By Lindsey Williams
Writing Specialist
On January 17, 2025, Dr. Ivan D. Parke, beloved Mississippi College (MC) Christian Studies professor, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disorder resulting in the gradual loss of motor neurons. Yet where most see weakness and a hopeless case, God has used Dr. Parke mightily.
During this interview, Parke communicated through a speech-generating device connected to an everyday tablet, operated through his eye movement on a screen rather than touch. Nevertheless, his corporeal obstacle could not hamper his faith, his openhearted personality, and his notoriously erudite vocabulary.
“I know how serious the diagnosis is, but as I wrote in my book on Job, I refuse to speculate or extrapolate,” said Parke. “I have refused to deal with ‘What if’s.’ I have left questions blank.”
Mary Ann, his wife, shared, “On the day of his diagnosis, the doctor had already told eight other people in the last nine days that they had ALS, which I cannot fathom. Ivan had an inkling already, but JP (the Parkes’ son) and I were just blown out of the water.
“There are no blood tests or markers for ALS,” she explained. “It is simply ruling everything else out and then looking at certain symptoms, because everybody presents it differently. The neurologist believed Ivan probably had had ALS a whole year already. He started manifesting symptoms around May and June of 2024, but went misdiagnosed until January this year.”
“I was not alone,” Parke affirmed. “Mary Ann and JP were with me.”
Mary Ann added, “But he will admit that the hardest phone call that he has ever had to make was calling Anne Marie (the Parkes’ daughter) as we left the clinic. We cried and she cried. It was really hard to not be there to hug her.”
Day By Day
Even before the diagnosis, Mary Ann began to step into a role as caregiver. Parke’s increasing loss of motor function caused difficulty in detailed tasks such as buttoning shirts, so Mary Ann replaced his buttons with Velcro. “He was able to do that for a while, and then it got to where I needed to dress him as well. Slowly, more and more things became harder for him, but I’m glad it didn’t happen all at once.”
Neither Parke nor Mary Ann feel a desperation to plan for the future. Some may call it denial, but the couple have fully embraced the present situation. Instead, in faith, they take every day as it comes. “I asked Ivan one day, ‘I don’t know what your wants are for your funeral. I guess we kind of need to talk about that.’ About an hour later, he responded, ‘We do need to talk about that, but not today.’”
Parke described himself as having one leg in the medical community and the other in the faith community. “He doesn’t disbelieve that he has ALS,” Mary Ann expanded, “but he still trusts that the Lord can heal him. He will say in his own words, ‘It’s never too late.’ But if He does not heal him, we won’t be disappointed because we know that this is God’s plan for Ivan. There is a verse that says, ‘The Lord is close to the brokenhearted,’ and we know that verse well.”
Dr. Parke stated, “I still feel like I am living. I don’t feel like I am dying. God has made life worth living.”
Mary Ann agreed. “When we get in the bed at night, my husband is still right next to me, breathing, and I can reach over and touch his arm. He can’t reach over and touch mine, but he can move his leg over to mine sometimes. And I know he is saying ‘I love you.’”
Be Strong and Courageous
“Early in this journey, God revealed to me Joshua 1:9, ‘Be strong and courageous,’” said Parke.
Mary Ann confirmed, “And he has been.”
“I marvel how God has used us,” he commented. “I would think how limited I am. Weak. Can’t talk. But 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 is wonderfully true. I have had a wider audience than ever. People want to listen to me more.”
In the spring, the Mississippi College Mortar Broad presented their annual “Last Lecture,” this year’s series delivered by Dr. Parke. Students flooded Swor Auditorium to hear a beloved teacher and friend give a speech commemorated as “poignant” and “powerful.” According to MC, this was their highest-attended Last Lecture ever. The lecture continued to reach many more through 6,000+ views on YouTube. The Mortar Board National College Honor Society recognized the MC Mortar Board with the 2025 Project Excellence in Service to Alma Mater award due to Parke’s outstanding lecture.
At the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board’s 189th Annual Meeting this October, Parke delivered a pre-recorded benediction which moved hundreds of attendees and continues to be shared across the state.
