Great Souls Are World Shakers
Illustration
Stories
I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love[a] toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers…(vv. 15-16)
Every church has at least one soul who embodies the Christ light like no other. If you cannot imagine who that might be in your congregation, maybe it’s you.
Some exceptional churches have several such shining souls to whom everyone else looks for inspiration and guidance. We preachers like to believe we are counted in this number, but most of us think too highly of ourselves to qualify.
The great soul is usually a humble, unassuming person who is known for their service to others. They are to be found in the nursery holding babies, teaching Sunday school, washing dishes in the kitchen, or delivering groceries to a homebound neighbor. Their motto, like that of the great Methodist soul, John Wesley, is “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
Mohandas Gandhi, who was called Mahatma, which means great-souled, said, “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” Great souls are world shakers.
Leslie MacIntyre was the world-shaking- great-soul at Our Lord’s United Methodist Church in New Berlin, Wisconsin, where I was privileged to serve as pastor for six years, until my retirement in 2014. Her obituary in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel opened with the words, “Dear Aunt Leslie flew away home the evening of November 25, 2023, at the age of 96.” Leslie crossed over less than a week after Rosalynn Carter, another great soul, also known for shaking the world with her selfless service.
The superlatives about Leslie’s life that follow are like those you have heard about great souls in your own church or service organization. These local world shakers are the heart and soul and conscience of every community.
When I sent out an invitation for all who loved Leslie MacIntyre to share memories, I received more material than I could use in a dozen columns. Everyone loved Leslie. Darrel Bybee, a longtime member of Our Lord’s wrote, “She was the most special woman I have ever known. Linda and I felt so privileged to know her.” Samantha Kofroth said, “Leslie took the time to walk with me as a teenager and tell me stories.”
Susan Brown, who served as organist, Director of Music and Business Manager on the church staff for over thirty years, wrote, “Leslie was a friendly fixture at the front door on Sundays, where she took it upon herself to be the welcoming greeter who knew everybody by name. She was one of the first ones at the church to be sure to greet even the earliest arrivals, and would also be there at the end of the morning checking doors and lights.”
Leslie was a distinguished English teacher for 36 years, 24 of them at Homestead High School in Mequon, Wisconsin. She wrote collaborative guides for better writing and grammar skills, as well as the textbook, Grammar and Writing. Susan Brown said, “Leslie shared her teaching skills by proof-reading church publications. Her favorite t-shirt read: ‘LET’S EAT GRANDMA! LET’S EAT, GRANDMA! PUNCTUATION SAVES LIVES!’”
Linda Sanders said, “Ms. Leslie was such a sweet person. I always remember her serving as a greeter on Sunday mornings with her kind smile and welcoming words.” Becky Beer was touched by her greetings, too: “I loved her always opening the door for me with a smile and witty comment as I ran in late for praise practice before worship. I remember she said it was how she was greeted on her first visit to Our Lord’s in 1993.”
Sam Simonson said, “Leslie was there for every event that the youth group had, and her youthful energy just shone through. We all loved her very, very much!” Sean Rutter concurred, “She was such a massive influence in my life with Disciple Bible Study classes… such a lovely soul.” Linda Suminski tells of Disciple Bible Study retreat where “Leslie washed our feet… a very emotional experience for me and cemented a vivid picture in my mind of Jesus doing this.
One of Leslie’s favorite sayings was, “Do everything in love!” Pat Garrigues added, “She was good at snappy retorts. While she enjoyed saying she had a ‘sassy tongue,’ everything was said with loving good humor.”
Don Fell said, “Leslie made our medical/optometric mission trips to Honduras such a joy. We really worked hard providing our service to the small Methodist Church in the mountains. I will miss her teasing and her hugs.”
Patricia Mehring remembered a time when she told Leslie she was getting ready to retire so she could travel more. “Leslie asked me if I had considered going on the church mission to Honduras, and I told her that maybe I would do that someday. She then told me that God had told her that if she could travel for pleasure, she could travel for him. She was 82 at that time and had been on every mission trip since Our Lord’s had started going to Honduras in 2002. What could I say....I went on my 1st of seven trips to Honduras two months after I retired, and thanked Leslie repeatedly for saying just the right thing to motivate me when I needed it.”
