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Paying It Forward

For Selena Tucker, supporting the Endowment is about “Paying It Forward.”

Selena shares, “This is the starting of my true journey in life because I’m finally able and unafraid to live the life I’ve always wanted, without worrying about judgment or criticism.”Selena and two of her children, Ray J and Riyah, joined BSUMC on Easter Sunday, 2016, after beginning the Circles program. Every Wednesday night for 18 months, they’ve shown up to work toward moving out of poverty and to support other families struggling, too. Selena is now the church’s receptionist — she is the smiling face and happy voice that greets members and visitors. She says Buncombe Street changed her life.

“This began in Circles. People were willing to see me as a whole person, not just as a has-been or a hand-me-down. They saw my true value. Until I saw someone else truly see me, I couldn’t acknowledge it in myself. Now I know my worth and I can grow!”

During the nine months she was in rehabilitation, Selena was searching for her purpose in life. She came out willing to claim her strength as a nurturer. “I want to make your life better, because it doesn’t matter how much money people have or what all they’ve got going for them, I don’t care—everybody needs to see a genuine smile. Everybody needs to feel seen and loved.”

Selena brought that purpose into her commitment to Circles, and it’s the reason for her financial commitment to her congregational family.
“I’ve seen what this church can do and I’ve benefited from it. The church helps so many people in so many different ways, and I want to be a part of that. So I prayed about it and asked, ‘Lord, what can I do?’ and $5 popped into my head. So every pay period I give $5 to the Children’s Ministry and $5 to the Missions and Outreach and $5 to the Endowment Fund. So that’s $30 a month, and I’ll do that until my pay grows and then I’ll do more. Now that I have it set up I don’t even think about it—it’s just what I do.”

But why include the Endowment?

“I believe in paying it forward. An Endowment is about helping out in the future. Who knows? That might benefit my children or it could help another homeless family. I just know that I want to do whatever I can to make it better for other people.”

If you’re lucky enough to get a text from Selena, you’ll notice that she signs every one: Blessed and Highly Favored.