Fool’s For Christ is what they were called. To some, foolish is a perfect way to describe hanging from the side of 25-story building.
While it may seem a little crazy, for four members of the Virginia Synod, rappelling off the top of the SunTrust building in downtown Richmond on Oct. 18 was a great way to represent Christ. The Fools for Christ team joined 25 other teams at Over the Edge, a statewide fundraising event to raise awareness and funds for the Special Olympics in Virginia.
Take a close look at the Sun Trust building and you will see Pastor Paul Christian hanging from the rope during his rappel.
“The event is a great opportunity to be an ambassador for Christ,” said Anne Jones, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg and a member of the Fools for Christ team.
“It’s a way of standing (well actually rappeling) with people who are sometimes overlooked and misunderstood by the community in an effort to strive for greater justice,” she said.
Special Olympics is the world’s largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions. The organization’s website says that they strive to create a new world of inclusion and community, where every single person is accepted and welcomed. Sounds a little like how Jesus operated, doesn’t it?
Along with Pastor Anne Jones, the other three members of the Virginia Synod team were Pastor Paul Christian from Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer in Petersburg, Pastor Lou Florio from Messiah Lutheran Church in Mechanicsville and Kevin Hendrickson, council president also from Messiah Lutheran Church in Mechanicsville. The team worked tirelessly to collect donations and their efforts paid off.
The Fools for Christ Team raised over $7,700, coming in second place behind Edward Jones investments for most money raised.
“Through this extreme event, it is hoped participants get some understanding of the bravery those with intellectual disabilities need to try new things almost every day,” said Florio, the organizer of the Fools for Christ team.
Rappellers brought both courage and whimsy to the day of the event. Pastor Jones was a hit with onlookers as she went down the side of the skyscraper with ‘Flippy the Flamingo’ attached to her belt.
Pastor Florio was the first to get involved with Over the Edge. In 2011, when he saw Richmond’s minor league baseball team post on Facebook that their Mascot was going Over the Edge for Special Olympics, it caught his eye.
Pastor Anne Jones goes over the edge with Flippy the Flamingo (Photo credit: P. Kevin Morley, Richmond Times Dispatch)
“I thought, if I guy dressed in a squirrel suit can do it, so could I,” he said.
Pastor Florio was fairly confident in his rappelling abilities, but he was a little more concerned about his ability to raise $1000 minimum. In 2012 he decided to give it a shot.
The outpouring of support was astounding. Pastor Florio raised $2000 in the first week of fundraising. With such success he decided to keep seeking support and ending up raising record $6000. To date, no other individual fundraiser has raised more than Florio.
This year, Pastor Florio decided to bring the rest of the Virginia Synod into this amazing event by creating the Fools for Christ team.
“We aimed for $5000 to become a gold partner, allowing for three to rappel but also opportunities to promote the Virginia Synod’s congregations and agencies.”
Support poured in from over 125 different donors with the total adding up to over $7,700.
Because of the team’s efforts, the Virginia Synod logo appeared on t-shirts, banners, and other promotional material. Along with information about the Synod, Lutheran Family services was able to distribute information on all their services, especially to those with intellectual disabilities.
The team accomplished something much more personal than raising money for Special Olympics or increasing the visibility of the Virginia Synod. They were given the opportunity make new connections and to get to know their neighbors on a deeper level.
“Just by participating, I had friends who emailed and messaged me to share a story about a family member or friend who is differently-abled, and so the event connected me more deeply with the stories of friends,” Pastor Jones said.
“I believe our proclamation to be the Body of Christ is more meaningful and stronger when we actually know the stories of the various members who make up the Body. Knowing one another’s stories changes the way we worship together, the way we understand service and hospitality, the way we connect our stories with the sacred story, perhaps even the way we understand Christ and what it means to follow Him.”
With such an all-around amazing outcome, Pastor Lou Florio is already setting his sights on growing participation in 2015.
“Next year, I hope to raise $10,000 or more with up to 8 rappellers going over the edge. It would be great to be the top team in the event.”
Florio said that team members don’t need to be pastors and all ages are welcome (youth with parent or guardian permission). He welcomes anyone who wishes to represent their congregation and the synod through fundraising and rappelling for this event to contact him by calling Messiah Lutheran Church at 804-764-7134 or sending an email to pastor@mlcas.org.
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