A Child's Life Spurs Congregation
Episcopal News Service. February 9, 1984 [84027]
Christine Dubois, Olympia Churchman
OLYMPIA, Wash. (DPS, Feb. 9) - St. Benedict's is a small Episcopal Church mission in Lacey, Wash., near here. The people worship on Sundays in the student union building of a nearby college. The rest of the week, they use classroom and office space at St. Mark's Lutheran Church. They own a plot of land but can't afford to build on it. They are planning a series of fundraisers.
So far, this story sounds like that of any of the thousands of small congregations that dot the country. But this story is different. The money the congregation is trying to raise is not for the mission itself, but for a baby.
Shelley McConnell's family were members of St. Benedict's when they learned that Shelley would need a liver transplant to live much beyond her first birthday. Suddenly the family was faced with the prospect of a $60,000 surgery bill plus thousands more for tests, medicine, and other expenses. "They don't have that kind of money," says the Rev. John Gibbs, vicar. "Who does? The only way it can happen is if other people help."
The congregation immediately rallied to the family's aid. A tax-exempt trust fund was established for donations. Gibbs sent letters to diocesan Bishop Robert Cochrane, Presiding Bishop John M. Allin, Congressional representatives, the White House, and anyone else who came to mind. Allin sent a gift from his discretionary fund and a notice was placed in a Churchwide newsletter. An article in the Olympia newspaper generated overwhelming community support. By January, the church had raised $10,000, mostly through individual donations. The goal is $80,000. "We're nickeling and diming this thing, but we're going to make a dent in it," says Gibbs. "We're going to do the job."
In November, the McConnell's moved to North Carolina to be closer to relatives and medical facilities. The family's new parish, St. Andrew's, Charlotte, has also taken up Shelley's cause and has raised more than $15,000.
Money, however, is not the only issue. On Jan. 10, Shelley was placed on the waiting list at the University of Minnesota Medical Center to receive a liver. Her family struggles with the knowledge that another child must die for Shelley to have a chance to live. Even then, they are working against the clock. Shelley is now seven months old. Gibbs sees the willingness of the people of St. Benedict's to lay aside their own concerns and work for Shelley's life as a vivid expression of the Gospel. "Our responsibility as Christian people is to support them and help them in any way we can."
Donations for Shelley may be sent to: St. Benedict Episcopal Church Medical Relief Fund, P.O. Box 3811, Lacey, WA 98503