timothy Christian Schools. 

photo courtesy of Cindy Fandl

In January of 2020, Superintendent Matt Davidson approached Pat and Amy about supporting Project IMPACT Phase 3, which is the high school renovation currently underway and scheduled to be completed by August 2021. Pre-pandemic, Matt and Pat met at McDonalds down the street from Timothy in Elmhurst for coffee. To an outsider, meeting at McDonalds for mid-morning coffee hardly seems like the place to approach a lead donor on a 10 million dollar renovation project. But for the Jones’ it not only fit how humble and gracious they are, but it was also a nod to Amy’s 14 year executive career in finance at McDonald's Corporation.  

Shortly after coffee at Mickey D’s, Pat and Amy joined Matt and Julie Davidson for dinner and shared the amount for the matching gift. 

“We knew this was our chance to help motivate people to say, ‘We are all in and completely committed to Timothy,’” Amy says. “We decided to do a matching grant of the contributions that are raised at the auction.” 

The Jones’ generous grant  will be announced by Matt Davidson at the Beyond the Classroom Auction on April 30. The grant — especially if it’s doubled through gifts of others at the auction —will substantially make a dent in the outstanding $2.5MM+ of Project IMPACT Phase 3. 

“Your treasure can be any amount,” Amy explains. “It may be $5 for someone, it may be $50,000 for another. We hope to inspire people to give on their level and any amount — big or small — it all makes an impact. We just want people to join us on this journey.” 

The Jones’ Timothy journey actually started 5 years ago in Singapore, where they were stationed for Amy’s job at McDonald’s Corporation. They received word that they would be repatriated months ahead of schedule. 

“We were scrambling,” Amy remembers. “We didn’t know where we would live or what school our kids would go to once we got back to the States.” 

Then came what Amy recalls as “a God moment.” 

Amy remembers that a staff member at their school in Singapore mentioned Timothy Christian Schools in Elmhurst. 

“I’d never heard of Timothy or Elmhurst,” Amy admits. 

Later Amy was put in contact with a fellow McDonalds employee, who was also a Timothy dad. Not only did the fellow McDonalds employee and Timothy family help Amy and Pat navigate transferring their children to Timothy Christian Schools, but they also helped them find a realtor, who also happened to be a Timothy parent. 

Before the Jones’ ever touched down in the United States, the Timothy Community was already rallying around them. “I knew as soon as we stepped on campus that this was where we were supposed to be,” Amy says. “I knew this was a God thing.” 

They admit starting over with school and friends was a bit intimidating at first. “We are not a generational family,” Pat says. “And we didn’t even have any friends who attended Timothy. But it was a community we knew we wanted to be a part of.” 

Amy started out volunteering for recess duty. She’s been a room mom, volunteered for Apple Pie Day, and participated in countless other committees. Pat has been at high school career fairs and sporting events. They started the first-ever Timothy Brownie Troop and a local lacrosse team for Timothy girls in their daughter’s class. 

Little by little, deep relationships started developing. “The thing we really appreciate about Timothy is the families have the core fundamental values that we have,” Pat says. “We are all on the same page and can help each other on this journey of parenthood.” 

It’s the Timothy Community that has caused the Jones’ to go “all in,” as they say. Timothy’s test scores and opportunities for students rival that of any other top-tier school. But the Christ-centered community is indeed one-of-a-kind.  

Although the Jones children are not yet in high school, they see the value of supporting Project IMPACT Phase 3 — especially since it was designed with building community in mind, both in the classroom and outside.

The coffee shop will be a natural place for students to congregate. But with larger spaces and meeting pods, it will give students more opportunity to collaborate, communicate, and build relationships. Plus, the space will help develop 21st century skills, allow cross-curricular education, and differentiated instruction. 

Community is a core value of Timothy Christian Schools. And it’s because of this Christ-centered community, the one that the Jones’ were so openly accepted (and who by the way are now welcoming new families), that inspired them to make the lead donation for the auction. 

“It's a joy to give to Project IMPACT Phase 3,” Pat and Amy say. “We do not take any of our gifts lightly. We believe in the mission of Timothy Christian Schools. And we believe God will be glorified through this. And we pray that our matching grant will inspire others to join us on this journey.”

 

Even though the Beyond the Classroom Auction is sold out — you can still support the mission of Timothy Christian Schools and Project IMPACT Phase 3. You'll have the opportunity to bid remotely on all silent auction items, which will start days before the auction. Bidding information will be announced next week. The other way to participate is to make a gift or pledge to Project IMPACT Phase 3 directly on the Timothy website here. All size gifts are needed and appreciated and will help fund the high school renovation that is currently in progress. If you have questions or want to learn more please contact our Director of Advancement, Robert Venhousen at venhousen@timothychristian.com or (630)782-4072.