CHECK OUT & UTILIZE OUR BUSINESS SPONSORS OF THIS YEAR'S GTD BANQUET!! ...THEY ROCK!

  

Looking for some great businesses that also support great causes??? Check out GTD's business sponsors that just helped make our Annual Banquet a wonderful success!! Print or download this flyer for future reference as well as for GTD's upcoming 2027 Public Events!

 

THE POOL PRODIGY (Weekly pool service)

https://thepoolprodigy.com/home

 

FREDRICK JAMES TAX, ACCOUNTING, & CONSULTING

https://www.fredrickjames.com/

 

FATFINGER CONSTRUCTION

https://fatfingerconstruction.com/

  

AXCELMARK CUSTOM APPAREL

https://www.companycasuals.com/AxcelmarkPrimary/start.jsp?aboutus=Y

 

JASON LAZZARO BRAND DESIGN

https://www.jasonlaz.com/

 

REALTOR LAURIE FINGER OF KW VANESSA LEONARD GROUP

727-744-9028

 

THE BEAUTY COLLECTIVE BY MADISON

https://thebeautycollectivebymadison.glossgenius.com/

 

LAWN & LAND MARKETING (Digital marketing for lawn services)

https://lawnandlandmarketing.com/

  

TRAIL LIFE (Christ-centered adventure program for males 5-17)

https://www.traillifeusa.com/

 

BRITTANY NORMAN The Coastal Agent

https://thecoastalagentfl.com/

  

HAPPY GOAT ADVENTURES (Adventures with goat companions)

https://www.happygoatadventures.org/

 

ALEX RANDALL HOME SERVICES (Windows, doors, & more)

727-251-1133 / https://www.facebook.com/p/Randall-Home-Services-61594746622506/

 

INSPECTED (Home Inspector Jason Hebert)

727-291-3322 / https://inspectedfl.com/

 

RUN FOR THE REELS (Land based shark charters)

https://www.runforthereels.com/

 

FOSSIL GUY PARTIES (hands-on fossil experiences)

https://fossilguyparties.my.canva.site/

 

PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE OF PINELLAS PARK

https://phpofpinellaspark.org/

 

KIWANIS CLUB OF PINELLAS PARK

https://kiwanisclubofpinellaspark.org/

 

THE CITY OF PINELLAS PARK & THE PINELLAS PARK PERFORMING ART CENTER

https://www.pinellaspark.gov/

Let them know that you found their business thru GTD! Thank you again to our amazing business sponsors!!!!! God bless you!

 

 

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WE HAVE A NEW WEBSITE!! ...HOPING TO FINISH ALL THE UPDATES BY JAN 1st =)

   

A huge, huge, huge THANK YOU to our dear friends Jason Lazzaro & Kleber for GTD's NEW WEBSITE!!! Jason designed the layout, and Kleber has been working hard for nearly 3 months at turning that design into reality. The biggest challenge was very technical. Our old website has been stuck on our former website host's platform for many years, but they went out of business and left everything on autopilot so we have not been able to contact a human being for the technical information we needed to transfer our email accounts that are linked to our former host's platform. We could easily redirect the website address to a new host, but without the technical data we would lose all of our company email addresses. Everytime we tried to resolve it in the past we hit dead-end after dead-end so we have been stuck on our "blogsite" for over a decade trying to use that as a makeshift website while still maintaining our company emails. Kleber to the rescue!! Over the summer Kleber was on the Family Adventure Trip with Calvary Church and we were inner tubing down a river when he said in his awesome Brazilian accent, "Doug, I work in the IT world, is there anything I can do to help you guys in your ministry?" I said, "Yes!!!!" and then went on to describe the technical problem. He said, "I think I can help you with that." He went back home and spent a couple of weeks during his spare time to help us secure our email address while transferring our url to a new website host. Because we couldn't actually get that technical information that was needed it was still a roll of the dice if his solution would work, but after 10+ years of being stuck we were willing to take the chance of losing the email addresses in order to move on with a new website. Well, it worked!! Kleber did it!!! And then he began building our new website. Throughout the process he had to pause the progress as we left town to run events and then again while the banquet work was increasing. We weren't able to get everything updated and completed by the day of our banquet, but we were able to launch it that night as a work in progress with a new goal of completing everything by the end of the year. Anyways, we love how it looks and all the progress that has been made for the first time in over 10 years!!! Thank you so much Kleber & Jason for turning our dreams into reality!! It's happening, and you guys are an answer to prayer!!! Our new website can be found at:

www.goingthedistance.org

We are making weekly progress on it as we run events and follow-up with our banquet thank you's & post banquet work. Ministry is a total team effort, and God blessed us with some amazing team players!!!

