The Rest of the Story…
The Effect of a Single Sermon
About 250 years ago John Wesley preached at St. Patrick’s
Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland to a
collection of upper-crust businessmen of the town. Wesley reminded his well-healed audience that wealth
comes with responsibility and God expects real Christians to care for the poor
and weak in society. Telling rich people to share their wealth is no easier
than telling preschoolers to share their toys. Wesley later wrote in his
journal “Who has the courage to speak plainly to these rich and honorable
sinners?” Wesley had the courage. He constantly preached that money was for
giving to others not for accumulating for self.
Arthur, a young entrepreneur attending that service
was changed. He had recently bought
a defunct business and was just starting out. Arthur determined to build a
successful business but at the same time share the wealth with his employees
and the community as it succeeded. He soon joined Wesley in condemning the
excesses of his fellow rich friends and turned himself toward helping the
poor—using the proceeds from his rapidly growing business. He joined the board
of a hospital for the poor and decided to treat his employees generously—even
letting them take some of the product home every day.
Then a new idea swept the British Isles—Sunday schools for poor children when
there was no public education. Arthur started the first Sunday school in
Ireland. He became a life-long philanthropist and constantly gave generously to
the poor, the needy and the church.
Arthur
passed on his growing company to his children but also passed on this concern for the poor and the company’s
employees. The family-owned company flourished and provided tons of money to
share. When the potato famine swept across Ireland, virtually wiping out the
food supply of the poor farmers, Arthur’s heirs tossed in huge sums of money. Statues
exist across Ireland to this day honoring Arthur’s company’s generosity. His
company funded missionaries and when the original St. Patrick’s cathedral (where
Arthur has first heard John Wesley preach) fell into disrepair the company paid
to rebuild it. Arthur’s family business gave generous employee benefits long
before others did. Even in 1928 the family-owned business offered their
employees 24-7-365 health care with Doctors and Dentists available to all
employees. Arthur’s company paid most of their employee’s funeral costs,
established a company-funded pension plan early and even paid for vacations in
the country for their employees.
Wesley
never could have guessed how much a
single sermon might affect Arthur and his children and grandchildren after
him. So who was Arthur—the listener to
John Wesley’s sermon that day in Dublin?
It was Arthur Guinness, founder of the company now famous for its dark ale.
While
(most of) John Wesley’s own American heirs don’t use Arthur’s product, we do delight in the idea
that a single sermon can change the way a wealthy person shares their wealth, influences
company policy and passes on a legacy of giving to their heirs that lasts more
than 200 years after the sermon was preached.
So what do you think?
During the first few weeks, click here to comment or
read comments
Keith
Drury December 22, 2009
__________________
The company Arthur founded, Guinness is celebrating 250
years in business. Thanks for the above story to Stephen Mansfield, author of
The Search
for God and Guinness… and especially to alert reader and
great Wesleyan pastor, Mark Wilson for tipping me (tipping the book, not the
ale).