John Moody McCaleb
1862*-1953
Obituary & Funeral
John Moody McCaleb was born at Duck River, Tennessee, September 25, 1861*, and passed from this life in Los Angeles November 7, 1953, at the age of 92 years, one month and fourteen days.
He attended Carter's Creek Academy and later, the School of the Bible, now Transylvania College, Lexington, Kentucky. There he met Dorothy Bentley of Maysville, Kentucky, whom he married in 1891. In April of 1892, they went to Japan as missionaries.
Brother McCaleb gave his life to the work in Japan, a span of nearly fifty years. He returned to the States in 1941. A short time later, in 1942, he married Elizabeth Reeves of Tennessee and they established their home near Pepperdine College here in Los Angeles. Brother McCaleb taught in the field of Oriental Religions at Pepperdine until ill health made his retirement necessary a few years ago.
In addition to his wife, Brother McCaleb is survived by three children: Lois (Mrs. John T. Glenn), James Harding McCaleb, and Ruth (Mrs. Forrest Earl Williams); five grand-daughters, and five great-grandchildren and a host of other relatives and friends.
The facts and figures just presented in the obituary can do only scant justice to the real life and character of this saint of God. And I use the word "saint" advisedly, for truly he was a "man of God" if I ever knew one. And I think I had ample opportunity to know Brother McCaleb, for not only did we work rather closely together in Japan over a period of fifteen years, but what is more: my wife and I had the rare and blessed privilege of living with him in his own home, eating with him at his table three times a day, and kneeling beside him in prayer by the same table, as his custom was, every morning for the first year or more while we were living in Tokyo, learning the Japanese language. And in all of these intimate relationships together, we learned to appreciate him as a true Christian gentleman at all times and under all circumstances. As such, he continued to be our valued counselor and advisor during our whole sojourn in Japan. In attempting to evaluate the large contribution he rendered the Cause of Christ in Japan, I feel inadequate to the task. For his vital part in that work was of the pioneering type, the more difficult and less spectacular service of seed-sowing or foundation laying; hence I believe that only the Light Of Eternity will fully reveal the actual fruits of his arduous labors. Then I believe, "many shall rise up and call him blessed." And what is more: it will be his to hear the words of the Master, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joys of thy Lord."
Human words seem so inadequate at a time like this, when we attempt to give comfort in a memorial service for a departed friend and loved one.
Brother McCaleb was modest, meek and humble, and his desire would have been that little be said of him and much be said about the one for whom he lived, in whom he placed all his trust and faith, and to whom he looked for sustenance and strength, even Jesus Christ the Lord.
Brother McCaleb would have said about this service, remind the living that life is short, transient and passing; eternal life is all that matters, so we should diligently prepare for it; death is inevitable and universal, no one can escape it, therefore we should all try to understand its meaning and purpose and realize that it fits into God's eternal purpose for us.
Brother McCaleb would have said that the only thing that matters in death is that a man have faith in God.
We who knew Brother McCaleb knew him as a man of faith. Mrs. A.J. McCall, secretary at the Temple, Texas church, gave me a poem which she said her late husband, who for many years preached in Texas, used at funerals. I feel this poem expresses Brother McCaleb's faith and confidence in the Lord:
Faith
When sorrow comes as come it must
In God a man must place his trust
There is no power in mortal speech,
The anguish of his soul to reach.
No voice however sweet and low,
Can comfort him, or ease the blow.
He cannot from his fellowmen
Take strength that will sustain him then,
But with all that kindly hands can do
And all that love may offer too.
He must believe throughout the test.
That God has willed it for the best.
We who would be his friends are dumb,
Words from our lips but feebly come.
We feel as we extend our hands,
That one power only understands.
And truly knows the reason why
So beautiful a soul must die
We realize how helpless then
Are all the gifts of mortal men.
No words which we have power to say
Can take the sting of grief away.
But that power that marks the sparrow's fall
Must comfort and sustain us all.
When sorrow comes as come it must,
In God a man must place his trust.
With all the wealth that he may own,
He then must meet the test alone.
And only he may stand serene,
Who has a Faith on which to lean.
-Edgar A. Guest
There is so much which could be said on the occasion of the passing of a great soldier of the cross like Brother J.M. McCaleb, and yet so little needs to be said, for his exemplary life speaks for itself.
The Lord spoke of one of his favorite servants, Abel, in these fitting words, "He being dead yet speaketh."