 

 

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OUR NEW LOGO!!! ....IT'S THE WORDLESS BOOK GOSPEL COLORS + 1 !!

   

We have been going nonstop since the end of the banquet talking to & spending time with our awesome supporters, including family that is in-town. We have so much to share that God is doing!! Let's start first with GTD's NEW LOGO!!! Our profound and deepest heartfelt gratitude to Jason Lazzaro for rebranding GTD for our 30th Anniversary as we RELAUNCH GTD into the next 30 years!!! Jason undertook this mission on his own initiative about 1 year ago, and put in tons of hours working on a complete rebranding, including a new website mock-up and social media face-lift!! We! Absolutely! Love! It! (and him!)

 

Our new logo captures the essence of adventuring in God's amazing playground (His creation), and the colors represent the Gospel message:

BLACK = sin (separation from God)

 

RED = the blood of Jesus (dying on the cross and rising from the dead as the only acceptable sacrifice for our sin)

 

WHITE = forgiveness of sin & restoration of a close relationship with God as soon as we ask Jesus into our hearts

 

YELLOW = "gold", representing the streets of gold in Heaven (eternal life) which is God's promise to all who receives Jesus as their Savior

 

GREEN = spiritual growth as we are called to mature in our faith so that we bear much fruit for God's glory

 

BLUE = baptism, which is the outward symbolic action that communicates to the world that we are followers of Jesus

 

AAAAAAAAAND ORANGE!!!! This color is not actually represented in the Wordless Book so we had to be a little different and add "our own color" because we believe that one piece is missing, and that is >>>> ORANGE REPRESENTS THE HOLY SPIRIT (or Spirit filled life)!!! The Christian walk is impossible to do in our own power... it can only be accomplished by walking in the Holy Spirit!!! When we do that we have a vibrant (orange) life flourishing with the fruit of the Spirit

 

And there you have it... I hope you love GTD's NEW LOGO as much as we do!!!!!

 

Thank youuuuu soooooo much Jason Lazzaro!!!!! We love you!!! Your impact will live on into eternity!!!

 

 

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PRELIMINARY RESULTS: AROUND $100,000 RAISED SO FAR!!

  

Thank you to everyone who attended our Annual Banquet last night, and for all of our great speakers, hard working volunteers, and incredibly generous donors!! It was a wonderful night with so many aspects and angles! Unfortunately I packed too much into the night and mismanaged our time so we had to end abruptly and enlist all of our attendees to help breakdown the venue in about an hour, but not even that could keep the Annual Banquet from being a great success. We have the best & most gracious supporters!! Everyone was working hard to help breakdown and many people kept saying how much fun they were having cleaning up lol. Very gracious indeed! From all the positive feedback we've been getting as well as generous donations the night was a great success!! Our preliminary fundraising results are around $100,00 !!! That's absolutely AMAZING!!!! Thank you so much generous Donors, hardworking Volunteers, and wonderful Speakers!! And most of all, Thank You Jesus!! Way more details on the way 😀. God is definitely up to something very special!!

 

 

.

300 PEOPLE ON THE WAY!!! ...LET'S GOOOOO!!

    

Celebrating 30 years of ministry, and Lord willing, relaunching into our next 30 years!! Our amazing Volunteers & Staff did a fantastic job of decorating the venue!!! It's almost go time!

 

 

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IMPORTANT UPDATE!! ...EARLY BIRD CHECK-IN AVAILABLE!

   

Due to the incredible response of 300+ RSVP's we will be opening the banquet doors 30 minutes early at 6pm on Tuesday night October 20th to help expedite dinner. Fast check-in, self seating (to your assigned table), & doubling of buffet tables has been implemented. Dinner will be served from 6pm-7pm, and the rest of our program will begin around 6:55pm. God is up to something special!

 

***Just a reminder that "self seating" doesn't mean "open seating"... each attendee has an assigned table to sit at so if you already know your table number you are sitting at then you can bypass the check-in process and go straight to your table =). 

 

 

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300!!! WE ASKED GOD FOR 250... HE GAVE US 300 (& MORE)!!

