A Leap of Faith

Today, Tom Vande Guchte owns and operates a multi-million-dollar creative office space business. However, making lots of money was never his priority. “It was not about trying to be wealthy; it was not about having control,” Tom explains. “I was doing it because I felt it was something that I was doing to honor God.”

He and his wife Mary have always put God first. When they married, Tom was a CPA earning $16,000 a year, and the couple decided that Mary would stay home.

“Even though we only lived on one income, I never felt a sense of want,” Mary shares. “I got to do the things I loved which was music and serving others. We weren't focused on what we had, but we were trying to take advantage of the opportunities God put in front of us.”

One thing they did was tithe. Tom says, “Right from the beginning, we always gave 10%. But I would not say I was very generous outside of that. I used to have a scarcity mentality. You’ve got to save and store up.” 

Mary added, “When we started in our marriage, the thought of tithing was just a line item on a budget.”

The couple was content with a simple lifestyle. They had five children, and as Tom’s work responsibility and income grew, they chose to increase their giving instead of their standard of living.  

“In the New Testament, it talks about giving as you have been blessed, so we built it up to about 20% in the first six or seven years,” shared Tom.

Later, Tom bought the office environment business, specializing in custom interior design for collaboration, workspace planning and facility management. As the company’s profits grew, the Vande Guchtes continued tithing. Then, they went to a Generous Giving Conference and started looking at giving in a newfound way. 

“We all tend to be worried, ‘Are we saving enough?’” Mary stated. “But ultimately, if we trust the Lord, we will invest with our time, our talents, and our treasure, in His work, and not use that money so that we feel comfortable and safe.” 

They started intentionally giving well-beyond what they had budgeted. Mary recalled, “I saw that it doesn’t have to always be about a calculated number but stepping out in faith.”

Tom added, “Everything that we have belongs to God. How are we going to manage it? How can we use it to make this world a better place?”

For Tom, it meant continuing to run his business on Godly principles. For Mary, it meant helping women full-time at a homeless shelter. Mary proclaimed, “Christ came to serve us. He didn’t come to be served, and I want to respond to others like Christ.”

Due to the pandemic in 2020, the Vande Guchtes were worried that the non-profits they had been supporting would collapse. So, for the next year, they committed themselves to give their entire income to radically serve others.

“Tom and I prayed about it, and we gave a hundred percent with plan to take nothing,” Mary said.

That gift was used as a fundraising challenge to encourage others to match the Vande Guchte’s giving. Their gift grew by 700%, providing water for over a quarter of a million people.  

“There is nothing I could have spent that money on that would've given me more joy and satisfaction than watching God work,” Tom said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Tom’s business had its best year to date. “God said, ‘Oh you’re willing to do that for me. I’ll show you what I’ll do,’” Tom exclaimed.

Mary expressed, “This was just Him saying, ‘Thank you,’ blessing back. It’s like ping pong, going back and forth.”

Today, the business continues to thrive. The couple is in a new home, yet they still enjoy a simple lifestyle. To them, their success just means they can give more.  

“The more we give, we get more blessing,” Tom declared. “And we have made the commitment now that we're going to give a hundred percent for the rest of our lives. We literally want to die so we have nothing left.”

For anyone that wants the joy the Vande Guchtes have, they suggest giving generously, from the heart. 

“Just ask him daily, ‘What do you want me to do?’ If we’re open-handed with our money, that shows we’re trusting Him,” Mary shared. “I just challenge others to do what God invited us into: to step out of your comfort zone and give like God, extravagantly, wherever He’s calling you into, and just see what He does.”

“Start somewhere and, you know, go a little bit further than what you're currently doing,” Tom said. He concluded, “God loves a joyful giver.”