Rev. Krysta Deede, pastor of the Onalaska United Methodist Church, told how “Leslie created a loving, engaging Vacation Bible School Experience on many mission trips to Honduras. Her storytelling, even through translation, captured the children's attention and swept them into her amazing love of faith and teaching.”
Gloria Miller offered “I actually quote Leslie often. When someone starts to talk about another and wants me to agree that the second person is ‘wrong’, I say: ‘To quote an amazing Christian I knew, it is not my place to judge, but God’s.’ Leslie always had the light of Jesus in her demeanor and total being.”
Rev. Chris Deaner Rogers, who preceded me as pastor at Our Lord’s, wrote, “Knowing Leslie is like knowing C.S. Lewis in female form…her inspiration still reaches my heart.”
Gwenda Szczgielski told how Leslie’s ministry of service continued even after she was unable to care for herself: “Although Leslie was 96, suffered Alzheimer’s, and was in assisted living, she was still a presence in church. Her care-givers from church brought her for the monthly fellowship gathering. And since she had no local family they took responsibility for her medical, legal, and social needs. We celebrated Leslie’s 96th birthday with a party, and most of Leslie’s friends from church were crowded into her room”
After greeting people at the door each Sunday, Leslie always sat next to the aisle in the second pew, in the front of the sanctuary, just below the pulpit, where she could hear better. One Sunday after the service, she came to me as I was shaking hands with the last people to go out the door and said, “There is a woman over here who is crying. She is a first-time visitor.” Leslie led me to the weeping woman who was sitting in one of the back pews. We both listened as she blurted out the story of a tragic loss she had experienced in her life. Then, with Leslie on one side and me on the other, we put our arms around her and prayed for comfort.
The very next Sunday, and every Sunday thereafter, the now-smiling woman was sitting next to Leslie, near the aisle in the second pew in the front of the sanctuary, just below the pulpit. And on the Sunday she joined the church, Leslie was the first one to throw her arms around her and welcome her into membership at Our Lord’s.
Every church has at least one soul who embodies the Christ light like no other. If you cannot imagine who that might be in your congregation, maybe it’s you.
Some exceptional churches have several such shining souls to whom everyone else looks for inspiration and guidance. We preachers like to believe we are counted in this number, but most of us think too highly of ourselves to qualify.
The great soul is usually a humble, unassuming person who is known for their service to others. They are to be found in the nursery holding babies, teaching Sunday school, washing dishes in the kitchen, or delivering groceries to a homebound neighbor. Their motto, like that of the great Methodist soul, John Wesley, is “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
Mohandas Gandhi, who was called Mahatma, which means great-souled, said, “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” Great souls are world shakers.
Leslie MacIntyre was the world-shaking- great-soul at Our Lord’s United Methodist Church in New Berlin, Wisconsin, where I was privileged to serve as pastor for six years, until my retirement in 2014. Her obituary in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel opened with the words, “Dear Aunt Leslie flew away home the evening of November 25, 2023, at the age of 96.” Leslie crossed over less than a week after Rosalynn Carter, another great soul, also known for shaking the world with her selfless service.
The superlatives about Leslie’s life that follow are like those you have heard about great souls in your own church or service organization. These local world shakers are the heart and soul and conscience of every community.
When I sent out an invitation for all who loved Leslie MacIntyre to share memories, I received more material than I could use in a dozen columns. Everyone loved Leslie. Darrel Bybee, a longtime member of Our Lord’s wrote, “She was the most special woman I have ever known. Linda and I felt so privileged to know her.” Samantha Kofroth said, “Leslie took the time to walk with me as a teenager and tell me stories.”
Susan Brown, who served as organist, Director of Music and Business Manager on the church staff for over thirty years, wrote, “Leslie was a friendly fixture at the front door on Sundays, where she took it upon herself to be the welcoming greeter who knew everybody by name. She was one of the first ones at the church to be sure to greet even the earliest arrivals, and would also be there at the end of the morning checking doors and lights.”
