“I have no complaints,” said my longtime friend J W Wallis. I would have complained on his behalf, but the Book of Job shows that’s not a good approach. It seemed beyond remarkable J W could accept an ALS diagnosis with such peaceful fortitude.
When Jane and I moved to Vienna in December of 1975, J W was pastor of First Baptist Church. He soon became our pastor too. Besides seeing him on Sundays, J W and I had additional contact because of my work.
Selling cars at Rooney Bowen Chevrolet was my main job, but I also helped at Bowen-Everett Funeral Home. J W conducted a lot of those funeral services. Even as a young pastor he had a gift for comforting the hurting, often coaxing warm smiles with tender remembrances. Long after he left Vienna in 1980, he kept returning for such occasions.
Funerals were just one of several reasons for which he returned. He preached revivals and homecoming messages, and he served as our interim pastor twice. One of those interims came during a challenging time. A pastor’s forced departure had left a somewhat fractured congregation. J W’s presence was a soothing balm that helped heal those fractures.
Something that has endeared him to a lot of folks is his delightful sense of humor. He teases people in ways that make them feel good, and he welcomes humor at his own expense.
A good example is when an older gentleman invited J W to his farm to cut firewood for the pastorium. Mr. Pat Butler had a chainsaw for himself, but handed J W an ax. About 30 minutes later, Mr. Pat pulled out another chainsaw from his toolbox. He said, “I think you’ll appreciate this a little more now.”
Mr. Emmett Stephens deserves the grand prize for J W stories. Mr. Emmett slept soundly on our church pews each Sunday morning, predictably dozing off as J W would begin his sermon. One night at home, however, he was restless in bed and rather miserable. It was after midnight when he whispered to his wife, “Christine, are you awake?”
“I am now,” she groggily replied. “What’s wrong, Emmett?”
“I’m having trouble sleeping,” he answered. “Would you mind calling J W and see if he’ll read me a little bit of one of his sermons?”
Several versions of that story are still circulating. When Mr. Emmett first shared it with his beloved pastor, he added a left-handed compliment. He said, “J W, I’ve slept under a lot of pastors in these pews, but I’ve never slept so well as I have under you.”
Our church sent a love offering to J W in August. He called and tried to give it back, claiming he already had too much money. His concern was that the needs of others might go unmet. In a gracious thank-you letter, he let us know the funds were used to buy a power wheelchair, adding he’s now officially a “Holy Roller.” Despite troubling circumstances, he’s still focused on bringing joy to others and sharing the faith that makes that possible.
I’ve been praying for mercy for my dear friend and his sweet wife Williene, and also thanking God for their wonderful examples. Sometimes I add a petition for myself, acknowledging an area in which my faith needs a lot of strengthening. I pray that if I’m ever severely tested, I can say with the peaceful fortitude of J W Wallis, “I have no complaints.”