Brother McCaleb still speaks of those who survive him and will continue to do so, because we know that he was a man after God's own heart.
Brother McCaleb's life has taught us many things - patience, faith, love, wisdom, humility, and understanding and tolerance toward all.
Brother McCaleb's life was as near a demonstration of the principles of Christ as I have ever seen in a human being. His great concern was always for others. This concern led him to leave his friends and loved ones to spend over fifty years in a foreign land in mission work. His spirit and attitude toward all people everywhere is beautifully expressed in a song which he wrote, "The Gospel Is For All:"
Of one the Lord has made the race, Thru one has come the fall:
Where sin has gone must go His grace: The Gospel is for all.
Say not the heathen are at home, Beyond we have no call.
For why should we be blest alone? The Gospel is for all.
Received ye freely, freely give, From every land they call;
Unless they hear they cannot live: The Gospel is for all.
Brother McCaleb is better off than he was. He has now achieved the goal for which he has been striving so diligently for many years. He is now in a position to enjoy the fruition of all his earthly labors. For many years he has been laying up treasures in heaven. All of us have heard him quote the words of Jesus, "Lay up for yourselves treasures . . ." He believed these words and practiced them.
Brother McCaleb slipped quietly to his eternal abiding place. Sister McCaleb hardly knew when he quit breathing.
There is so little difference between life and death. In death our spiritual body lives on, but our mortal body returns to the dust. Brother McCaleb is now residing in the mansion prepared for him by our Lord.
No, not cold beneath the grasses,
Not close-walled within the tomb;
Rather, in my Father's mansion,
Living in another room.
Living, like the one who loves me.
Like yon child with cheeks of blue
Out of sight, at desk or school-book
Busy in another room.
Nearer than the youth whom fortune
Beckons where the strange lands loom!
Just behind the hanging curtains,
Serving in another room.
Shall I doubt my Father's mercy:
Shall I think of death as doom
Or the stepping o'er the threshold
To a bigger, brighter room?
Shall I blame my Father's wisdom?
Shall I sit enswathed in gloom
When I know my love is happy,
Waiting in another room.
As the years go by all of us are realizing more clearly that this life is short and uncertain. All of us, sooner or later, will be called from the stage of action here below to face the judgment seat of God.
Brother McCaleb was certainly not one who believed that this short and uncertain existence upon this old world was all there was to life, but he believed in a larger, fuller life which follows this one.
Brother McCaleb's life was not without purpose because he believed and trusted in one greater than man. He was acquainted with the divine purpose and meaning of both life and death.
At the funeral of Brother and Sister McCaleb's infant daughter, Ann Elizabeth, I read the following verses which Brother McCaleb liked very much and he expressed a desire that they be read at his funeral:
I am home in heaven, dear ones;
O, so happy and so bright!
There is perfect joy and beauty
In this everlasting light.
All the pain and grief are over.
Every restless tossed passed:
I am now at peace forever,
Safely home in heaven at last.
Did you wonder I so calmly
Trod the valley of the shade?
Ah! but Jesus' love illumined
Every dark and fearful glade.
And he came himself to meet me.
In that way so hard to tread:
And with Jesus' arms to lean on,
Could I have one doubt or dread?
Then you must not grieve so sorely
For I love you dearly still;
Try to look beyond earth's shadows,
Pray to trust our Father's will.
There is work still waiting for you,
So you must not idly stand;
Do it now, while life remaineth;
You shall rest in Jesus' land.
When that work is all completed,
He will gently call you home.
O, the rapture of that meeting!
O, the joy to see you come!
No person had developed a true concept of life, until he has achieved the true spiritual concept of death. Those who view life entirely from the materialistic standpoint frequently fail to appreciate that "death" has an important part to play in God's scheme of affairs.
"Death is the golden key that opens the palace of eternity." "Death is the foreshadowing of life. We die that we may die no more, but to live eternally." "It is impossible that anything so natural, so necessary, and so universal as death, should have been designed by Providence as an evil to mankind."
When we understand God's purposes in two worlds, life and death become more meaningful to us and the bitter sorrow and sadness of death is lessened. The advent of Jesus into the world, his ignominious and untimely death, and his resurrection bring hope and encouragement to us.
"We see in the risen Christ the end for which man was made and the assurance that the end is within reach. Christ rose from the grave changed and yet the same: and in Him we have the pledge and type of our rising."
