Wouldn't Send a Dog Out in the Rain
A Story in the West Side Church Series
Wouldn't Send a Dog Out in the Rain
One weekend my wife and I were away from West Side Baptist Church for a family event. My associate pastor handled the worship service on Sunday and any pastoral care issues that arose.
When I returned home, I called him to check in.
“How did the weekend go, Jeff?”
“Not great. Sunday worship was fine. But Aunt Molly had another half-brother die.
The Jackson Family
Oh no, I thought. These were always interesting situations. Molly had about a dozen siblings. Her husband, Lawrence, another ten or so. In both cases there were various mothers and fathers involved. Many of their siblings were considered half-brothers and half-sisters.
Additionally, Molly and Lawrence had 13 children of their own. Family reunions were mass events when children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were added.
This very large family had interesting characteristics. They were overweight. Often very overweight. They also had a lot of children. Their lifestyles were best characterized by the word “rough”. Some people would use much stronger words to describe them. And they had bad health problems.
Few of them went to church except on Mother’s Day. They did not even pass the “Chreasters” test of being present Christmas, Easter, and one other Sunday. Mother’s Day was it!
Many were family members were not Christians. Molly and Lawrence were two of the few dedicated Christians and church members in the family. Molly was appropriately concerned about the spiritual life of her extended family. Especially when illness was about to take their lives.
Even though hardly any of her extended family were members of West Side, she wanted the pastor to go see all of them during their last days of earthly life to attempt a death bed conversion.
The Call
On Saturday night close to midnight, Molly called Jeff and asked him to go see her half-brother in the hospital. He was not likely to survive the night and was not a Christian. A pastor needed to see him.
That night a terrible rainstorm was passing through Louisville. It was also a cold evening with the temperature hovering just above freezing.
Jeff begged off. He was preaching the next day. It was terrible and perhaps unsafe to travel that night.
Molly would not let up. She insisted. Even using some guilt tactics on Jeff. He finally agreed to go.
Send Out the Dog
“Good,” she said. “Now when you get to the hospital, tell them Aunt Molly won’t be up tonight. It is just too bad out. I can’t get there.”
Jeff was quiet for a moment after he told me what she said. Then he said, “She wouldn’t send a dog out in the rain, but she would send the preacher!”
I laughed. Just another adventure with the people of West Side. Wonderful people about whom I always say, “But they still needed the unconditional love of God.”
Yes, and we got up each day and tried to share that love with them in the best ways we knew how.
I thank Jeff and many other people who passed through West Side for their compassionate service—even amid frustrations. West Side was a great training location for seminary students like me.