Leslie was a distinguished English teacher for 36 years, 24 of them at Homestead High School in Mequon, Wisconsin. She wrote collaborative guides for better writing and grammar skills, as well as the textbook, Grammar and Writing. Susan Brown said, “Leslie shared her teaching skills by proof-reading church publications. Her favorite t-shirt read: ‘LET’S EAT GRANDMA! LET’S EAT, GRANDMA! PUNCTUATION SAVES LIVES!’”
Linda Sanders said, “Ms. Leslie was such a sweet person. I always remember her serving as a greeter on Sunday mornings with her kind smile and welcoming words.” Becky Beer was touched by her greetings, too: “I loved her always opening the door for me with a smile and witty comment as I ran in late for praise practice before worship. I remember she said it was how she was greeted on her first visit to Our Lord’s in 1993.”
Sam Simonson said, “Leslie was there for every event that the youth group had, and her youthful energy just shone through. We all loved her very, very much!” Sean Rutter concurred, “She was such a massive influence in my life with Disciple Bible Study classes… such a lovely soul.” Linda Suminski tells of Disciple Bible Study retreat where “Leslie washed our feet… a very emotional experience for me and cemented a vivid picture in my mind of Jesus doing this.
One of Leslie’s favorite sayings was, “Do everything in love!” Pat Garrigues added, “She was good at snappy retorts. While she enjoyed saying she had a ‘sassy tongue,’ everything was said with loving good humor.”
Don Fell said, “Leslie made our medical/optometric mission trips to Honduras such a joy. We really worked hard providing our service to the small Methodist Church in the mountains. I will miss her teasing and her hugs.”
Patricia Mehring remembered a time when she told Leslie she was getting ready to retire so she could travel more. “Leslie asked me if I had considered going on the church mission to Honduras, and I told her that maybe I would do that someday. She then told me that God had told her that if she could travel for pleasure, she could travel for him. She was 82 at that time and had been on every mission trip since Our Lord’s had started going to Honduras in 2002. What could I say....I went on my 1st of seven trips to Honduras two months after I retired, and thanked Leslie repeatedly for saying just the right thing to motivate me when I needed it.”
Rev. Krysta Deede, pastor of the Onalaska United Methodist Church, told how “Leslie created a loving, engaging Vacation Bible School Experience on many mission trips to Honduras. Her storytelling, even through translation, captured the children's attention and swept them into her amazing love of faith and teaching.”
Gloria Miller offered “I actually quote Leslie often. When someone starts to talk about another and wants me to agree that the second person is ‘wrong’, I say: ‘To quote an amazing Christian I knew, it is not my place to judge, but God’s.’ Leslie always had the light of Jesus in her demeanor and total being.”
Rev. Chris Deaner Rogers, who preceded me as pastor at Our Lord’s, wrote, “Knowing Leslie is like knowing C.S. Lewis in female form…her inspiration still reaches my heart.”
Gwenda Szczgielski told how Leslie’s ministry of service continued even after she was unable to care for herself: “Although Leslie was 96, suffered Alzheimer’s, and was in assisted living, she was still a presence in church. Her care-givers from church brought her for the monthly fellowship gathering. And since she had no local family they took responsibility for her medical, legal, and social needs. We celebrated Leslie’s 96th birthday with a party, and most of Leslie’s friends from church were crowded into her room”
After greeting people at the door each Sunday, Leslie always sat next to the aisle in the second pew, in the front of the sanctuary, just below the pulpit, where she could hear better. One Sunday after the service, she came to me as I was shaking hands with the last people to go out the door and said, “There is a woman over here who is crying. She is a first-time visitor.” Leslie led me to the weeping woman who was sitting in one of the back pews. We both listened as she blurted out the story of a tragic loss she had experienced in her life. Then, with Leslie on one side and me on the other, we put our arms around her and prayed for comfort.
The very next Sunday, and every Sunday thereafter, the now-smiling woman was sitting next to Leslie, near the aisle in the second pew in the front of the sanctuary, just below the pulpit. And on the Sunday she joined the church, Leslie was the first one to throw her arms around her and welcome her into membership at Our Lord’s.