In the light of these spiritual truths, Paul's admonition in 1 Cor. 15:58 takes on added significance and meaning.
As you know, Brother McCaleb often expressed his feelings and thoughts in poetic form. His last poem, written in August, 1951, will be a fitting conclusion to my remarks today.
O, that I my life may give
Showing others how to live!
That when I the trail have gone
Others may be coming on.
And let not one, because of me,
The path to glory fail to see,
Be led astray and fail to reach,
That place of bliss of which we teach.
But may the path on which I've trod,
Sure be the one that leads to God.
That all who may reach the goal,
Straight on to God, home of the soul!
-Firm Foundation, December 8, 1953, page 4-6
Funeral Memorial Program
Memorial Service Card As Appearing In The Firm
Foundation, December 8, 1953, page 4
Life Of John Moody M'Caleb
A Sketch From 1898
John Moody M'Caleb was born among the hills of Hickman County, Tenn., September 25, 1861*. His father was a farmer, who owned a farm of two hundred and sixty acres - rough, steep, and stony, but rich and productive. His mother was the daughter of John Pitts Beasley, who lived on Mill Creek, Hickman County, Tenn., and who came in his earlier days from North Carolina. She was a good woman; she loved everybody, but she was not blind to the faults of anybody. She often criticised severely those whom she loved dearly. She was a devout Christian, and, though she lived two miles from the meeting place of the church, she always met with the disciples on the first day of the week to break bread. She was especially kind to the poor, but felt a holy contempt for "aristocracy." She was always prompt to correct her children if they spoke disrespectfully of people because they were poor or of the lower classes. She never allowed her children to run at large on Sundays, as was customary with her neighbors, but either kept them at their lessons at home or took them to religious meetings.
Her husband was strictly moral and rigidly honest, but he was not a Christian. He was killed by accident when his youngest son, the subject of this sketch, was six months old. He was opposed to war from conviction, and hence never enlisted as a soldier. While on a journey, he was halted by a picket on duty in the Civil War; but he did not hear the "halt!" by reason of the noise from a swollen stream, and the picket shot him through the heart. He was buried where he fell, on Yellow Creek, in Dickson County, about forty miles from home. His wife determined to have him brought home, but the roads were bad, the weather was inclement, the country was full of "bushwhackers," and no one would undertake to remove his body. She finally determined to do it herself, with the help of her oldest son, who was then about fifteen, and they prepared to start alone in an ox wagon, when two neighbor men, moved by the energy and determination of the bereaved widow, went and brought the body home and buried it. This Christian woman was left in the midst of war a widow, with six little children to care for.
John Moody went barefooted winter and summer till he was about five years old, and he never had a suit of "store clothes" till he was almost grown. His mother clothed her whole family by the labor of her own hands, with cards, wheel, and loom. His first lessons in books were taken from his mother as he sat on the loom bench by her side while she wove cloth and taught him at the same time. She taught him to read by the time he was three years old. When he was six or seven years old he started to "free school," two and a half miles from home. He walked back and forth, morning and evening, every day.
The schoolhouse was a log cabin, low, and with the rafters for ceiling; the seats were split logs, with the flat side turned up, and wooden pins driven in anger holes on the underside for legs; the writing desk at the back end of the house was a broad, undressed plank, about twelve feet long, supported by inclined pegs driven into auger holes in the wall. A log was sawn out the full length of the house just above the writing desk to give light to the scribes. The writers made their own ink out of poke berry juice or elder berry juice. Fragments of four terms at school with these facilities were all the educational advantages he had till he was twenty-one years old. Barring the few weeks he spent in this school, his mother kept him busy at work on the farm and in the house. When not at work in the field, she required him to do all sorts of housework. He would cook, spin, fill quills, milk the cows, clean the house, churn, and sew under her instruction while she was busy at the loom. She also taught him to use carpenter's tools, and he made many useful articles of household furniture.
As her children grew up and married, she divided off the little farm among them and settled them around her in homes of their own. When John Moody was twenty years old his mother died, and soon after her death he sold his interest in the little farm and tried his fortune in business for himself as a book agent. He was not a success in this line of business, and his next venture was in teaching writing schools, at which he succeeded fairly well.
