09/17/2026
Year #4 Entry 255 and Our Faith Grows! ( #1,351)
Getting in Touch with God
Sharing Our Stories – Part 53
When Someone Still Remembers Your Name
In my last professional position in education, I had the privilege of serving for eight years as Superintendent of the St. Joseph County Intermediate School District. Intermediate School Districts in Michigan were created to provide services that individual local school districts might have difficulty providing efficiently on their own. Vocational education, special education, professional development, early childhood programs, and other specialized services were among the responsibilities of the SJCISD.
When I became superintendent, I made a commitment to the eight K-12 districts and one K-8 district we served. I wanted our Intermediate School District to operate with as much transparency as possible, and I wanted us to be responsive to the needs of every local district. One way I tried to accomplish that was very simple. I went to them.
I committed to meeting individually with every local superintendent, in his or her own office, at least twice each year. Our group of ten superintendents also decided to move our monthly meetings around the county rather than always meeting at the ISD Offices . Each district had an opportunity to host us, show us its buildings, introduce us to its programs, and share what it was doing well.
Those approaches were new at the time, and I believe they helped build a greater level of trust among our districts. Looking back, I am proud of what we accomplished together during those eight years. But those meetings aren’t what I remember most. What I remember most are the people.
Some of my favorite days were spent visiting the various service centers operated by the SJCISD around St. Joseph County. The programs serving students with special needs had a particularly profound impact on me, especially our Young Adult Transition Program. These programs served young adults approximately 18 to 25 years old as they developed the skills that would help them become as independent and involved in their communities as possible.
Whenever I visited, I could count on a warm welcome. The students wanted to tell me what they were doing. They wanted to show me what they were working on. They wanted to talk. And, almost without fail, someone would greet me with those familiar words from the old television show: “Hello, Newman!” I loved it.
A few days ago, many years after leaving that position, Barb and I were watching our granddaughter Norah compete in a cross-country meet when I saw someone I recognized. It was Ben, one of the former students from those days. Ben is now in his early fifties, but his greeting hasn’t changed very much: “Well, hello, Jay Newman!” Then came the handshake. And Ben, as he always does, had some information he wanted to share with me. This time he told me about his brother John, who would soon be opening a new restaurant. For a few moments, we were simply two old friends catching up.
As I thought about that encounter afterward, something occurred to me. During my years as superintendent, I spent countless hours in meetings. We developed programs. We worked on budgets. We made presentations. We wrote policies. We developed strategic plans. We tried to improve relationships among school districts. At the time, all of those things seemed extremely important. And they were. But years later, standing beside a cross-country course, none of those things mattered very much. Ben remembered my name.
And I remembered his. Maybe there is a lesson in that for all of us.
Jesus spent His ministry surrounded by crowds, but He repeatedly stopped for individuals. He noticed Zacchaeus in a tree. He spoke with a Samaritan woman beside a well. He welcomed children others might have considered an interruption. He noticed the blind, the sick, the lonely, the rejected, and those whom society frequently overlooked. Jesus saw people. Not programs. Not statistics. Not categories. People.
Perhaps remaining in Christ means learning to do the same. Our positions eventually end. Our titles disappear. Someone else occupies our office. Programs change. Buildings are remodeled. Policies are rewritten. Most of the things that seem terribly important at the time eventually become memories. But the way we make another human being feel can remain for decades.
I don’t know everything Ben remembers about those visits many years ago. Maybe very little. But he remembers me. And I remember him. Perhaps that is one of the quiet ways God’s love travels through our lives; from one person to another, through a visit, a conversation, a handshake, a smile, or simply taking enough time to learn someone’s name.
We sometimes wonder whether our lives are making a difference. Maybe we are looking for evidence that is too big. Perhaps the evidence is standing beside a cross-country course years later, extending a hand and saying: “Well, hello, Jay Newman!” And suddenly we are reminded that one of the greatest things we can ever give another person is something Jesus gave freely to everyone He encountered: The assurance that they have been seen, known, and valued.
Scripture for Today: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” (John 10:14)
Thought for Today: Long after people have forgotten our titles and accomplishments, they may still remember how we treated them. Never underestimate the lasting power of seeing someone, knowing their name, and letting them know they matter.
Our Prayer: Gracious God, let us never forget the people who have crossed our paths in caring kindness. Help us remember that kindness always prevails and that love is the most valuable currency. Let us remember their names and let our deeds always be based in Your unconditional love. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