   

We are in uncharted territory!! We have never had 200 people attend our Annual Banquet so we asked God for 250... Now we have a really good problem... God is blessing us exceedingly more than we can ask or imagine!! We are over 300 attendees!! We are out of tables and out of room!! We are putting people on a waiting list. Carrabba's is increasing the food! We are opening the doors earlier! We are simplifying the check-in process! We have put on the full armor and we are rising to the occasion (Praise God!!)... we are asking God for many many things, and He keeps giving us MORE than we asked for!! He is strongly supporting us... my prayer and daily quest is that my heart is completely His:

"For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His."  - 2 Chronicles 16:9

 

Pray for us as we rise to the occasion... pray that this event greatly honors & glorifies God!!! (Thank you!!!)

 

 

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I'M SO PROUD OF THIS WOMAN!

  

I'm so proud of this woman! She has the purest heart and the most amazing depth of character. She poured her heart, life, and love into my parents and brightened their lives during their darkest days. And after I lost my parents and was whittled down to a miserable pile of anger & depression she would sit by my side EVERYDAY and listened to me confess my deepest hurts & disappointments day after day after day after day after day. As I tried to daily process and articulate the internal crisis I was drowning in she would quietly and without judgement just listen to me say almost the same thing hour after hour after hour, day after day after day. At my most rock bottom, like Jonah & Elijah in the Bible, I just longed to die... that longing lasted a couple of years. I will never be able to put into words how vital of a role she played in my survival, and now she plays in my revival (thank You Jesus!). Just recently I learned that after she would listen to me for hours and I would go on to bed suffocating on my own self absorption & depression, she sometimes would kneel down outside my bedroom window and pray for me before she went home. God used her to save my life, and to save this ministry. God created her in a unique way and put her in a unique position FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS. Laurie often feels like she belongs on the island of the misfit toys, but like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer the "red nose" that people see as "misfit" is actually what's needed most in the foggiest and darkest of nights to save Christmas. Laurie isn't misfit... she's special ops... she was created and made with a bright red nose to be there for people in their darkest & foggiest hours to help lead the way through the fog on into the celebration. I watched her do that with my parents. I watched her do that with her grandma and other loved ones. And I watched her do that with me. She often feels less than ordinary when in reality she is extraordinary. She is the person you want and need in your life during your darkest and foggiest hours. Thank you Laurie for all you do and have done for me, for others, and for this ministry. I'm forever grateful for you and how God made you! Aaaaaaaaand thank you so much for working tirelessly to make our upcoming Annual Banquet a great success on top of all of your Realtor responsibilities. You! Are! Extraordinary!

 

 

.

All I keep saying is....

 

All I keep saying is that God is up to something special. Thank You Jesus!!! Can't wait for Tuesday night!!

 

 

.

WE ARE OFFICIALLY SOLD OUT FOR OUR ANNUAL BANQUET!!! ...THANK YOU JESUS!!!

  

More info to come... just wanted to get the word out... Glory to God!!!

 

 

.

THAT MOMENT WHEN YOU REALIZE "YOU'RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOAT"!! (All Glory to God!!)!!!

 

WE HIT 229 ATTENDEES LAST NIGHT WITH 5 DAYS TO GO!!!

  

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." - Ephesians 3:20-21

 

To claim your FREE SPOT simply click on the GTD Annual Banquet website link below and complete the RSVP form (takes about 1 minute) so we have enough Carrabba's for everyone!! Super simple!

 

Come join us for a fun night as we celebrate 30 years of ministry as well as prepare for our next 30 years! 

Dress Code: Semi-formal / Business attire 

 

ANNUAL BANQUET:

October 20th, 2026 (Tues Night)

6:30pm - 9:00pm

 

Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center

4951 78th Ave N, Pinellas Park, FL 33781

 

CATERED BY CARRABBA'S!!!!!

NEW GTD LOGO!!

NEW GTD WEBSITE!!

FUTURE NEW GTD CEO!!!

FREE GTD T-SHIRT TO ALL ATTENDEES!!

 

God is up to something special!!!! 

Annual Banquet RSVP link 

Annual Banquet info

 

 

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1 WEEK TO GOOOOO!! ...WE ALREADY HAVE 180 ATTENDEES (PTL!!)!!! ...HELP US HIT 250!!!

  

As we celebrate 30 years of ministry and RELAUNCH GTD into the next 30 years we want to PACK THE VENUE full of awesome people!

Every attendee gets a FREE GTD T-Shirt (with our new logo), a delicious Carrabba’s dinner, & MORE!

