Pizza Guy Makes Delivery To Indiana Wesleyan University’s Chapel Service, Gets $1,268 Tip

When Domino’s Pizza delivery driver James Gilpin made a routine pizza delivery to the chapel service at Indiana Wesleyan University, he got the surprise of his life: a $1,268 tip.

According to ABC Los Angeles, the pizza delivery driver was unknowingly going to be used as a prop for a sermon illustration by the day’s chapel speaker, CEO of Residential Education Keith Newman. Mr. Newman was teaching the students attending weekly mandatory Chapel that they should “do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.

“When I do any kind of teaching, I try to use stories because that’s the way I learn. I think stories are great, but if you can show somebody a story, it’s even more powerful. And if you can involve them in the story, it’s even more powerful. So we had the chance to act out a story.”

As the students were filing into Chapel, they were given a piece of paper on which they would later be asked to write notes. Mr. Newman began teaching and, during his sermon, ordered two pizzas at a total cost of $12.50. While waiting for the delivery driver, Mr. Newman told the assembled students to donate whatever they felt like they could, and if they didn’t have cash, they could give the gift cards in their wallets or write a note of encouragement for the pizza delivery driver.

Then, driver James Gilpin showed up with the pizzas and, in front of thousands of Indiana Wesleyan students, received a tip: $1,268 in cash, about $100 in various gift cards, and thousands of notes of encouragement, to say nothing of the roaring applause of the students, according to WISH (Indianapolis).

Student Bryce Mast told WISH TV that seeing the delivery driver receive his tip in front of the crowd drove home the point of the sermon.

“You got to be able to see what his reaction was — complete shock. It was so cool.”

And as for Mr. Gilpin, he said the huge tip was just what he needed.

“There’s a lot of stuff that I need to do. Pay off some bills, fix some stuff. It couldn’t have been a better time because I was struggling bad.”

From time to time, stories of waiters or delivery drivers receiving huge tips make the news; last week, according to this Inquisitr report, an Iowa couple gave an overworked and stressed-out waiter a $100 tip in a story that went viral.

The pizza delivery driver says he will use the money from the huge tip from the Indiana Wesleyan students and faculty to make sure that his two kids have a good Christmas.