by Jay Therrell
November 1, 2022
I was traveling in Alabama for the WCA recently and mentioned in a virtual meeting that I was driving through the town of Enterprise. One of my friends immediately spoke up and told me to be sure and stop by the statue of the boll weevil. She also told me to be certain to find out why Enterprise, Alabama had erected a statue of a boll weevil because it was an inspiring story.
The Boll Weevil
As I finished my first meeting of the day, we drove over to a restaurant and happened to park very near the town square. There in the center was a fountain containing the statue of a woman. The woman was lifting her hands high above her head and in the center of her hands was a pedestal upon which rested an enormous boll weevil. At the base of the fountain was the following inscription, “In profound appreciation of the Boll Weevil and what it has done as the herald of prosperity this monument was erected by the citizens of Enterprise, Coffee County, Alabama.”
I’m a history buff, and I knew that in the early 1900s, the boll weevil devasted the cotton crops across the South. Entire communities were financially ruined because their livelihood was wiped out by these bugs that are no bigger than a fingernail. The damage was so severe that eventually the U.S. government created the Boll Weevil Eradication Program which has successfully eradicated the beetle from the U.S.
Knowing this background, I had to find out exactly why a town would erect a statue to honor the boll weevil and moreover call the bug a “herald of prosperity.” What I learned was indeed, as my friend had promised, an inspiring story.
In 1916 a man named H.M. Sessions convinced another farmer to join him in a risky endeavor. Cotton as an industry was in ruins, and Sessions convinced the man to back him in trying to plant peanuts. The rest was history. Farmers in the area began planting peanuts with enormous success. They also learned about crop rotation and eventually, thanks to the eradication efforts, were able to plant both crops. Enterprise, Alabama went from being on the brink of disaster to being a prosperous city again.
The monument stands for the idea that what might initially be seen as a disaster of epic proportions can be redeemed to become the greatest cause for hope imaginable.
God Works All Things for Good
I immediately began to think of one of my favorite scripture passages: Romans 8:28. In that passage the Apostle Paul shares the hope-filled news, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Just three verses later (Romans 8:31) is the further promise, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” As I reflected on the amazing story of how one of the most notorious pests ever known could be heralded as a gift of prosperity and how Jesus is always at work redeeming the brokenness of our world, my thoughts turned to our present-day drama in The United Methodist Church.
The Present State of United Methodism
It’s hard these days to be a theological conservative in The United Methodist Church. Make no mistake, we are not leaving the UMC. The UMC has left us. Even though for 54 years the General Conference has clearly decided to stand for orthodox doctrine and accountability, bishops and progressive leaders have decided that they are going to lead the church in a different direction. General Conference has been postponed again and again under very questionable circumstances denying us any say. Most of us feel like we have no choice but to leave our church home because it seems no longer to stand for the Lordship of Jesus and the
authority of Scripture.
Traditionalists are told we must abide by whatever processes for disaffiliation bishops and their hand-picked boards of trustees decide. Often those decisions are made behind closed doors. In some instances, the decisions are not made public denying transparency which further erodes trust. In many of those conferences, the decisions have resulted in double standards. Progressives are allowed to openly break The Book of Discipline with no accountability. Traditionalists, however, are required to follow every provision including, in many cases, onerous and punitive costs that could financially ruin a congregation and deny some communities any Wesleyan witness at all. To make matters worse, we are often gaslighted by bishops and other progressive leaders telling us how mean and wrong we are to stand up for orthodoxy.
There is Hope
God specializes in taking dark situations and redeeming them for great, kingdom purposes. Whether it’s redeeming the devastation of the boll weevil or launching a new Global Methodist Church that stands for making disciples of Jesus Christ that worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly, God is on the move! He is making a way in the seeming desert for many. Thousands of churches across the UMC are now in the disaffiliation process. More are to come!
The Global Methodist Church is up and running on four different continents with hundreds of congregations and pastors. It has thousands of people worshipping in its sanctuaries on Sunday. It’s baptizing new believers. It’s sharing Holy Communion. It’s meeting people at their point of need and offering them Jesus Christ. The best news of all is that it’s ready, willing, and able to receive so many more.
Jesus Christ is the hope of the world! If He can take a tiny little beetle and redeem it into a “herald of prosperity” just imagine what He can do with our faithful, humble efforts to follow Him.
I, for one, can’t wait to continue to watch Him work. All glory to God!
The Rev. Jay Therrell is the president of the Wesleyan Covenant Association and an ordained elder in the Global Methodist Church.