Home > Pulpwood Queen Blog > Archives > 2006 > November > 28 > Entry
I BELIEVE, OH I BELIEVE!
I watched the CMT Country Music Awards the other night and was thrilled when Craig Wiseman won “Song of the Year” for his song, “Believe” recorded by Brookes and Dunn. My book club, The Pulpwood Queen’s had hosted the book launch for Michael Morris’s “Live Like You Were Dying” that was based on the song written by Craig Wiseman and Tim Nichols. All three of the boys had come for the book launch and I was impressed by the books story and the words and message of the song. These were words to live by and now with “Believe”, I thought to myself how true since I had just finished our first ever BOOKS ALIVE event. I had never believed more in my life.
A little over a year ago today, I ran over to the Hamburger Store here in Jefferson to grab a sandwich and a slice of their to-die-for pie and was shocked when I entered the cafe. The place was packed on a weekday and I did not know a soul. Now I live in a town population 2,100, everybody knows everybody. I wasn’t sure if I was in a Rod Sterling “Twilight Zone” television flashback or what the deal was. Suddenly I saw my minister, Polly Standing. waiting on tables. What in the world? I scampered over to Polly and asked her, “What ‘s going on Polly? Who are these people?”
Polly, as she bused tables told me as she threw her arms out to span the room, “These are all displaced families from Hurricane Katrina, Kathy.”
Flabbergasted by all these families I was viewing dining on what looked like bowls of gumbo. I was suddenly aware that here were people in need, desperate need. I asked her, “What can I do to help?”
Flash forward to this past weekend, I planned and helped put into play the first ever Christian and Inspirational Book Festival as a fundraiser for my church that we named BOOKS ALIVE! My church, The First United Methodist Church of Jefferson, Texas helped coordinate the relief efforts for all the displaced families of Hurricane Katrina and Rita. The church and its members had provided shelter. We converted all the Sunday School rooms into emergency family shelters for the displaced families. The church provided food, and really all kinds of assistance through outreach and mission. The Hamburger Store provided over 2,000 free meals for these families. I was inspired to help on this mission and came up the idea of doing a book festival as a fundraiser for the church’s mission and outreach programs. By God, if the church could help this many people in crisis then I could put together an event that would raise money for this church. BOOKS ALIVE was born!
I sent an email out to all my author friends who were either Christian writers or who I thought would be perfect for inspiration for this festival. I told them that all money collected would go to the church. I also told them that I could not pay them anything to come as it was a fundraiser for this church. The response? Everyone I emailed came back and told me they would come. They would love to help a church who helps others. To this day I cannot ever thank them enough for their generosity. I was humbled by their reponse and continue to be humbled by their outpour of love and presence during this past weekends events. Our good works had begun.
Now 15 authors came to Jefferson this past weekend to give their testimonials, their stories about their lives and their books and yes, their music and perform for us. We raised something like $2,500 and the money and checks still keep coming in. To say that this event was successful and life-changing would be an understatement. I knew that these authors I selected would inspire others regardless of the attendees choice of faith. This event was to be for everybody, for the adults, the youth, and the children. What I did not expect was how much it has changed the way I look at everything I will do from now on.
This event was not brought to fruition easy. In fact, at one point we had to decide if the event would even be able to take place. Our ministers 21 year old twin daughters had gone to Houston to sing at a wedding. While there, Jennifer’s face fell as in Bell’s Palsy and then her whole side became paralyzed. Hospitalized, they thought maybe stroke and then after tests it was determined she had MS. The other twin, Kimberly then would have to be tested and their mother, my Pastor Polly as well. Kimberly tested fine, no MS but they found lesions on Polly’s brain which could mean MS or even worse cancer. They would have to do a spinal tap. Polly was found to be free of both MS and cancer, evidently the brain lesions were due to scarring from the migraines that Polly suffers. With Polly gone, we all kind of floundered in getting the event together. Prayers to Polly and her family, at least we now know what we have to deal with in the days ahead.
