Guy and Esther BonGiovanni played crucial roles in bringing Karen and Bill to Jesus Christ and then helping them grow in their faith and knowledge of Scripture.
Guy BonGiovanni (who is now home with the LORD) was pastor at a church Karen was invited to attend as a teen. After Karen accepted the Lord, he baptized her. Bill Rudge, Karen’s boyfriend, was not too happy about all these changes and had determined he was going to check it out. He would sit through the services, glaring at Pastor Guy the whole time, as though he couldn’t quite figure it all out. However, Guy’s strong faith and biblical insight caught Bill’s attention and respect.
Bill came to a point where he knew he had to make a decision. So he decided to hitchhike out west to “find himself” where he had a number of unusual experiences that Guy felt were quite providential. After hitchhiking back to Pennsylvania, Bill committed his life to Christ and was baptized by Pastor Guy.
As director of missions for an international Christian movement, Guy sent Bill and Karen on their first mission trip to Mexico for three weeks. Bill and Karen sensed a call of God to study for the ministry. Guy encouraged Bill to attend Bible college, and he and his wife Esther were happy to attend Bill’s graduation from Mt. Vernon Bible College.
When Bill returned to the western Pennsylvania area to start his ministry, Guy served on the Board of Directors and was the fund-raiser for their first banquet, initiating the “faith promise” concept which the Lord has used to fund this ministry for 40 years.
As missions director and then general overseer of the Christian Church of North America, Guy invited Bill to speak at various churches and rallies and also coordinated Bill’s ordination. As owner of Globe Printing Company he printed several of Bill Rudge’s books and pamphlets.
Guy and Esther were faithful friends and supporters throughout the years. The ministry was blessed to have Dr. Guy BonGiovanni serve on its Board of Reference. He was a man of conviction, commitment and integrity. Bill was honored to be one of the speakers at Guy’s memorial service.
In Rev. Dr. Guy BonGiovanni’s Words –
“Bill is a trophy of God’s grace. I would characterize his and Karen’s ministry with the word stability. They are not only devoted followers of Christ, but Bill is a very careful scholar in his research and he is aggressively in pursuit of winning people to Christ. I have always respected Bill’s discipline concerning exercise and nutrition. Esther and I are very proud of Bill and Karen.”
Bill Rudge Ministries 