The Pioneer Minister’s Letter
What Will You Be Remembered For?
Do you know who Jonas Salk is? Or Nils Bohlin? Maybe you’ve heard of Bessie Blount Griffin, or Sarah Guppy? What about Daisuke Inoue?
Even if these names don’t ring a bell, chances are you’ve benefitted from their work.
Jonas Salk developed the first effective polio vaccine, dramatically reducing suffering worldwide. Nils Bohlin invented the three-point seatbelt, saving countless lives since 1959. Bessie Blount Griffin created feeding devices for amputees. Sarah Guppy contributed innovative designs for bridge construction, influencing landmarks like the Clifton Suspension Bridge. And Daisuke Inoue? He gave the world the karaoke machine—a source of endless enjoyment!
But what binds all these people together isn’t just their impact. It’s that none of them wanted to hold on to their inventions for personal gain.
When asked about patenting the polio vaccine Salk responded “There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?”. Instead, he ensured the vaccine was widely accessible.
Bohlin and Volvo made the seatbelt patent available to all car manufacturers to save more lives. Griffin offered her self-feeding invention to France when the U.S. declined it. Guppy allowed her bridge designs to be used freely. And Inoue believed karaoke should simply bring joy to everyone. (You are welcome to debate the benefit to society of his particular invention!)
These individuals chose impact over personal recognition. They remind us that you don’t have to be famous to change the world. Sometimes the most profound legacies are invisible ones—acts of generosity, choices for the common good, sacrifices made quietly for others.
Recently, I went to see Dear Evan Hansen, a musical that wrestles with the need to be known while alive and the human longing to be remembered, to leave something behind, when we go. It left me thinking: What will we be remembered for? What kind of legacy are we, as individuals and as the Church, leaving behind?
In the church we have just celebrated Ascension Day, when Jesus leaves His earthly life to return to the Father. What legacy does He leave? Over and over in the days between Easter and Pentecost, Jesus says: “Peace be with you.” Not the fragile peace the world offers, but a peace that brings wholeness, courage, restoration, and deep reassurance.
Jesus’ parting gift is twofold:
First, a peace that empowers us to act with love and hope in a broken world. A peace that reminds us we are never forgotten, never alone. A peace that spreads—not through fame, but through lives lived with compassion and grace.
And Second Jesus promises the Spirit – God’s enduring presence with us, to help us carry that peace forward, to enable us to live it out and to be part of brining the Kingdom of God now.
What do you want to be remembered for? What is the legacy you’re leaving behind?
Where in your life do you long for peace? How can we be part of living this peace?
Rev Naomi