He was baptized by J. M. Morton during a meeting held by J. M. Barnes, at Dunlap, Tenn., when he was about fourteen years old. Soon after he was baptized he began to take an interest in religious meetings, and gradually began to speak and pray in public as he grew older. He was always quiet in manner and religious in nature; and perhaps before he thought of such a thing himself, others began to look on him as a boy who would be a preacher. His talks and prayers in public strengthened this idea, and before he knew it the people began to consider him a preacher. By teaching school he earned money enough to attend boarding school, first, at Little Lot, in Hickman County, and, next, at a country school taught by William Anderson, in Maury County. His deportment was good and his progress was rapid in these preparatory schools, and during the years immediately following, while engaged in school-teaching at different places, he took a course of Bible study under Ashley S. Johnson by correspondence.
In the spring of 1888, when he was twenty-six years old, he entered the College of the Bible, Kentucky University, Lexington, Ky. Though he had been a school-teacher several years, he had never been out of Tennessee, and had never been on a railroad car. He took the train for Lexington at Columbia, Tenn., where, for the first time, he entered a passenger coach on a railroad. While a student at Lexington he preached occasionally on Sunday, and during vacation he preached at several points in Tennessee in the vicinity of his old home. In 1890 he wrote his first article for the papers, which attracted attention and opened to him a wider field of usefulness.
In 1889 he held his first protracted meeting in a schoolhouse in Daviess County, Ky. He started to this meeting with only about half enough money to pay his railroad fare; but a little country congregation where he stopped on the way, without any knowledge as to his financial condition, gave him enough money, unsolicited, to get to the place, and leave ten cents in his treasury. The meeting continued into the fourth week, and nineteen souls were added to the Lord. He remained at Lexington three years and six months, and, by special diligence in study, completed the four-year course in English and took the prescribed course in Hebrew and two years in Greek. The last vacation while a student at Lexington he labored successfully as an evangelist in Southern Kentucky and Middle Tennessee. The first year after he left school he labored as an evangelist in Middle Tennessee and Central Kentucky.
He was married, October 7, 1891, and in March, 1892, he left America for Japan, to preach the gospel to those who worship idols. He is still in that country and engaged in that work. While a student at Lexington, Ky., he argued that Christians in New Testament times "went everywhere preaching the word," without any definite arrangement for support or salary; and when an opportunity opened to him along the line of his own argument, be was equal to the emergency, and he practiced what he preached. He has been supported by voluntary contributions and encouraged by letters of brotherly love and sympathy from Christians and churches in different parts of the world all these years, and that which was lacking he has supplied by the labor of his own hands.
-F. D. Srygley, CHAPTER XXXI, Biographies And Sermons, Nashville, TN, c.1898,
pages 290-295
Restoration Leaders:
John Moody McCaleb (1861-1953)
J. M. McCaleb is probably best known in our present time for the very meaningful song. "The Gospel Is For All," which so many sing and are thereby reminded of our mission in Christ. He believed the thought of the song very strongly and was one of the first pioneers to engage in foreign mission work. Almost fifty years of his life were spent on the soil of Japan (Land of the Rising Sun) where the darkness of superstition and idolatry had a stronghold being unenlightened by the knowledge of God's Word.
J. M. McCaleb was born on a Wednesday, September 25, 1861* to John and Lucy Jane McCaleb in Hickman County of Middle Tennessee. He was the youngest of six brothers, of whom the first and last were named John, though having different second names. His father was a farmer who was killed soon after his birth and before he was named. He loved dearly his mother who was a school teacher and who lived to his twenty-sixth year. He fondly spoke of her teaching him his alphabet from the Bible as well as honesty by insisting that "it was as bad to steal a pin as to steal a horse." Five years after his father's death, she was married to J. N. Pucket who was a member of the Church of Christ and who had evidently exerted a profound influence on his future.
On October 7, 1891 he was married to Della Duvall Bentley of Paris, Kentucky, by brother I. B. Grubbs. To his union were added three children, Lois Glenn, J. Harding, and Ruth Williams, all born in Japan. Upon their marriage there was bestowed by her father "a trunk of clothes and $5.00" which was a rich sum for that day and time. His first wife lived only into the nineteen thirties. All three of his children have passed to their rewards. It was after he returned from his many years of mission work in Japan that he took another bride. Elizabeth Reeves, January 27, 1942, who continued to be his loyal companion until his passing, November 5, 1953. Although he was advanced in years when they married, sister Elizabeth McCaleb later wrote that "he was young in spirit, sound in mind and body." A happy blessing came to their union July 2, 1944, with the birth of their daughter Ann Elizabeth, who blessed their home for almost three months.