AND WE STILL HAVE SOME FREE BANQUET TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM GENEROUS OUT-OF-STATE TABLE SPONSORS!! 

 

Each year we have generous Table Sponsors that live out of the area that want to offer their banquet tickets to anyone that wants to come to our Annual Banquet and enjoy a night of celebration along with a free GTD T-Shirt, a delicious Carrabba's dinner, & a gift bag. Thank you to our very generous supporters!!! 

To claim your FREE SPOT simply click on the GTD Annual Banquet website link below and complete the RSVP form (takes about 1 minute) so we have enough Carrabba's for everyone!! Super simple!

 

Come join us for a fun night as we celebrate 30 years of ministry as well as prepare for our next 30 years! 

Dress Code: Semi-formal / Business attire 

 

ANNUAL BANQUET:

October 20th, 2026 (Tues Night)

6:30pm - 9:00pm

 

Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center

4951 78th Ave N, Pinellas Park, FL 33781

 

CATERED BY CARRABBA'S!!!!!

NEW GTD LOGO!!

NEW GTD WEBSITE!!

FUTURE NEW GTD CEO!!!

 

FREE GTD T-SHIRT TO ALL ATTENDEES!!

 

God is up to something special!!!! 

Annual Banquet RSVP link 

Annual Banquet info

 

 

.

28 OUT OF 25 TABLES SPONSORED!!! ...GOD IS UP TO SOMETHING SPECIAL!!!

  

WOW, JUST WOW!!! God exceeded our goal of 25 Table Sponsors by adding 3 more beyond our goal earlier this week to bring our current total to the maximum possible of 28 Tables Sponsors!!! Way to gooooo God!!!!!! An overwhelming THANK YOU to all of our Table & Event Sponsors!!!!!! You! Guys! Blow! Us! Away!!!!

  

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." - Ephesians 3:20-21

 

---------------------

 

WE STILL HAVE 30 FREE BANQUET TICKETS AVAILABLE!! 

Each year we have generous Table Sponsors that live out of the area that want to offer their banquet tickets to anyone that wants to come to our Annual Banquet and enjoy a night of celebration along with a free GTD T-Shirt, a delicious Carrabba's dinner, & a gift bag. Thank you to our very generous supporters!!! 

 

To claim your FREE SPOT simply click on the GTD Annual Banquet website link below and complete the RSVP form (takes about 1 minute) so we have enough Carrabba's for everyone!! Super simple!

 

Come join us for a fun night as we celebrate 30 years of ministry as well as prepare for our next 30 years! 

Dress Code: Semi-formal / Business attire 

 

ANNUAL BANQUET:

October 20th, 2026 (Tues Night)

6:30pm - 9:00pm

 

Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center

4951 78th Ave N, Pinellas Park, FL 33781

 

CATERED BY CARRABBA'S!!!!!

NEW GTD LOGO!!

NEW GTD WEBSITE!!

FUTURE NEW GTD CEO!!!

 

FREE GTD T-SHIRT TO ALL ATTENDEES!!

 

God is up to something special!!!! 

Annual Banquet RSVP link 

Annual Banquet info

 

 

.

Help GTD BREAK A RECORD!!

Help GTD BREAK A RECORD!!

(Currently we already have about 125 attendees!! The last 2 weeks is historically when people firm up their plans.)

As we celebrate 30 years of ministry and RELAUNCH GTD into the next 30 years we want to PACK THE VENUE full of awesome people!

Every attendee gets a FREE GTD T-Shirt, a delicious Carrabba’s dinner & MORE!

AND WE HAVE FREE BANQUET TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM GENEROUS OUT-OF-STATE TABLE SPONSORS!! 

 

Each year we have generous Table Sponsors that live out of the area that want to offer their banquet tickets to anyone that wants to come to our Annual Banquet and enjoy a night of celebration along with a free GTD T-Shirt, a delicious Carrabba's dinner, & a gift bag. Thank you to our very generous supporters!!! 

To claim your FREE SPOT simply click on the GTD Annual Banquet website link below and complete the RSVP form (takes about 1 minute) so we have enough Carrabba's for everyone!! Super simple!

 

Come join us for a fun night as we celebrate 30 years of ministry as well as prepare for our next 30 years! 

Dress Code: Semi-formal / Business attire 

 

ANNUAL BANQUET:

October 20th, 2026 (Tues Night)

6:30pm - 9:00pm

 

Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center

4951 78th Ave N, Pinellas Park, FL 33781

 

CATERED BY CARRABBA'S!!!!!

