Say Farewell To Pastor McMuffin, Who Is Now Sharing Fries With Jesus

Pastor McMuffin, aka Rev. James Hodges Jr., did not actually eat McMuffins. His usual order was a chicken sandwich and coffee. But it is true that, after he retired from preaching in churches, his favorite venue for saving souls was McDonald's, specifically the McDonald's in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania.

Herald-Mail Media of nearby Hagerstown, Maryland, reports that Hodges, who died last week at age 95, was a fixture in McDonald's until about three years ago when he suffered a fall and had to go live in a nursing home. He would bring in his briefcase and his mail and write sermons and talk to people about Jesus and religion. Sometimes he would go out to the parking lot if he felt someone out there needed healing. His family gave him the "Pastor McMuffin" nickname. They also called him the McDonald's Chaplain, but that's not as catchy. Herald-Mail Media got in touch with a McDonald's employee who confirmed that Hodges spent a lot of time there, but if she said anything about how other customers responded to Hodges, the website did not report it.

Before he spread the word of God in fast food restaurants, Hodges and his wife, Mary, were traveling evangelists who preached and sang accompanied by Hodges' guitar-playing. He also worked in factories and built houses. "He loved to talk about Jesus," his family wrote in his original obituary. He apparently loved Jesus even more than Chicken McNuggets.