Aunt Anna’s Blessing

by

Special to United Methodist Insight | Sept. 11, 2025

Dr. Jack Kaufman was one of the key spiritual leaders of Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church (WAUMC) when I was appointed as their pastor in 1994. I was surprised to discover that Dr. Kaufman was not a member of the congregation. He had been raised as an Orthodox Jew and had transitioned to Reform Judaism while in college.

Dr. Kaufman is a physician and emeritus professor of Pulmonary Medicine at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa, a near suburb of Milwaukee. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he was married to his wife, Myrna Cummins, at Seybert Memorial Evangelical United Brethren Church in Cleveland in 1961. They became active at WAUMC shortly after Dr. Kaufman began his tenure as a professor at the medical college in 1972. This was just after the Evangelical United Brethren denomination merged with the Methodists to become the United Methodist Church in 1968.

By the time I arrived at Wauwatosa Avenue Church, Dr. Kaufman had been teaching Bible study classes for nearly 20 years and was admired and loved by the congregation.

The fact that he was not a baptized Christian was not a concern of any members or staff.

So, I was a little taken aback, and at the same time deeply moved, when Dr. Kaufman approached me in 1997 with a request to be baptized. I asked him recently about what brought him to that life-changing decision, and his thoughts about the day he was baptized. Dr. Kaufman said:

“A seminal event in my life occurred in my baptism in October of 1997. One could ask how I ever reached that point. I certainly needed help along the way in my faith journey, and it came from several sources: my wife and the pastors at WAUMC. Other factors were Bible study and blessed reading for classes, many of which I taught myself. Finally, the many friends I made at the church. I was never coerced by anyone to join the church. 

“By 1997, after teaching nearly 20 years, I was ready. The baptism took place in the chapel; Reverend Sumwalt officiated. The chapel was packed. At the conclusion, as I recall, there was spontaneous applause. I then became a legitimate member. How did this affect me? I felt a kinship with fellow members that I had never experienced. I considered this as a blessing. I have continued teaching at the church, now in concert with other aspiring leaders in education.”

Dr. Kaufman soon became the elected Lay Leader of the congregation. In 2006, when I was writing a book called “How to Preach the Miracles,” I asked him if I could include an essay he had written about a powerful guided meditation he experienced in a Lenten class led by a guest teacher. He agreed then, and he has allowed me to share it again here. It is titled “Aunt Anna’s Smile.”

“Kathryn Rambo, our meditation guide, placed us in a familiar, peaceful location.

“Where was I? I was on the bank of the Chagrin River, in Ohio, a spot I passed numerous times in my own meditative way on a Sunday whenever I would return to med school. Once on that bank, in the shadow of St. Christopher’s-by-the-River Episcopal Church in Gates Mills, Ohio, my younger brother and I went fishing. During the guided meditation my brother was gone; I was alone.

“For years, when I drove past that church and gazed on the golden cross atop the steeple, I prayed for my Aunt Anna. Anna, an Orthodox Jew, had been afflicted with arthritis at a relatively young age. I observed her sufferings in a day before effective medical and surgical techniques. But why that cross? I pleaded with God to alleviate Anna’s pain.

“She had reared seven daughters until she finally had a son, a man who was to be a bomber pilot on a B-17 in World War Two. Anna was a tough woman who, despite the rigors of raising a large family, was able to withstand the pain and discomfort of her arthritis. I always thought she would die from the suffering, but it made her stronger. And yet, I prayed for her each time I saw that cross.

“During the guided meditation, I saw Aunt Anna. She questioned me as to why I believed in Jesus. “Aunt Anna,” I said, “I have prayed for you for years through Jesus.”

“You have abandoned your Jewish faith,” she replied.

“I have been no different than those early Jews, including Paul, who did not necessarily give up on Hebrew commandments of mercy and justice, but also felt that Jesus was God incarnate.”

“However, she then looked upon me in pleasure and satisfaction. From the time I began praying for Anna to the time of her death, 23 years elapsed. Her arthritis was controlled, her pains alleviated. ‘I prayed for you, Aunt Anna. Please don’t criticize me.’

“She continued to look at me. Finally, she said I had made a good decision. Perhaps, not one she would have made.

“By the end of the meditation, Anna smiled down on me. I felt she spoke to me from Heaven, a place I longed for her final abode, free from the pain and suffering that I had petitioned from the cross at St. Christopher’s.”

Dr. Jack Kaufman retired as professor emeritus at The Medical College of Wisconsin in 2011. He continued leading student seminars for four years.

While editor of the Medical College publication, The Grapevine, a monthly collection of essays, commentary and poetry, Dr. Kaufman wrote over 140 articles on the art of medicine and society. He has published more than 50 scientific articles in reviewed medical journals, and has written medical textbook chapters on asthma, smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning. Dr. Kaufman has taught adult Sunday school and Disciple Bible Study classes at Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church since 1976 and served as Lay Leader of the congregation from 2004-2008.

The Rev. John Sumwalt is a retired United Methodist pastor and author of “How to Preach the Miracles” and the “Vision Stories” series for CSS Publishing Co.