Calling Big Jake

It may not be popular or politically correct in these posthumously judgmental and unforgiving  times, but I am a big John Wayne fan.  I guess it would be more accurate for me to say I am a big fan of the characters he played.  Rooster Cogburn, Cole Thornton, Major Daniel Xavier Kirby, Col Davy Crockett, Wil Anderson, Col Mike Kirby, John Bernard Books, John Elder and more than one hundred and fifty others.  The reason is not difficult to understand.  As they did for so many other boys of my era, these characters had a great deal to do with teaching me what a man should be - tough on his enemies, loyal to his friends, a gentleman with women, and deeply committed to those he loves. We learned that men should always act with courage and honor, never shoot anyone in the back, and always be tough but fair, whatever the cost.  To this day, I still have occasion to ponder how a John Wayne character might handle a situation in which I find myself.  No - my WWJD bracelet is not about the “Duke,” but there are days when it could be.    

It is difficult for me to choose one favorite John Wayne character, but clearly in the running is the man he played in the movie, Big Jake, Mr. Jacob McCandles. Released in 1971, Big Jake is not considered one of Wayne’s classics, but it has been a favorite of fans for more than fifty years.  The Rotten Tomatoes summary of this movie goes like this:

“The avenging head of the McCandles clan returns to his estranged family and leads the search for his kidnapped grandson. Big Jake sets off, his sons in tow, to deliver the ransom to the kidnappers, but has little intention of handing it over without a fight.

It is a splendid movie with a great character, but that is not why I bring it up here.  The real reason is a running dialog imbedded in the movie I could not get out of my mind during Annual Conference last week.  You see, a major premise of the story is that Jacob "Big Jake" McCandles is generally thought to be dead, but he is really wandering the west as a gunfighter.  So, there are several scenes where his character is told: “I thought you were dead,” to which McCandles responds in the negative, declaring: “Not hardly.”

It offers some light comedy relief for the movie, yes,  but what in the world does it have to do with Annual Conference?  Well, sometime during the conference, I read an on-line article that said the United Methodist Church was dead.  Finding myself in one of those WWJD situations, I thought about the falsehood people were sharing with Jake McCandles and instinctively answered, “Not hardly!”

Our denomination is under attack by the enemy, and everybody knows it.  When I tell someone I am Methodist, their eyes close, head bobs up and down and they say something like, “Oh, too bad what’s going on there.”  They are right, but it is not as bleak as the tales on the grapevine would lead one to believe.

It’s true the last few conferences have been dominated by the dreaded “D” word – disaffiliation.  For many churches, this issue has diverted attention away from Christ’s mission for the church and crippled ministry across the Annual Conference, but not everywhere, and certainly not here. While the media was on the outside portraying us all as going for one another’s jugulars, inside our Conference last week I witnessed God’s people disagreeing with civility, love, and grace in keeping with the spirit of Ephesians 4:31 – 5:2, which says:

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

And now, a new “D” word is taking hold in our Conference – discipleship!  Here are a couple of examples.

We learned last month that AWF Conference has launched a new Ministry Strategy Team and appointed our District Superintendent, Jean Tippet, as its Director.  Rev. Tippet’s team of “ministry cultivators” will lead our conference in planting new faith communities, as well as coaching our existing churches to reach new people in new ways.  There are already eleven new ministry startups in progress, two of which are being spearheaded by former NUMC ministers. Check out https://www.awfumc.org/newsdetail/new-beginnings-two-churches-launch-to-serve-communities-offer-hope-17274744

I also ran into a former NUMC Associate Pastor at the conference.  She is currently serving a church in the Florida Conference that chose not to disaffiliate despite the urging of its leadership.  When disaffiliation failed there, the pastor and some of the leaders started a new church in the same town and took some of the old congregation with them.  Today, these two churches are cooperating – working together to serve the needs of their community, while maintaining personal relationships and ministry connections – and both churches are growing!   What the enemy meant for harm; God will use for good (see Gen 50:20).

The media does not understand.  The United Methodist Church will not be going away.  Out of death comes new life.  That is at the heart of every Christian’s story, and I believe it will also be at the center of the UMC story.    So, take those stories that say, “those Methodists are destroying themselves” or “that whole denomination is imploding” or “the UMC is dead,” with a grain of salt.  I can confidently say, “Not hardly!”

Grace and Peace