Everyone needs a Sally in their life.
This is a big moment in United Methodism. I’m praying for all my clergy and lay friends who are at the every-four-year General Conference in Charlotte, NC. Except, as you may remember, there was this little thing called COVID. As a result, the 2020 General Conference was postponed not once but twice.
There’s a lot of work to do, especially over the painful split of the UMC around LGBTQ+ inclusion. Let us all pray: May the Holy Spirit do a great work in and through all who are there.
Now… there are some stories that bear repeating.
Last week, Rev. Dustin Cooper, my colleague from Horizons Stewardship, sent our team a moving email. I asked his permission to share it with you and he agreed. It has been lightly edited.
Everyone needs a Sally in their life.
In 1981, a tragedy unfolded at the Hyatt Hotel in Kansas City as two suspended skywalks hanging above the atrium collapsed on a Friday night during a tea dance. 114 people were killed and 216 were injured, including Sally Firestone.
Sally, in her mid-20’s, became a quadriplegic that night, only able to turn her head and move her hand. Due to her injuries and the need for 24-hour care for the rest of her life, she received the largest insurance settlement in the history of Missouri at that time. Her life expectancy was 5-10 years due to her injuries.
One might expect that she would become isolated, angry, sad, and pitied.
That would be wrong.
A life-long member of Central United Methodist Church (now Church of the Resurrection in Brookside), she found solace and strength in her faith, and she lived her life with a spirit of gentleness, kindness and with a positive attitude.
She lived a full and active life and became known in the community for her generosity, establishing chairs at different colleges, supporting jazz and the symphony, her church and much more. She was a Board Member at St. Paul’s School of Theology and was an advocate for others with disabilities.
As most people with means, she became accustomed to being asked to give. I attended Central UMC for several years after leaving the local pastorate and being appointed to this ministry of generosity. I led two campaigns there. Sally gave the lead gift both times.
This background is important to the story. In 1992, a fresh-out-of-seminary student was the Associate Pastor at Sally’s church. He would soon be appointed to start a new church. One day he visited Sally in an effort to raise money for the new church start. He said to her that he needed for her to make the lead gift.
Sally directed him to a book in her bookcase and told him to read it. The title: Church Fundraising. (Today that would probably be Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate by Clif Christopher).
With the voice of a mentor, she reportedly said to him, “When you are raising money, you don’t say ‘we need you to give us money.’ You say, ‘I want to ask you to help make a difference in the world through your gift’.”
And then Sally gave him another chance to ask the question. He did and he got the gift. The young associate’s name: Adam Hamilton.
Sally’s coaching made an impact on Adam as he has literally raised hundreds of millions of dollars in his 31 years at The Church of the Resurrection. Adam shared this story at Sally’s Celebration of Life service last weekend, 41 years after her life changed and after changing the lives of so many.
This story reminded me of the opportunity we have at Horizons: to coach our pastors to learn how to make big, even audacious asks for financial gifts. The goal: making a difference in the lives of people and for the Kingdom of God. We get to be someone’s “Sally” and in so doing, we get to be a part of something bigger than we can imagine. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of a team that gets to do what we get to do!
From Cesie: Thanks again to Dustin for sharing this beautiful and transformational story.
My friends, we have an opportunity to learn from someone like Sally. Maybe there’s a Sally out there who you need to know. Maybe, you can be a Sally in someone’s life. What a blessing. Be a blessing.
Photo credit: from Sally's obituary.
Cesie Delve Scheuermann (pronounced “CC Delv Sherman,” yes, really) is a Stewardship Consultant for the OR-ID Annual Conference. She is also a Senior Ministry Strategist with Horizons Stewardship. For 25 years, while working as a volunteer and part-time consultant, she has helped raise over three million dollars for numerous churches and non-profit organizations. For all you MethoNerds, here’s your chance to watch (or re-watch) the General Conference opening worship from April 23rd.
You can reach Cesie at inspiringgenerosity@gmail.com, at CesieScheuermann.com, or at cesieds@horizons.net. Want to schedule a meeting? She’s got you covered!
Schedule a meeting now.
If someone has forwarded this to you and you would like to subscribe to "Inspiring Generosity," click here. Miss an issue? Click here.