A Match for the Almighty Dollar
After years of faithful giving, one woman watched her husband shift from chasing money to chasing God’s call for generosity
“I have felt the chisel of God in so many different areas of my life,” said Mark Feanny. “For me, money was power. It was self-efficiency; it was comfort, self-worth and identity. And I was chasing the almighty dollar.”
Mark and Carol Feanny at the 2023 Celebration of Generosity / Video screenshot
Mark and his wife Carol spoke to attendees of the 2023 Celebration of Generosity Conference, held in Scottsdale, Arizona. They shared their decision to build a medical facility in Uganda and how encouraging others through matching funds multiplied their effort beyond what they imagined possible.
“She has always been a giver,” Mark said about Carol. “That is who she is. It is in her DNA.”
Carol began her giving journey in college by sponsoring a child. Later, after she and Mark had kids, she helped them purchase Christmas gifts for families in third world countries. Even during financially lean years while Mark persevered through residency, Carol always put a priority on giving.
“I would come home from a long shift and was exhausted,” said Mark. “Carol would be excited to share about what she had just given away. But my heart wasn’t in it. We had money because of my hard work.”
Over time, the couple settled into a comfortable lifestyle. But Mark had set his eyes on more, with the end goal to own a private jet—a desire he would later relinquish.
“I had a success plan with a very high trajectory,” said Mark. “Ten years after getting through medical residency, we were hitting all the milestones. But there was so much pride in my plans. It is just like God that He chose finances to get my attention.”
Mark admits the passion for giving was something Carol had carried alone until the Lord began teaching him about the power of surrender, forcing him to admit the grip finances had on his heart.
“In fall of 2019, our church held a 40-day prayer challenge” said Carol. “During that time we were reading a book that mentioned Generous Giving. Mark looked it up and was intrigued by the fact that they do not ask for anything or seek donations whatsoever.”
“That was red flag number one,” Mark joked.
“But the mission was simply to inspire generosity,” said Carol.
“Red flag number two,” Mark chimed in.
The couple was inspired by stories of people giving both radically and creatively to those in need around the world. That sparked conversations about what God might be calling them to do.
“I was still hesitant as to what that would look like in our lives,” said Mark. “That is where God chose to meet me. It was an early spring morning in Texas and it was already getting hot. We were doing a drive-in clinic due to COVID. I had just finished setting up and decided to go sit in my car and cool off.”
Mark turned on his Spotify playlist expecting to hear Country classics, but instead it was a song from Carol’s list, one about surrender and giving up control. With tears running down his face, something finally clicked.
“I am sitting there and I ask God what He wants me to do.” Mark continued. “In the clearest voice, I heard Him say, ‘It’s time to truly surrender and give it away.’”
What would that mean for his family and all his hard work?
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“Before I knew it, the term ‘Radical generosity’ came to mind,” said Mark. “I finally understood. God didn’t want my stuff. Our stuff. He wants our heart.”
Mark and Carol decided to cap their lifestyle where it was, and give everything beyond that away.
They partnered with an international organization to fund the renovation of health care clinics in rural Africa, like Uganda and Zambia. “There is so much need for clean drinking water, sanitation, and power,” Carol explained. “The price tag was about $125,000 per clinic.”
After saving the amount they’d decided, Mark and Carol were ready to act—but Mark had an idea to do something bigger. They decided to do a matching fund campaign, encouraging others to help in the endeavor.
“God used that one-to–one fund matching to spark a wildfire of generosity,” stated Carol. “It was all we could do to hang on for the wild ride.”
Within one week, they’d raised enough to fund the first health care clinic. Two weeks later, they’d raised enough for two more clinics. Within 10 months, 33 clinics were funded.
“At the time, another couple heard about what we were doing and felt led to match our match,” said Carol. “Within six more weeks, over 60 more clinics were funded. In the space of about 15 months 100 clinics were funded, impacting over 100,000 people. Not only will their lives be improved with health care and clean drinking water, but they get to hear that Jesus sees them, He knows them, He loves them, and He has a plan and purpose for their lives.”
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