BUILD, SHARE, PASS IT ON My grandma, Nancy Banks, passed away in November of last year. At her funeral, I learned that early on in her and my Grandpa Banks’ marriage, they purchased a 40-acre plot of land in White Pigeon. They then gathered together a group of friends and built a campground with a beautiful chapel for the youth group at their church to use for retreats. A third of the people in attendance at her funeral were former students in their youth group. My grandparents left an amazing legacy of service and financial generosity to their church youth group. Why had we never been told about this? I walked away from that day in greater awe of my grandma than ever, and I couldn’t let her know.
BY PETER JENKINS DIR. OF ADVANCEMENT
In the two months since her funeral, I am more convinced than ever how important it is to build a legacy and then pass it on. My grandma was also an incredibly hospitable woman who never knew which youth group kids would show up for dinner, but she always had extra food or found a way to make it work. This legacy of service and hospitality is embedded in me after hearing these stories at her funeral. Living in this way is what it means to be Grandma Banks’ grandson. What if we divided our legacy into three sections? Building, Sharing, and Passing On. I don’t think we have to view these as three different periods of life. My wife, Beth, and I are building a legacy
The chapel hand-built by my grandparents and others for their youth group group. 20
