The purpose of the run/walk was to raise funds for the Monsignor Henry V. Petter Endowment Fund, which exists to support "work in outreach and justice" in Plano and Collin County.
Henry Petter has served as a priest at St. Elizabeth Seton for almost twenty years, and he is a runner. He will retire in the near future, and he wanted his legacy to be something that dealt with the systemic issues that oppress and exclude people from the necessities of life. The church knew this and created the endowment in his name and the run to raise the funds.
Two things about the event please and challenge me. The first was, as Blair Richie of CCCC said Saturday morning, getting Catholics, Wesleyans, Presbyterians, and mostly Baptists to cooperate on anything may be a miracle that rivals Jesus turning water into wine. But denominational barriers can come down when Christ followers agree to meet a greater need in the name of Jesus. We have many differences in our theologies and practices, but we can come together to live out as Jesus' disciples what Max Lucado calls, "The Nazareth Manifesto."
The second thing that pleases and challenges me is Henry Petter's legacy. How great is it to join your calling (priest), hobby (running), and passion (fighting injustice) to leave a legacy from which others can benefit. I pray as I move closer to my retirement that all of those things can come together to form a legacy that serves others in life-changing ways.
This past Sunday I taught about King David's legacy in his lineage through which came the Promised One, Jesus. (Matthew 1:1) David wanted to build a "house" for the ark of the covenant. God wanted to build an everlasting "house" through David's descendants. While that particular legacy is reserved for David, I ask you, "What kind of house are you building?" Will it outlive you? Will it serve others?
Oh yeah, it was a 5K. Run On! did the timing. Here are the results.