Larry: “Hell-Bent” Transformed to “Heaven-Sent”

By Cora Mae Jewell

Larry Jewell lost his father at age thirteen, and his world fell apart. He became a wild, unrestrained young man. However, nine days before his twenty-first birthday, he experienced a life-changing moment. God forgave his sinful life and was beginning to transform him.

The new young man wanted to tell others that God could change their lives too. Although he had a limited education, he followed a designated course of study. This eventually qualified him to be ordained at the elder level as a pastor in the Free Methodist Church, which he served for twenty-two years.

Any truly effective pastor has a dedicated wife supporting him. Mary Kings personal characteristics and her background were different from Larrys. Their formula to seek Gods guidance for their lives is one we all should follow.

His turbulent teenage years gave him an intense desire to help young men. As he showed them how to build and fly model planes, he shared with them Christian principles for building good lives.
Pastor Larry and his family experienced a tragic loss a few days before a family wedding. Only Gods grace carried them through his period.

In 1944, he moved his family into a remodeled 140-year-old log home. Then he began serving United Methodist churches mainly in that area. His twenty-one years in this ministry were terminated by cancer. On February 14, 1965, Larry died.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Jan 20, 2017
• ISBN: 9781504372008

Cora Mae Jewell

Cora Jewell, born in Pennsylvania in 1925, became a secretary/artist at the Munn Art Studio in Hillsdale, Michigan after high school graduation. The studio prepared Scene-O-Felt visual aids illustrating Bible stories. She helped start the Spanish American Mission that ministered to the Hispanic migrant workers. When the Spanish-American Free Methodist Church was established in Lansing, she served at various times as the interim pastor. While a student at Spring Arbor Junior College (now University), she wrote the script for a play “Thy Will Be Done,” that was presented by the college. She taught Spanish and English in the Lansing School District. In the 1970’s, when many refugees came to the area, she began writing materials for and teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) at the secondary level. Also, she wrote educational and religious articles for the bilingual newspaper El Renacimento (The Rebirth). Her short story “The Two Carpenters” first appeared in this paper. Cora made two short-term missionary trips to Mexico to assist in the educational program for children of translators in the Summer Institute of Linguistics, a branch of Wycliffe Bible Translators. She also took a trip to Japan and Taiwan under Volunteers in Service Abroad of the Free Methodist Church, to assist missionaries teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). In 1984, she returned to her home state. At Waynesburg College (now University), she taught ESL and Spanish. In addition, she held services at both maximum and minimum security prisons for Hispanic inmates and assisted in their educational programs with TESL. She completed her doctorate in 1992 with a specialization in TEFL/TESL. In 2002, a retirement community in Ohio became her new home site. Two years later she was recorded as a minister in the Evangelical Friends Church (Quaker). At ninety-one years of age, she published her father’s biography.

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Copyright © 2017 Cora Mae Jewell.

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ISBN: 978-1-5043-7174-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-7173-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-7200-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016920983

Balboa Press rev. date: 01/18/2017

CONTENTS

Preface and Acknowledgements

Chapter 1 A Life Change — A Name Change

Chapter 2 Sunshine…

Chapter 3 …And Shadows

Chapter 4 A Diamond in the Rough

Chapter 5 What’s That in Your Hand?

Chapter 6 Observations and Confessions of the PKs

Chapter 7 Making a House a Home

Chapter 8 What Now, Lord?

Chapter 9 God Will Supply

Chapter 10 What’s That You’re Reading?

Chapter 11 Larry’s Last Journey

Chapter 12 Sunshine, Where the SON Shines Always

A Final Word from the Author

About the Author

Biographical Information of the Children of Larry and Mary Jewell

Bibliography

This book is dedicated to the memory

of our parents, Larry and Mary Jewell,

and our brother, Lewis.

PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book has been written primarily as a result of two incidents. One occurred many years ago as I was looking through some old books of our father, Rev. Lawrence Clesson Jewell. I noticed a brief journal entry, written about 1922, in which he refers to his conversion,(that experience when he knew his sins were forgiven) and his repentance (when he made a commitment to turn away from his former evil habits). The journal stated, Perhaps after I shall have passed the line of worlds into eternity—and make it through to heaven—that someone may read these lines—and feel that God is able for their salvation.

At most places where he pastored, newspaper articles were written about him. In about the late forties, a three-page article focused on him in the Roto, a supplemental magazine of the Sunday issues of the Pittsburgh Press. This is the second incident that inspired me. It was a good article, but the rest of his story needed to be told.

We are all aware that the life of each person is interwoven with the lives of many other people in a lifetime. Therefore, Larry is the story of a man, his family, and his friends.

Although I have endeavored to fit the thousands of bits of information together to provide a comprehensive picture, there are many other people who have contributed greatly to this effort.