Harry R. Fox. Sr. stated of brother McCaleb and his work in Japan in "Missionary Pictorial'' (1966) that "he went to his task well-equipped spiritually, for he was a man like Stephen. 'full of faith and the Holy Spirit'; hence he was also filled with love for God and man and a burning zeal for winning lost souls." Also in her article in "Missionary Pictorial" (1966. by Charles R. Brewer, World Vision Publishing Co. Nashville, Tenn.) sister Elizabeth McCaleb commented that brother McCaleb was "a man who was humble and did not think of himself more highly than he ought to think; yet he was strong in faith and confidence in Christ Jesus . . . He was courteous and helpful to all-poor as well as the rich."
He obeyed the gospel at the age of fifteen. He attended spasmodically what is now called public school and states in his book "Once Traveled Roads" (Gospel Advocate. 1934) that he finished his public "free school" at the age of thirty. In the fall of 1883, he taught school in Hickman County, Tennessee, for $25.00 a month. He studied later in the College of the Bible at Lexington, Kentucky. under such outstanding men as J.W. McGarvey, I. B. Grubbs, and Robert Graham, president of the school. Upon finishing these studies he immediately went to Japan.
Although he had not been out of the State of Tennessee until he was twenty-six years of age. he consulted and persuaded his wife to go across the waters to Japan to do the work of the Lord in preaching. He had one pressing concern left before embarking on the journey, "a $50.00 obligation." The church where he had been preaching in Southern Kentucky, upon hearing of his plans to go to Japan, took up a contribution which amounted to "a few cents over $50.00." In a letter to brother McCaleb from her parents' home just before the trip, sister Della Duvall McCaleb wrote a beautiful inspiring poem entitled "The Night Cometh:
Why should we spend in idle dreams
The life which God has given?
Each mom whose sunshine o'er us streams.
Each dewy eve. with starry beams,
Should find us nearer heaven
Alas we choose the stormy way,
Which fills our lives with some.
Nor heed the warning hours which say,
Our brief unworthy joy today
Will cloud the bright tomorrow.
And so we urge our rapid way
Toward the unseen river.
And while the sorrowing angels say.
"It might have been," life's little day
Has passed away forever.
Arouse, awake, ye chosen few,
To whom our God has given
The strength to bear, the will to do
Which evermore will guide you through,
Then work, 'tis almost even'.
At the age of twenty-nine, with enough support to make the trip and a promise from David Lipscomb to help by appealing to the churches for support. they began their seventeen-day boat trip, continuing from March 26 to April 12. Due to a storm on the start, all passengers were quite seasick for the first several days. Not knowing the language and customs of the people. in a strange land far from "home," this little band of brother and sister McCaleb, accompanied by another gentleman and two other ladies, began their work and life in Japan. Interpreters were used until the language could be slowly but surely mastered.
Concerning support. brother McCaleb was a pioneer in doing missionary work in the New Testament order. Most who went to a foreign land were supported and controlled by the "Foreign Christian Missionary Society" or "The Christian Woman's Board of Missions." Both these unscriptural organizations became, in the words of brother McCaleb and others, "distinctly legalized bodies outside the church and assuming control over the churches." Having been convinced of Paul's teaching in Ephesians 3:8-10 that through the church all the Lord's work was to be conducted, and that to the glory of God, these refused to be connected to these man-made organizations. Believing Matthew 6:33 very strongly kept them working while the Lord, through the brethren, kept the support supplied. It was not too long until the gospel began to take hold and fruit of the labor burst forth in individuals becoming New Testament Christians and churches being established. Brother Hall Laurie Calhoun wrote (Feb. 7, 1930) that J. M. McCaleb was "a modest, unassuming man . . . blessed with a strong body, a clear mind, and a deeply religious spirit" (Introduction, On the Trail Of The Missionaries), all of which are necessary to the work of preaching on a foreign soil. He was a prolific writer having authored From Idols to God, Social Life In America, Memories of Early Days, Christ The Light Of The World, On the Trail of the Missionaries, and Once Traveled Roads. He wrote several hundred poems and many songs both for children and adults. Due to his courteous, kind, and patient ways, he made many friends who remained his friends to the end.