NEW GTD LOGO!!

NEW GTD WEBSITE!!

FUTURE NEW GTD CEO!!!

 

God is up to something special!!!! 

Annual Banquet RSVP link 

Annual Banquet info

 

 

.

40 FREE BANQUET TICKETS!! (FAMILY & KID FRIENDLY... BRING THE WHOLE FAMILY!!)

  

Each year we have generous Table Sponsors that live out of the area that want to offer their banquet tickets to anyone that wants to come to our Annual Banquet and enjoy a night of celebration along with a free GTD T-Shirt, a delicious Carrabba's dinner, & a gift bag. This year we have 4 sponsored tables x 10 seats per table = 40 FREE TICKETS AVAILABLE! Yayyyyy!! Thank you to our very generous supporters!!!

To claim your FREE TICKETS simply click on the GTD Annual Banquet website link below and complete the RSVP form (takes about 1 minute) so we have enough Carrabba's for everyone!! Super simple!

 

Come join us for a fun night as we celebrate 30 years of ministry as well as prepare for our next 30 years! 

Dress Code: Semi-formal / Business attire 

 

ANNUAL BANQUET:

October 20th, 2026 (Tues Night)

6:30pm - 9:00pm

 

Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center

4951 78th Ave N, Pinellas Park, FL 33781

 

CATERED BY CARRABBA'S!!!!!

NEW GTD LOGO!!

NEW GTD WEBSITE!!

FUTURE NEW GTD CEO!!!

 

God is up to something special!!!! 

Annual Banquet RSVP link 

Annual Banquet info

 

 .

GLORY TO GOD >>> ALL 25 TABLES SPONSORED IN EXACTLY 2 MONTHS!!!

  

Wow, God is up to something very special!! I'm thrilled to announce that God blessed us with 25 Table Sponsors in exactly 2 months (Aug 1 - Oct 1), and that even includes 3 weeks away running Adventure Trips!!!! 

 

We are soooooo blessed with THE GREATEST SUPPORTERS!!! Our cup of gratitude overflows for everyone who generously gave and helped us hit out goals!!! You! Guys! ROCK!!!

 

So much more to share... Thank You Jesus for strongly supporting us!!!

 

 

.

ONLY 1 TABLE SPONSOR LEFT TO GO!!!!!!

ONLY 1 TABLE SPONSOR LEFT TO GO!!!!!! 

We! Are! Blown! Away!!!

THANK YOU JESUS!!! ALL GLORY TO GOD 🙌 🙌 🙌 !!!! I keep saying it >>> GOD IS UP TO SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL!!!!!

Another thing I keep saying is >>> WE HAVE THE BEST DONORS & SUPPORTERS!!!! 

We are now up to 24 Table Sponsors!!! WE ONLY NEED 1 MORE to hit our goal of 25!!! 

PTL, in addition to all the Table Sponsors God has also also blessed us with a $5000 Dinner Sponsor, $4500 T-Shirt Sponsors, a $2000 Venue Sponsor, & a $12,000 Legacy Donor Match Challenge Sponsor!!!

Thank youuuuu soooooooo much to all of our AWESOME SUPPORTERS!!!!!! Many many many recognitions forthcoming!!! 

(FYI: All Event & Table Sponsors will be recognized on the back of our new GTD T-Shirts as well as at the Annual Banquet. The deadline to make it on the back of the shirt is October 5th!!) 

Here's the skinny: 

GTD is seeking 25 Table Sponsors for this year’s

Annual Banquet (Oct 20, 2026 at the Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center). 

All Table Sponsors receive recognition on the back of the GTD T-Shirts as well as on our website, social media, banquet handouts, & within our gift bags. (*The deadline to make it on the back of the shirt is October 5th!!)

Each table seats 10 people so each Table Sponsor will receive: 

- 10 Banquet Tickets

- 10 Carrabba Dinners

- 10 GTD T-Shirts

- And more 

Table Sponsorships cost $250, $500, $750, & $1000+ 

To become an ANNUAL BANQUET Table Sponsor simply complete the RSVP on the link below and check out the details on our Annual Banquet link below!! 

God is up to something special!!!! 

Annual Banquet RSVP link 

Annual Banquet info & donation link 

Fundraising Tracking link

 

 

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ANOTHER PRODUCTIVE 2-HOUR VOLUNTEER WORK DAY!!