Immediately after my high school graduation, I moved to Michigan to work and study. The verbal and written recollections of my siblings for things that happened at home after that time have been essential. Erna Jane Jewell Ross, Nellie Fern Jewell Khutik Abbott and Douglas Milton Jewell all made valuable contributions throughout the book. The cover photo of Rev. L. C. Jewell in the pulpit of the Fordyce United Methodist Church is believed to have been taken by Rev. Michael Khutik or his wife, Nellie Jewell Khutik. Our second cousin Nancy Wargo provided historical ancestral information.

Anthony Zambito and his wife were so helpful in providing information about the formation, mining, and preparation of diamonds for jewelry or industrial use (See chapter 4). They formerly owned the jewelry shop Anthony’s Gold and Diamonds in Saint Clairsville, Ohio.

Where I should have this book published was a big decision, and I asked church friends to pray that I might have divine guidance. James Forshey made a suggestion that eventually led to Balboa Press Publishing. The company advisors have been very helpful as we moved through the many phases leading to publication.

We are grateful for help from the two denominations in which our father served. Cathy Robling, director of the Marston Memorial Historical Center of the Free Methodist Church, did research in their archives to assist us. Jamie Hamilton sent a 2007 copy of the FMC Discipline that provided unlimited help.

John R. Wilson, conference secretary of the United Methodist Church, Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference, likewise supplied valued information. Both groups provided the dates when L. C. Jewell was ordained an elder in their denomination.

We are indebted to Lead Bishop Matthew Thomas for his clarifying statement of the position of the Free Methodist Church today relative to bi-vocational pastors and those living in their own homes (See chapter 8). We are grateful to Bishop William B. Grove for his kind words of when he was a fellow pastor in the United Methodist Church with our father (See chapter 11).

Many years ago our Aunt Bernice, Mother’s sister, gave me her copy of the Pittsburgh Conference History/ FMC/1883-1983. Repeatedly, I turned to it for information.

Next to that of the Holy Spirit, the help of one person was essential or this book would have never become a reality. Cathy Carpenter in 2015 asked the Lord for a project. When she learned that I was praying for a typist, she was convinced that working on this book was for her. As she has struggled at times to understand my manuscript, God has helped her. Working with her has been a real joy to me. My dear scribe has cared for all the technical contacts with our publisher. Tom Carpenter, Cathy’s husband, has assisted with the photo pages. We are thankful for this help and all his support of Cathy in this big endeavor.

My thanks go to Jim Magro for sharing a personal experience relative to the use of his Bible (See chapter 10).

To every person who has prayerfully supported and encouraged the writing of Larry, I am deeply grateful. That help has kept me persevering when I was discouraged and confused about the next step.

My prayer is that Larry will present some challenges and provide inspiration and encouragement for all its readers.

Cora Mae Jewell

CHAPTER 1

A LIFE CHANGE — A NAME CHANGE

December 21, 1921

A thin young man walked hesitantly toward Jack, one of his gambling buddies. He expected the question he would be asked.

Hi, H. B. Watcha doin’ t’night? his friend asked.

For two cents, I’d go to that church in Youngsville where they’re havin’ some kind of special meetin’s, was H. B.’s reply.

Ya gotta be kiddin. H. B. wants to go to church? Now that’s news! I thought you were a toughie? Jack responded, in shock.

"Well, I’m curious about why just goin’ to a church changed George*, that fellow we used to see in the bars. He’s really different. Told me he got saved. I want to find out why he did whatever it was he did."

You really are serious, aren’t you? Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out his hand, and said, Okay, H. B., open your mitt. Here’s your two cents.

He honestly didn’t want to go to church. Maybe he was afraid. But now to keep his word H. B. had to go. By seven-thirty, he and two of his buddies were seated in the United Brethren Church in Youngsville, Pennsylvania. This felt strange since none of them had been in a church for years. They liked the lively music and tried to sing. The songbooks helped, since they did not know the songs. Mr. Thompson (they later learned he was a song evangelist)sang, What If It Were Today? It told of Christ’s return to claim those who had been living for Him. Then, the evening message came that emphasized the hope of heaven for those forgiven and the eternal punishment for those living in sin. Recalling the wicked life he had been living the last six years, H. B. felt like he was suspended over hell.

It all started a few years earlier. His father had been a foreman in a chemical factory. One day a pile of one-hundred-and-thirty pound bags slipped and fell on him. His severe injuries followed by pneumonia, took his life.

At thirteen years of age H. B.’s life changed. The one who had been his guide, his protector and his teacher was gone. Within six months his mother had remarried. The next two years were a tug-of-war for him in their home. He did not get along well with his step-brothers, step-sisters or his step-father. One of his step-sisters got pregnant, so of course he was blamed, even thought he was not the guilty party. Finally, when he became fed-up with all the struggles, he left home around sixteen years of age.

Soon he began carrying a pistol, riding a stallion, shooting out street lights, drinking, smoking, swearing, and living a wild life. He slept in barns or stayed with relatives until he could earn enough money to rent a room at a boarding house. His Irish mother said to him, Clesson, you’re the black sheep of the family. Your murderous wild heart will cause you to kill someone, or you will be killed yourself. There’s no question that you’ll end up in prison, or possibly the electric chair.

All of this was going through his mind that night at church. He really did not need