Then I got the call, should we just cancel the event? Thank God that he gave us all enough faith to continue. It did not take me a minute to realize that because of this personal tragedy to my minister’s family, that we now had all the more reason to do this BOOKS ALIVE event. Our minister’s family was going to need help too, onward and upward was what I told our BOOKS ALIVE committee at the church. We rallied and thanks to our wonderful church member, Jim Gallant we had a banner up on the highway, one in front of the church and flyers to post around town. The Pride House Bed & Breakfast, Michelle and George Ostott, Jimmy and Ann Byrd, The Gingerbread House Bed & Breakfast came forth to help us with rooms for the authors. The Hamburger Store donated homemade pies, cakes and gave us a $200 donation for the church. Many of my Pulpwood Queens gave $100 and more to the church and Elizabeth Stokes and Kay Brookshire baked casseroles and desserts for the authors. Polly’s oldest daughter, whose husband had just days before left for his second stint in Iraq and who just found recently she was pregnant with her second child, cooked the authors dinner Friday night. What an inspiration! Women of the church, like Ann, Charlotte, Joyce, Paula, and more helped feed the authors and run the event. Pastor Polly even had out-of-town friends come in to do everything from serving the authors to doing dishes. We had men of the church like Jim Gallant, Bill Smith and John Standing take care of the lights, stage, and all for the outdoor concert to cooking hot dogs out on the grill with the youth of the church. Everybody just pitched in to help the church to raise the funds to help others.
The following authors came to Jefferson, my church, paid for their own flights, rented their own cars, paid for their own rooms and then several donated generously back to the cause and some even donated all their book sales to the church. May I suggest to you readers that they pay attention to authors and artists who would go to great expense to help a little church in Texas. These authors came from Minnesota, Los Angeles, Nashville, Tennessee, and some made this a part of their national book tour as National Book Award winner Kimberly Willis Holt. Please buy their books and CD’s as a thank you to the authors and artists who made this event such a success. I guarantee you will be the one rewarded. I have also included their websites so you can contact them and thank them for their tremendous generosity.
Justin Lookadoo, author of “The Dateable Rules: The Guide to Sexes” “Datable: Are You? Are They?” “The Dirt on Dating”, “The Dirt on Sex”, “The Dirt on Drugs” “The Dirt on Breaking Up” http://www.lookadoo.com/
Kimberly Willis Holt,author of “Waiting for Gregory” “Part of Me: Stories of a Louisiana Family” “Dancing in Cadillac Light” “When Zachary Beaver Came to Town” “Mister and Me” “My Louisiana Sky” www.kimberlywillisholt.com
Dr. Michael Johnson, author of “Cowboys and Angels” “Reflections of a Cowboy” “Tad Pole and Dr. Frog” “Horse Stories” “Susie, the Whispering Horse” “A Gift for Ida and Bell” “Stories from the South” “Stories for Teachers” “The Most Special Person www.michaeljohnsonbooks.com
Carolyn Brooks, author of -Breaking the Silent Addiction of Abuse…America’s Genocide -Exposed by Bronze Bow Publishing, expected release, November or December 2006 -Chicken Soup for the Mother Daughter Soul 2 – Mother’s Day, April, 2007 -One Year Life Verse Devotional by that includes inspirational -Devotional writings of many authors including Carolyn Brooks, Release July 2007 Biblical Work Ethics www.carolynbrooks.com
Denise Hildreth, author of “Savannah from Savannah” “Savannah Comes Undone” “Savannah by the Sea” www.denisehildreth.com
Jonathan Pierce, Nashville Christian musical artist, CDs include- “Jonathan Pierce: For You” “Jonathan Pierce: Santuary” “Jonathan Pierce: Mission” “Jonathan Pierce: One Love”
R. Dean Johnson, author, screenwriter, producer of - LIFE: Be There at Ten Til “Just Pray”, Runner up of BEST LIVE ACTION at Palm Springs International Festival of Shorts 2005, BEST SCORE Rhode Island International Film Festival 2005, HONORABLE MENTION Independent Narrative Carolina Film Festival www.rdeanjohnson.com
Ron and Caryl McAdoo, husband and wife author team of - “The Price Paid” “Great Firehouse Cookbooks” “The Apple Orchard Bed & Breakfast” “The Thief of Dreams” And their children’s books www.SargeantSocks.com www.LonghornCreekPress.com
