An overwhelming sense of responsibility, accompanied by an equal amount of humility and a desire for anonymity, is what you get when asking Jan and Jim Jonker about their time as Today daily devotional delivery drivers for the past two decades.
Their story is rooted in family legacy. Jim's father, Jerry, played an important role in making ReFrame Ministries what it is today and impressing on his children the importance of the ministry, then known as The Back to God Hour. Jan and Jim are quick to point out that much of their own partnership with ReFrame grew out of Jerry's faithful example.
“Dad would invite ministry leaders over for dinner, and so we would get to know them gathered around the dinner table,” Jim shared.
Even now, the Jonkers hesitate for their involvement to be shared. They don't see their work as something to be praised but rather as a calling to be faithfully fulfilled, and they prefer to share recognition with others. Speaking gently about passing the responsibility on to a new generation, they know the realities families face today differ from previous years.
“It's different now,” Jan reflected. “So many people our age are helping their grown kids manage calendars, providing daycare, running grandkids to sports. And with most households having two parents working full-time, younger families aren't ready to take on these kinds of volunteer responsibilities. They're looking for some reprieve from all the other duties already on their plates.”
But Jan and Jim see another generation wanting to step in and support. In fact, the two share about how their grandchildren sometimes ride along on delivery days, a reminder that responsibility and joy are passed down most naturally through example. “It's important to instill a sense of responsibility to share the gospel,” Jim added, “but also to experience the joy that comes from working alongside others.”
That joy is clear in the friendships they’ve formed. “The number of people we get to see on a five-hour delivery day is really quite something,” Jim said, as Jan flipped through her delivery book. The couple said they did not begin the present delivery system for Today in West Michigan. That was started in the late 1970s by Bill Lubbers and Jerry Jonker, which Lubbers continued with his wife Wilma. It was augmented in the late 1990s by Bill and Gaye Hekman, with much help from Paul Breuker.
The Today distribution network in West Michigan alone relies on about 30 volunteers, some hauling large loads for sorting and others visiting locations where the publication is set out, free for the taking. Some places even require mid-week visits for restocking. "We never want those stands to be empty," Jim said.
For Jan and Jim, who make frequent restocking trips, they've come to know church staff, receptionists, and restaurant workers by name. "We've really gotten to know the people at our stops," Jan said. "Catching up with them is something we look forward to."
The fruit of this work often goes unseen, yet its reach is far wider than the Jonkers might imagine. Not long ago, ReFrame Ministries received a letter from a 13-year-old girl who discovered Today while on vacation in Holland, Mich., at a Russ' Restaurant. She asked if she could receive the devotional at her home in Wisconsin where, she explained, there are few Christians in her community.
This year we mark 75 years of the Today devotional. For over seven decades, God has used this small book to bring encouragement, hope, and truth into everyday life. And behind every copy, whether handed out at a church, placed on a restaurant counter, or mailed across the country, are the faithful volunteers who make it possible.
Volunteers such as Jan and Jim Jonker set an example for how the story of Today is not only about pages of daily devotions, but also about the people willing to carry God's words into their communities.