Presidential Award Presented for Sharing God’s Love
Johnathan Bond Recognized by President Trump
1 John 3:16-18 (ESV): By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Extended Arms Project (EAP), is a non-profit charitable organization established in 2009 as a subsidiary of Young Harmony, Inc., a ministry led by Johnathan Bond. Johnathan Bond has been in full time ministry across the United States and abroad for several decades, preaching the gospel, singing and ministering to people in need everywhere he goes.
EAP’s mission is to extend a helping hand to the most vulnerable among us. Whether it’s providing shelter to the homeless, offering education to underprivileged children, or delivering vital healthcare services to remote regions, their goal remains unwavering—to make a tangible and lasting impact on the lives of those in need. Based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, EAP has now grown to serve the needy in 10 states (Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Ohio).
Each month, EAP feeds on average 5,200 people. But providing food is only a part of EAP’s ministry which is divided into four major efforts: Shelter and Housing Assistance, Education and Empowerment, Healthcare and Wellness, and Disaster Relief and Recovery. The many volunteers and staff of EAP are truly sharing the love of God as described in 1 John 3:16-18.
In 2020, life changed for nearly everyone as the COVID pandemic restrictions came into full swing and everyone learned a new term, “social distancing”. At that same time, Johnathan Bond and EAP also learned that the 45th president of the United States, President Donald J. Trump, would be recognizing Johnathan Bond with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his efforts over the past decade leading and growing Extended Arms Project.
Presidential Lifetime Achievement Awards are usually presented with pomp and circumstance, but for the first time since the inception of the award, in 2020, in-person presentations were not made due to COVID pandemic restrictions. In relating this story to the Absolutely Gospel Music staff, Johnathan put it all in perspective. He said, “Being selected for this award was a great honor, one I will never forget. However, it pales in comparison to the honor that we who serve God will have when the King of Kings says, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ What greater honor could we have?”
Today, Johnathan Bond has a beautiful plaque and framed letter signed by President Donald Trump hanging on his wall commemorating his service to fellow Americans in need. But, what is more important is the more than 300,000 people who have been fed by EAP since he received that recognition.
For more information about EAP and how to support or help this ministry sharing the love of God to a lost and dying world, go to: https://johnathanbond.com/extended-arms-project.
For more information about Johnathan Bond and his other ministries, go to: https://johnathanbond.com/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnathan_Bond.