Charles Martin, author of “When Crickets Cry”, “The Dead Don¹t Dance” “Wrapped in Rain” “Healing America”, www.charlesmartinbooks.com
Jim Ainsworth, author of River Series Books, “Biscuits Across the Brazos: A Family Story” “In The River¹s Flow” “Rivers Crossing” www.jimainsworth.com
Pamela Stone, author of “A Woman’s Guide to Living Alone: 10 Ways to Survive Grief and Be Happy” www.pamstonewriter.com
Allison Bottke, author of “A Stitch in Time” www.godallowsuturns.com
And also our wonderful Kimberly and Jennifer Standing, of the twin singing duo “Mirror Image” which should have a new CD soon and can be contacted through The First United Methodist Church at www.jeffersonfirstunitedmethodistchurch.com
Justin Lookadoo opened our event Friday night and brought the church down with laughter. Saturday was a day that began with National Book Award winner, Kimberly Willis Holt, and continued with fantastic author after another until the outdoor concert that night featuring Mirror Image opening for Christian and Nashville Musical Artist, Jonathan Pierce. Sunday morning the event continued with Denise Hildreth giving the sermon and her husband, Jonathan Pierce again treating us with his wonderful music!
Jonathan told the crowd, he did not know why God called him to do this event, but I do. These authors, musical artists were here to share their gifts and to remind us that it is exactly that, better to give than receive. I knew that this would be an incredible event because I hand selected this people to come. What I did not know was how moved I would be by their spoken words, their written words, their songs, their songwriting, their voice and their unselfish gifts to all who came. Yes, it’s true. My life will never be the same and neither should yours. Mark your calendar for the first week in November 2007, BOOKS ALIVE will be back and I can guarantee you’ll see for yourself a higher purpose for your life. My literacy promoting batteries have been recharged but more important I feel as if I know now that we all have a purpose, a gift, a talent. Won’t you take your gifts to a higher cause.
Everyday I see folks at my church and we speak, we know each other and we come to church on Sunday to fill our lives with the spirit of Jesus Christ. We come because we have a need for spiritual growth and fellowship. Since this event, I have noticed more smiles, more hugs, our lives have been changed. We can’t keep talking about what an amazing experience that weekend was for us. We got to know the authors, artists up close and personal. We have vested interest in each others lives. I know you will too and as one couple told me that had just come for a little getaway to Jefferson, not really knowing about our event, “Next year we are bringing our entire church. Nobody should miss this event.” Or the couple that came to church as they heard Jonathan from their Bed & Breakfast singing outdoors the night before, “Can you help us find a church just like this one in Dallas? We want to find a church that does things exactly like you?”
At one point I thought this event would never be able to work, no one will come. I have learned that God does work in mysterious ways and I will never again lose my faith. I believe, oh I believe.
I never knew that in my life on would be on a mission to promote literacy. I know now that is my purpose here on earth. I never dreamed that one day I would be doing a Christian and Inspirational book festival. God does work in mysterious ways. I may live in a little town but we are a town of big hearted people who have even bigger hearted friends. You may never be able to come to our event but I hope this story inspires you to find your purpose, your gifts, your talent and put it to good works. I have been so excited since this event that nothing can ever bring me down. I can only imagine next year but more importantly, today, this hour, this minute, this second, let’s all begin to do good works. Pay it forward no matter what your faith. This world is made of people who all need each other. And like Denise Hildreth told us, “See that glass as not half empty but half full.” I believe next year Denise that our cup will be overflowing.
Tiara wearing and Book sharing, Kathy L. Patrick
Comments
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By Rosalie Oliver
December 5, 2006 4:58 PM | Link to this
Kathy, Great article. I loved, loved the Books Alive! weekend. It was truly a blessing. I am so glad to hear it will be a yearly event.