Monument of Leonidas, Thermopylae, Greece. Image courtesy of Ava Babili.
The Battle of Thermopylae, in 480 BC, was fought between an alliance of Greek city-states and Xerxes I’s Persian Empire. While a Greek army of some 7,000 men blocked a pass for seven days against an army of over 100,000, eventually, they failed after being outflanked. As legend has it, King Leonidas of Sparta, accompanied by 300 of his finest warriors and an assortment of soldiers from Thespiae and Thebes, held the pass while the rest of the army retreated, fighting until the last man was overcome.
It is a battle shrouded in mythology, but it has become, for many, the paradigmatic example of the David and Goliath story; an inferior force stemming the tide of overwhelming odds.
Here at 1P5, we identify with Leonidas and his Spartans. Overwhelmed and overpowered, we stand in the breach, holding the pass against the forces of darkness that seek to conquer and destroy the Catholic Church from within. We know that with a tactical advantage — the truth — and enough soldiers to hold the line, we can fend off the enemy for much longer than they can afford.
We’ve made appeals in the past for our large readership to give only a little each month. But now I’m here to make a more practical appeal, and I’m going to ask you to stick with me until I explain.
Our goal of $20,000 per month is far less than most other Catholic publications are seeking, and yet ours is arguably the loudest voice in the Church against the internal forces sought on the destruction of our beloved faith. This amount has been listed as our “stretch goal,” but in reality, the only way we can run a growing publication like ours is to meet it.
We currently stand at 50% of that total for this month. Most months, we don’t do much better. And without hitting the numbers, we cannot grow. We can’t pay for the resources and personnel we need to do our best work. We’re falling behind.
We cannot hold the pass.
So today, I’m looking for 400 soldiers to stand with me. (That’s 100 more than Leonidas had Spartans, but he had another 1100 Thespians and Thebans!) 400 monthly recurring donors at $50 a piece would ensure we have the $20,000 in monthly revenue we need to keep going indefinitely.
I run these appeals every month, and I’d argue that I dislike them more than you do. But the fact is, we have only a little over $3,000 per month in recurring revenue from an audience of hundreds of thousands of readers a month. Every month, we have to wonder where the income is coming from. Every month, we have to hope that we can pay all our bills. We can’t budget for future expenses. We can’t plan. We’re always relying on your generosity and the providence of God, but we don’t have certainty about anything.
At this moment, we have only 24 monthly donors giving $50 or more. We need more swords and shields to stand in the breach.
With just five days left in the month, we haven’t raised enough to meet our expenses. If you are able, we are asking that you prayerfully consider setting up a recurring donation today. All you need to do is check the box labeled “Create Recurring Transaction” at checkout. You can see a brief video walkthrough of the process here.
Will you help us today? Will you be a part of the 400?
God Bless You!
In Christ,
Steve Skojec
Publisher & Executive Director
OnePeterFive.com
