Pastor’s eNote: Weekly Update

April 15 is a day marked by most of us in the United States. Tax Day. Being married to a CPA gives me a front row seat to all the effort it takes to get all this work done by the deadline. By the time you read this, I hope your tax return is filed. After all, Jesus said “Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give to God what is God’s.” (Mark 12:17)

April 15th is also a special day in the life of the United States for a different reason. Branch Rickey, who led the Brooklyn Dodgers, made a pivotal decision in the history of Major League Baseball. Rickey was a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, which had a legacy as staunch abolitionists. They were one of the first non-black universities to admit a black student. Rickey himself was a lifelong Methodist.

On April 15, 1947 Branch Rickey gave a young man who had played in the Negro Leagues for the Kansas City Monarchs his debut as the first black player in Major League Baseball. The former UCLA student, Jackie Robinson, took the field against the Boston Braves that day and made history.

After the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, Jackie began attending worship under the leadership of Methodist Pastor Karl Downs. Downs became a spiritual guide and mentor to Jackie. Jackie was raised Methodist and continued in that faith until his death in 1972.

Jackie’s number, which was 42, is the only number retired in all of Major League Baseball. In every MLB game around the nation today, every player will wear the number “42” on their jersey.

In the words of my dear departed friend, George Mitrovich, “Before there was Rosa, before there was Martin, before there was Malcolm, before there was John, there was Jackie.”

P.S. It is this reason, above all others, I am Dodger Blue.

Grace to You All,

Pastor Craig Brown
(April 15, 2025)