  
I'm loving these monthly 2-hour volunteer Work Days! We get a week's worth of productivity accomplished in only 2 hours, and have a lot of fun & great fellowship along the way =). This past Saturday we had 8 of us working together to tackle some GTD manual labor... we got a lot done and still had the rest of the day to enjoy a beautiful Saturday!! Next GTD 2-hour volunteer Work Day is scheduled for October 17th (a Saturday) 9am-11am at "The GTD Projects" (my house lol) in Pinellas Park... specific work projects TBD.

If you would like to help us do some work at "The Projects" we would love your help! You can sign up on our sign-up link below. Thank you in advance, and glory to God in the highest!!

Upcoming Work Days at GTD's "The Projects"
October 17 (9am-11am)
November 07 (9am-11am)
December 12 (9am-11am)

GTD Work Day sign-up link:
https://signup.com/go/TFmkSWf

 

 

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21 TABLES ALREADY SPONSORED!!! ...ONLY 4 TABLE SPONSORS LEFT TO GO!!!!

  

GLORY TO GOD 🙌 🙌 🙌 !!!! As I said before >>> WE HAVE THE BEST DONORS & SUPPORTERS!!!! We are now up to 21 Table Sponsors!!! 

That means WE ONLY NEED 4 MORE with exactly 3 weeks to go till our most important event of the year!!! 

PTL, God has also already blessed us with a $5000 Dinner Sponsor, $4500 T-Shirt Sponsors, a $2000 Venue Sponsor, & a $12,000 Legacy Donor Match Challenge Sponsor!!!

Thank you so so so so so so soooooo much to all of our AWESOME SUPPORTERS!!!!!! Many recognitions forthcoming!!! 

(FYI: All Event & Table Sponsors will be recognized on the back of our new GTD T-Shirts as well as at the Annual Banquet. The deadline to make it on the back of the shirt is October 5th!!) 

Here's the skinny: 

GTD is seeking 25 Table Sponsors for this year’s Annual Banquet (Oct 20, 2026 at the Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center). 

All Table Sponsors receive recognition on the back of the GTD T-Shirts as well as on our website, social media, banquet handouts, & within our gift bags. (*The deadline to make it on the back of the shirt is October 5th!!)

Each table seats 10 people so each Table Sponsor will receive: 

- 10 Banquet Tickets

- 10 Carrabba Dinners

- 10 GTD T-Shirts

- And more 

Table Sponsorships cost $250, $500, $750, & $1000+ 

To become an ANNUAL BANQUET Table Sponsor simply complete the RSVP on the link below and check out the details on our Annual Banquet link below!! 

God is up to something special!!!! 

Annual Banquet RSVP link 

Annual Banquet info & donation link 

Fundraising Tracking link

 

 

.

ONLY 10 TABLE SPONSORS LEFT TO GO!!!!

ONLY 10 TABLE SPONSORS LEFT TO GO!!!!

Praise the Lord 🙌 🙌 🙌 !!!! WE HAVE THE BEST DONORS & SUPPORTERS 👏 👏 👏 !!!! We already have 15 Tables Sponsors (and we were gone for 3 weeks running Adventure Trips in Georgia)!!! 

That means WE ONLY NEED 10 MORE!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of our AWESOME SUPPORTERS!!!!!! Many recognitions forthcoming!!!

(FYI: All Event & Table Sponsors will be recognized on the back of our new GTD T-Shirts as well as at the Annual Banquet.)

Here's the skinny: 

GTD is seeking 25 Table Sponsors for this year’s

Annual Banquet (Oct 20, 2026 at the Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center). 

All Table Sponsors receive recognition on the back of the GTD T-Shirts as well as on our website, social media, banquet handouts, & within our gift bags.

Each table seats 10 people so each Table Sponsor will receive:

- 10 Banquet Tickets

- 10 Carrabba Dinners

- 10 GTD T-Shirts

- And more

Table Sponsorships cost $250, $500, $750, & $1000+

To become an ANNUAL BANQUET Table Sponsor simply complete the RSVP on the link below and check out the details on our Annual Banquet link below!! 

God is up to something special!!!! 

Annual Banquet RSVP link 

Annual Banquet info & donation link 

Fundraising Tracking link

 

 

.

WE DID IT!! ...AND WE HAVE RETURNED!

