James Community Church and the resting place of my grandparents, Elias and Fannie O’Dell, and my little brother Preston LaMoine. A sacred corner of Missouri soil where our family’s story runs deep.

“Some places don’t just hold memories—they hold the people who made us who we are.”

This is the James Community Church—born out of revival services held in a Vienna, Missouri schoolhouse where my grandfather, Elias Abraham O’Dell, preached with conviction and joy.

Just beside the church is the small cemetery where he now rests, side by side with my grandmother Fannie and my little brother Preston LaMoine. The church sits quietly on County Road 325, just north of the Gasconade River—the same river where Grandpa loved to take his kids fishing.

Stories From the River

I grew up hearing my mother’s stories of those fishing trips on the Gasconade. Grandpa taught her how to handle a boat, how to read a river, and later, how to teach and preach the Word.

She would go on to pastor two of the many churches that were started or strengthened through his ministry: the Flat, Missouri, Church of God and Zion Community Church outside Ottumwa, Iowa. His influence didn’t end with his generation—it flowed forward.

A Brother I Haven’t Met Yet

I never had the chance to know my little brother in this life. He died as a young child. But I’m looking forward to meeting him in heaven. One day, I’ll hug his neck, and we’ll make up for all the years we missed.

I know he’s in safekeeping—surrounded by family who arrived before him.

Passing the Story Down

It’s been five years since we took our daughter and two of her children to that sacred spot where so much of our family story is rooted. I wish they could have heard their great-great-grandfather preach and sing.

In the days of large camp meetings, he was a legend at the Vichy Camp Meeting, only a few miles from where he’s buried.

We drove there that day. The old tabernacle and buildings are still in use. I told them how my mother met my dad, Aaron S. Hodge, Jr., at one of those camp meetings. After meeting her, he told one of his brothers, “I’m going to marry that O’Dell girl.”

And he did.

Legacy and Tears

I’ve spilled enough tears reminiscing today. I stand on the shoulders of my parents and grandparents. And I pray that my children and grandchildren will stand on mine.

What stories will they tell?

Psalm 145:4: “One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.”

As founding Pastor of The Bridge Community Church and Executive Director of Mo Hodge Ministries, Mo resources Pastors and Leaders in the area of leadership development. He enables Pastors and leaders in the following areas: Developing Teams, Church Growth, Church Planting, Discipleship Multiplication, Nonprofit Organizational Management, Multi-site Church Development, Public Speaking, Capital Campaigns, and Sr. Pastor Succession. … Mo and his wife, Nancy, live in Anderson, IN with their children and grandchildren. Though retired, Mo is still active in ministry, preaching, teaching, and planting new churches wherever the Lord leads. You can follow him on LinkedIn or through his Newsletter.