In January, 1929, he began a trip around the world to visit missionaries in the field. He visited China, India, Africa, Palestine, and Europe including Italy, France, England, and Scotland. He stated his desires to see the changes, situations, and increases of the other workers in other fields. He wanted to profit from their mistakes that would hinder his work and to improve the future. Mistakes here could be so costly in so many ways. There is simply no substitute for experience. It has been through his experiences that so many who would go to mission work have been helped. Having considered heavily the commission of the Lord as given to Paul (Acts 26: 16-18), he saw the great field of Japan in the darkness of ignorance, the few laborers, and the great need to alleviate the lost condition of the multitudes. Jesus, our Lord and King. in the great commission, has given to all Christians, in accordance to their ability and opportunity the responsibility which we dare not take lightly (Mt. 28:18-20;Mk. 16:15-16; 1 Tim. 4:16; 2 Tim. 2:2; 4:1-4).
We must look to the scriptures for the method and content of successful work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). But also we should profit from the experiences of others and the examples of those who have unselfishly devoted themselves, in order to gain courage and success, and that their mistakes may not be repeated.
From brother McCaleb's pen we observe the following important needs of foreign mission work: The word of God coupled with good common sense and wisdom will further the greatest cause on earth instead of hampering its progress. Strong and abiding faith through the studying and understanding of God's revelation arc highly needed to meet the worldly educated, who have absorbed the delusions of error from youth (Eph. 4:14-15;6:10-17). A pure heart is a must for anyone who teaches and preaches, but especially to one who aspires to do mission work abroad. Distance from home, loved ones and familiar surroundings, will make temptations stronger and harder to bear unless the morals are set by deeply spiritual desires for the work to be accomplished. The Lord and the churches are looking for MEN who are able in body, mind, and heart to devote time and energy to carrying the gospel to those around the world. When such a man is grounded in the faith, though perhaps still relatively young, willing to learn the language and culture different from his own, let him he urged and encouraged to reach out as far as he can to a lost and dying world.
It is also advisable that this man needs a good wife (Gen. 2:18). The hardships will be easier and better borne by an Aquila and Priscilla in our present time. Not all are able to continue to carry out the work without a good wife to assist, though some are like the peerless apostle Paul (I Cor. 9:5-6). It is also highly recommended that sufficient support should he supplied by faithful brethren so that constant worry about family needs should not distract from the work. Success cannot be as much expected when morale is low due to insufficient support. Enough strength. bravery. and stamina will be necessary to remain on the field of labor without this heavy concern. All of these points have been clearly written by brother McCaleb in his books from the vantage point of experience. Through his faith, willingness to be a vessel unto honor, and his writings, we should all be stirred to a stronger intent and desire to carry out our Lord's command whether here or abroad. Let us ever remember that the action which distinguishes us from the world as God's true people is not just "going" but "preaching" when we do go, the unsearchable riches of Christ in the gospel. If we are called upon to suffer in our field of endeavor, let it be for the sake of the precious name of Christ (1 Pet. 4:16-18).
After returning from Japan brother McCaleb preached for the first five years at many congregations. He also taught a course in Oriental Religions at George Pepperdine College. Still having the deep interest in planting the church in new fields, he went with a group to Juneau. Alaska. This strained his energies though he did continue to teach in summer school upon his return. He suffered however his first heart attack at the age of eighty-five. Sister Elizabeth McCaleb continued by his side and was no doubt his greatest supporter.
Following his passing in 1953, sister Elizabeth McCaleb also entered the mission field of Japan on May 4. 1961, finally returning December 31, 1968. She made the seventeen-day voyage on a Japanese freighter as the only passenger, following in the steps of brother McCaleb. She lived on the campus of Ibaraki Christian College while teaching the children of missionary families and helping with the study of the Bible in English. As a child she had heard brother McCaleb speak in a little country congregation near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He impressed her with "his kind gentle manner and by placing Japanese idols on display while speaking." Little did he know at the time, or she, the far-reaching good that was coming from the speaking engagement that night. She still lives in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. is active and happy and helpful to all who know her and who have the privilege to be her friend. She is a continuing tribute to brother J. M. McCaleb, missionary to Japan.
-Gary Colley, Freed-Hardeman Lectures, 1989, pages 62-66
The Gospel Is For All
by J.M. McCaleb
Of one the Lord has made the race,
Thru one has come the fall:
Where sin has gone must go His grace: The Gospel is for all.