  

The boys are back in town! Praise the Lord, and ALL glory to God - we returned home a few days ago safe & sound and overflowingly blessed!! Carson, Andrew, & I ran 3 back-to-back-to-back Adventure Trips in northeast Georgia. It was literally a God-awesome time!! Usually it takes 5 people to run an Adventure Trip smoothly, but Andrew works as hard as 5 people just by himself... Carson works as hard as 4 people, and I work as hard as half of a person so when you add it all up we had 9.5 people working on each trip haha!! Special thanks to Gavin Williamson who came over from Atlanta to help us for a few days (especially on rock climbing day with SEU!!). And special thanks to the Lazzaro's who launched us into these trips with the use of their house & hospitality (& local Sam's Club lol) just before we started these sets of trips! GTD's 30th summer was amazing!!! God blessed all of us immensely, and worked powerfully in each group. We are now back home working on the upcoming Annual Banquet that is literally 4 weeks from today! This year we brought the truck and trailer back to Florida (from NC) so that we can FINALLY switch over to our "new" bigger & better trailer that we purchased a few years ago. We are going to build all new shelves in the new trailer and prep it for taking it back up to the mountains as we RELAUNCH GTD into our next 30 years!!! Thank You Jesus for all that You did, and all that You are doing!! God is up to something special!

 

 

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1 MONTH TILL OUR MOST IMPORTANT EVENT OF THE YEAR!!!

   
Join us on October  20, 2026 as we celebrate 30 years of God-awesome outdoor adventure ministry (1996-2026) PTL!!! Aaaaaaaaand we are RELAUNCHING GTD into our next 30 years of ministry on October 20th!!! SAVE THE DATE >>> GTD'S ANNUAL BANQUET IS ONLY 1 MONTH AWAY =)

Click this link for DETAILS & RSVP!

Going The Distance Adventure Ministry
God-awesome Adventures Since 1996!

 

 

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IT WAS NO mis"STEAK" MAKING THIS GUY GTD'S FUTURE CEO!!

  
Carson is 9 months into a 2 year process of replacing me as GTD's next CEO (target date: January 2028), and he is doing a fantastic job rising to the occasion 👏 👏. We have a saying in GTD for everyone who comes on as a new volunteer, staff member, or board member: "You can add to the ministry, but you cannot take away from the ministry." In other words, your presence makes us better, not worse. Carson has been adding to GTD since the day he was born! Over the summer he took our menu and made it better by adding new delicious meals (I loved the new chicken quesadillas!!), and even an option to upgrade your menu to steak, bacon, & sausage for an additional charge. The Calvary Church Men's Adventure Trip was our first steak & potatoes dinner along with Carson's world famous sausage, egg, bacon, & cheese breakfast sandwiches!! They were BIG HITS!! He just added to the ministry (per usual)!! It was definitely no mis"STEAK" making Carson GTD's future CEO! Great decision God!!!

(PS: I have not done a great job of describing what I'm doing after I pass the torch to Carson. Lord willing, I'm not retiring from GTD... just pivoting to new roles and new programs. Carson will become my boss! I'll assist him however he needs without pseudo micro-managing him while I focus on developing new areas of the ministry I have wanted to work on for the past 30 years. I'm definitely not retiring. The last 5+ years made it evident that I need to start passing the torch sooner rather than later. By the grace of God I'm not having any problems "letting go". It's God's perfect timing to pass the torch to the next generation FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS!)

 

 

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WHAT MORE CAN I SAY... EVERYONE LOVES RAFTING DAY!!

    
The Calvary Church of Clearwater men soaked up & savored every minute of our 7 hour white water rafting trip on "The Beast of The Southeast" - Chattooga River Section 4!!!

 

 

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JESUS IS THE "SECRET SAUCE" OF GTD!!

   
One of the guys on the Men's Adventure Trip was complimenting us on what a great ministry GTD is. He said, "The activities and experiences are great, but it's the devotionals and authentic conversations afterwards that are your secret sauce!" I couldn't agree more. In fact, that's very intentional. We could put together a thrilling, fun-filled, adrenaline oozing adventure absent of the focus on Jesus and it would be like a cup of sugar - full of empty calories leaving you still hungry and unsatisfied. Or we can put together that same exciting adventure combined with a continuous focus on Jesus and authentic transparent faith-emphasized conversations and then it becomes like a plate full of healthy food with a delicious dessert leaving you fully satisfied and well nourished in your body & your soul. In fact, we make it no secret at all, Jesus is our "secret sauce"!! It's all over our website, social media, and we wear it on our sleeve... He makes everything better, especially outdoor adventures in His amazing playground!! At best we can change your moments by giving you something memorable to do, but Jesus... well He can not only change your moments, He can also change your life & your soul!