Additionally, Mississippi College recognized Dr. Parke as the 2024-25 “Distinguished Professor of the Year” at their commencement ceremony, Dec. 12. Parke wrote an exhortative speech for the accomplished graduates, a speech excellently delivered by his son, Jonathan Parke (JP), an MC alumni and fourth-year medical student at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
When Life Meets the Soul
“Even my book on Job has sold more,” he remarked. “Amazing how God can do much with little.” Dr. Parke published “When Life Meets the Soul: Everyday Lessons from the Book of Job” in 2023, not long before he learned of his diagnosis.
“My seminary friend, David Cranford, joked, ‘I told you not to write that book on Job.’ A number of people see the irony. I wrote about Job, now I have an illness. But my suffering does not compare to him. He buried 10 children. Horrible. Some have said that my life is tracking like Job’s. If that is true, I anticipate an amazing ending.”
Parke asked Mary Ann to read from Job 42:10, 42:2, and 23:10. The last verse quotes Job, “But He knows the way I take; when He has refined me, I shall come forth as gold.”
“He who began a good work will complete it,” Parke assured. “I still believe God owes me nothing. God is good. I also realize that everyone has something that they are dealing with, or two or three. Life is hard. Believe it or not, I wouldn’t trade places with anyone. My illness, nevertheless, is cruel. I am glad to have it rather than Mary Ann or the kids or anyone else. I am not a victim. I am blessed.”
“That is the selfless love you have.” Mary Ann confirmed, “Ivan never complains. In fact, I probably hear ‘thank you’ about 10 times a day.”
“I am not a hero,” he added, “but what a God we serve.”
Mary Ann described this trial as an emphasis on what truly matters, as “the thought of being with Jesus is so much sweeter than it ever could have been.”
The Body of Christ
Along the way, Mary Ann began to record as many blessings as possible in the remaining spaces of their wedding guestbook, which she keeps on the kitchen counter as a daily reminder. The response of their faith community continues to overwhelm them, overflowing like the box bursting with cards they have received over the year.
Parke confirmed, “The love has been tangible: cards, texts, emails, calls, and visits. Our community has bought groceries and delivered meals. Mary Ann hasn’t had to cook. They run errands, they pray — many every day. Mississippi College has been wonderful. Morrison Heights Baptist Church is a great church. So many have given money without conditions.”
Friends assisted with laundry when their washing machine broke, and a replacement was soon donated, picked up, and installed for free. Mary Ann receives encouraging messages every day. One nurse helps without pay. Medical bills not covered by insurance are taken care of by generous givers at their church, Morrison Heights in Clinton. A friend reconditioned their front doors for free. A first-year MC nursing student devotes two evenings of his week to help care for Dr. Parke. Harrison Champagne, son of Dr. David Champagne in the MC Christian Studies Department, replaced the Parkes’ old water heater, declined pay, and asked to pray over the Parkes. “It’s not everyday your plumber prays for you,” Mary Ann laughed. These are only a few of the profound blessings the Parkes have encountered over the year.
“What Ivan and I have seen in action is the Body of Christ doing what the Body should be doing,” said Mary Ann. “They have ministered to us in many ways. We can almost hear the Father look down and say, ‘Look, they’re doing exactly what I want them to do.’”
“So many have been the hands, feet, and heart of Jesus,” Parke assured. “People have served us with joy without seeking recognition. We are thriving in the valley. We don’t doubt that God still loves us. Every morning, His mercies are new. Great is His faithfulness. God never leaves us nor forsakes us.”
Living on the Word of God
“One of the many things I love about Ivan,” Mary Ann reflected, “is how much of the Bible he has memorized over his years of teaching Old and New Testament. Every day I walk in here and, you know what he’s doing? He’s reading the Bible on his device. A man that could probably quote half of it, and yet he has taken the time to read God’s Word with his own eyes.
“There’s no way we could have ever known that he would get ALS at age 60,” she acknowledged. “But early in our marriage, when the kids were 8 and 10, we did our first London study abroad program through MC. We ended up doing it three times and we’ve traveled all over the world. Instead of having nicer cars, a nicer house, or nicer anything else, we invested in those memories. The traveling days are over, but we have seen so many things together and I wouldn’t trade any of that for anything in the world.”
“I have lived a good life,” Dr. Parke affirmed. “God hasn’t broken His Word. He didn’t promise easy. Mary Ann, would you read John 16:33?”
These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.
- Link to book: When Life Meets the Soul — Ivan Parke
- Link to Convention video: Convention – Mississippi Baptist Convention Board
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