Say not the heathen are at home, Beyond we have no
call.
For why should we be blest alone? The Gospel is for all.
Received ye freely, freely give, From every land
they call;
Unless they hear they cannot live: The Gospel is for all.
Chorus: The blessed Gospel is for all. The Gospel
is for all:
Where sin has gone must go His grace: The Gospel is for all.
*Update On The Birthdate of J.M. McCaleb
June 30, 2008 - Email Update From Family Member Dr. R.L. McCaleb
Dear Sir:
In your article added 4/08 about John Moody McCaleb the year of birth is wrong. John Moody was my great uncle and my father and other members of the family talked of him often.
John Moody was born in 9/25/1862 after his father had been killed by a southern soldier on 2/04/1862. Asked why she named another son John (the first son was John James born in 1850) she said that her husband was such a good man he deserved another son named John.
My guess is that info on his year of death came from someone that saw his father had been killed in 1862 and assumed he was born before that not knowing that his mother was with child when her husband was killed. There was a infant girl born in 1861 but she soon died.
I have researched my family genealogy for years and believe this to be correct.
Sincerely, Dr. R.L. McCaleb, Lake City , Fl
Recent Update J.M. McCaleb's First Wife
The first wife of John Moody McCaleb was Dorothy (Della) Bentley of Paris, Ky. They married in 1891. She died in 1939 in Louisville. Della had some trouble adjusting in Japan though she spent several years there. She wanted to raise the three children in the U.S. and selected Louisville. All three graduated from the University of Louisville. I don't have before me the last year she spent in Japan, but I think it was in the early 1920s. J. M. always spent time with her and the family when he returned to the US on furlough. J. M. McCaleb married Elizabeth Reeves (1901-1994) of Murfreesboro in California, January 1942. They hoped to go to Japan, but he died in 1953 before they managed to go. Elizabeth went to Japan in 1961 and spent a few years there after his death. J. M. is buried in the Inglewood Park Cemetery south of L. A. Elizabeth is buried in Murfreesboro.
-Tom Olbricht, 14 Beaver Dam Road, South Berwick, Maine 03908, July 5, 2010, Feed-Stone/Campbell Forum
photo courtesy of Terry J. Gardner, 06.2012
Handwriting of J.M. McCaleb
from the personal collection of Mark McWhorter, 10.22.2019
Directions To Grave
J.M. McCaleb is buried in one of California's largest cemeteries, Inglewood Park Cemetery. It is located in Inglewood, a western suburb of Los Angeles. From LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) travel east on Century Blvd. Go under I-405 and continue traveling east. You will enter the city of Inglewood. Turn left on Prairie Road. When you pass SoFi Stadium on the right you will begin passing an extremely large cemetery. Go until you come to Florence Road and turn right. Enter the cemetery from Florence.
Inglewood Park Cemetery
720 East Florence Avenue
Inglewood, California 90301
(310) 412-6500
Open 8:00am-5:30pm Monday-Friday
When you enter the cemetery look straight ahead at the statue of the elk and bear to your left and travel to the east side of Section: Del Ivy, and stay to the right at the first fork, then bear to the left at the second. You will see the Lake Of Memories on the right. Stop as you pass it on your right and head toward the lake. The grave is on the east side of the lake. Look at photos below to close in on location.
GPS Location
N33˚58.127' x W118˚20.399'
17' Accuracy / Grave Faces West
Location: Lake Plot 263
Our Baby
Ann Elizabeth
July 2 - September 24, 1944
J.M. McCaleb
1861*-1953
Photos Taken 03.20.2008
Webpage produced 03.18.2016
Updated 10.21.2019
Courtesy Of Scott Harp
www.TheRestorationMovement.com
*See Above: Update On The Birthdate of J.M. McCaleb
The Lord Will Provide: A Doctoral Dissertation by Shawn Z. Daggett
Special Thanks: To Shawn Z. Daggett who contributed his 2007 Doctoral Dissertation entitled,
THE LORD WILL PROVIDE:
JAMES A. HARDING, J. M. MCCALEB, WILLIAM J. BISHOP, AND THE EMERGENCE OF FAITH MISSIONS
IN THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST, 1892-1913
Also, to Gary C. Hampton for his assistance in procuring permission to post here.
05.25.2023
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