 

 

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A PERFECT DAY FOR AN 8 STORY FAITH RAPPEL!

  
"A rappel is the controlled descent down a steep slope or cliff by sliding down a fixed rope." The men of Calvary Church of Clearwater were fearless on Currahee Mountain as they rapelled 80 feet down one of our favorite cliffs! Thrilling! Exciting! Faith Building!! God teaches us so much about faith through adventure... you can study for years about the definition of "faith" or you can learn it in minutes by rappelling! God is our anchor. His promises is the rope. Faith is committing yourself over the edge of the mountain. I was once taught that a one word definition of "faith" is "risk". Fear tells you to stay away from the edge. Faith responds with a factually based courage that compels you to risk what you fear over the edge. Faith OVER fear!

 

 

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REAL MEN SLIDE DOWN WET ROCKS LOL!

  
We had a blast hiking down into Tallulah Gorge State Park and sliding down Bridal Veil Falls then hiking out of the gorge! It was a complete adventure, and everyone loved it!!

 

 

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AND OUR 3rd STRAIGHT ADVENTURE TRIP HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!!

    
A small men's group (not midgets mind you) from Calvary Church of Clearwater arrived yesterday afternoon to kick off their annual GTD Adventure Trip!! Here we gooooo!! Shooting for a hat trick of back-to-back-to-back God-awesome events to complete our 2026 Summer of Fun!!! GLORY! TO! GOD!!!!

 

 

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WELCOME TO THE GTD CAMP FIT LAUNDROMAT!

   
Carson brought his weight lifting set so we are able to maintain our workout consistency... and wash our clothes with this handy dandy portable "washing machine" GTD got a couple of years ago. Who needs CrossFit when you can wash your clothes and workout at GTD's CAMP FIT LAUNDROMAT hahaha 😅

 

 

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YESTERDAY WAS AN ADVENTURE LIKE NO OTHER!!

  
Some days take on a life of their own. That's how yesterday was. We probably had 10 different adventures within one day of adventure. I'm still processing and savoring it... Yonah Mountain = new destination (for the other 3 guys, and I haven't been there in 20+ years), intense uphill hike, each person carried 2 backpacks, thick fog at the mountain top with 20 ft of visibility, temporarily "lost" from low visibility, teachable training moments for Carson & Andrew, miraculous-like clearing of the thick fog in about 5 minutes to reveal breathtaking views (and the trails as well as the edges of the cliffs), miraculous-like encounters with strangers that helped us get reoriented to find our trail to our rock climbing spot, a near fall off of a narrow trail edge about 10 feet above the rocks below (I was able to grab a tree to keep me from going over the edge, but slammed & twisted my left knee), slightly injured but still able to hike & climb with a limp, the injury meant Carson & Andrew had to set up the climbing anchors (a true passing of the torch as I always set up the rappel & climbing anchors, and they were able to apply the anchor training I have been teaching them), we all got to climb before darkness hit, hiking downhill with headlamps on, fully exhausted and fully alive, getting back to camp late for dinner and Impact Point, and probably several other adventures within the adventure!! Emeil, and all of us, had one of the best days of our lives full of unknown outcomes while relishing in the moment. A lot of it was captured on pictures, videos, & drone footage. It was truly an epic God-awesome day!!

 

 

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AN AUDIENCE OF ONE!

   

At one point we had about 8 people signed up for Go Vertical, and it slowly trickled down to one. Sometimes we cancel an event if participation falls below a certain number, but since we had private events right before Go Vertical and right after we could still run it if the one person (Emeil) wanted to still go vertical. Emeil was still all in and so were we!! And since we are in a 2 year process of passing the torch this became a good opportunity to also train up our next generation of GTD leaders that we treat a group of one with the same level of enthusiasm and care as we treat a group of 25! Andrew and Carson have risen to the occasion, and are working hard to give Emeil a God-awesome rock climbing & rappelling trip... and Emeil is loving it!! The truth is that we should always work each trip as unto an "Audience of One" - God, and then everyone walks away with a lifelong God-awesome memory!! Emeil got to go rappelling several times on Currahee Mountain. He relished it!

 

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people." - Colossians 3:23

 

 

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