Not the world record book Guinness, but the beer one. The one who has brewed the dark stout for two and a half centuries. Today, 2 billion pints of it will be consumed worldwide. 2 billion! In 1759 Arthur Guinness founded the Guinness brewery in Dublin by signing a lease on a property that gave him rights to that land for 9000 years! He also founded the first Sunday schools in Ireland, fought against dueling, and chaired the hospital board for the poor. There was no better place to be employed either. A Guinness worker during the 1920's enjoyed full medical and dental care, reading rooms, subsidized meals, a company funded pension, subsidies for funeral expenses, educational benefits, sports facilities, and free concerts. During WWI Guinness guaranteed all their employees who served in uniform their jobs would be waiting for them when they came home. Guinness also paid half salaries to the family of each man who served.

And there are many famous Guinness children and grandchildren. One was known as the Billy Grahm of the 19th century. Another, upon receiving 5 million pounds from his father on his wedding day, promptly moved into a house in the slums and launched a series of programs that served the poor. I've just started reading The Search for God and Guinness: A biography of the beer that changed the world, by Stephen Mansfield and I could already go for many more paragraphs about this remarkable family and the culture of generosity they created in their family and business. They were true shalom seekers on behalf of others. They connected their resources to God's mission in the world in remarkably effective ways. They used their wealth and influence to touch millions.

I was asked recently what I do for a living. You know how much I love that question! On this occasion I told them "I help lead a community of people who are using their resources to see San Francisco thrive." (I know, it sounds like a Kaiser Permanente commercial!). But that's what is happening each day in this city. The city of San Francisco is the beneficiary of a community fueled by the gospel that is seeking their shalom regardless of what they believe. It took two and half centuries for someone to write a book on the Guinness family and business. And maybe in two and half centuries someone will write a book about City Church, who knows? Right now, let's each day remind ourselves that God is writing this story, one day at a time, one life at a time.