Church Folk
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Anyone who had been with us for a few years remembered when Smith got religion, joined, was baptized, ate and drank his first communion, sang in the Senior Choir, took over financial responsibilities and later became a deacon. Actually, with Smith’s Pulpit Committee duties, most members thought he lived up to his responsibilities. Smith completed a year of what looked to have been reasonable leadership appearing open and fair. Deacon Smith continued in an unsure, quivering voice, "I speak for all the members of the Pulpit Committee. We would like to inform the church that we completed our task. We prayed individually and collectively. We followed our church selection process and Robert’s Rules of Order. The Pulpit Committee changed the other candidate on the last ballot to pastor of Church of Heaven. His name is Rev. Leroy Jamison." A trillion hands flew up! Then he said, "This meeting is adjourned." "What the hell did Smith say?" someone asked. "Deacon Smith! Deacon Smith! Deacon Smith!" came from everywhere. Stunned, angry, disappointed and mad members jumped up to confront Deacon Smith. "I’ll be damned!" I heard those curse words with my own ears ringing right out in our sacred church sanctuary. Cold-blooded Smith and those betrayers, who stood with the leaders, rushed away abruptly without uttering a single sound to anyone.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Can anyone believe a church with intensified conflicts on a Sunday? Can one picture a church in unbelievable disarray? Church Folk’s story line begins with officials having great difficulty explaining a situation to the congregation. Moreover, when the parishioners hear Deacon Smith’s explanation, it greatly disturbs the membership. Officials really said, "We abandoned democracy for dictatorship!" Meanwhile, calmness walks out! Peace fails to be still! Chaos creeps right into the sacred church sanctuary as the group reacts to the officials’ hypocrisy. Church Folk, a timely, informative novel, written to capture avid readers, addresses self-greed, power struggles, and confusion, but it also highlights the good and value of a sound church organization. Themes depicted in this creation enwrap conflicts with the spiritual ministries: choir, Sunday school, deacon, usher and trustee boards. These conflicts, real to many congregations, make the novel come alive. After reading this novel, shut eyes will open wide and a whole new religious awareness will emerge. Although the setting takes place primarily in a Christian Living Baptist Church, the conflicts highlight nondenominational strife. Whether good verses evil, morality verses immorality or politics verses religion, the author handled these issues with undeniable uniqueness. No other religious tell-all novel has equaled this piece of literature in style, depth and creativity. The novel opens with a prologue making a philosophical statement about the original purpose of the Christian Living Baptist Church. It then focuses on Church of Heaven Christian Living Baptist, in a spirit filled service, and later an impromptu church meeting. A flashback to the beginning of the church unfolds revealing this congregation splitting from Grand Bulah Christian Living Baptist Church. It shows how Church of Heaven began and founded a productive organization. Meanwhile, chapter eleven returns to present church scenes, exhibiting the still confused congregation trying to carry on. It spotlights a group representing 55% of the membership filing a court injunction, not against the church, but against some individual officials. One chapter shows how the defendants and plaintiffs handled the initial phase of the injunction and court appearances. However, when characters speak of scenes from the court sessions and the court supervised church meeting, it will make one’s adrenaline flow! Finally, the book concludes with an epilogue, but the unexpected twist astonishes and electrifies any reader. Church Folk, is a controversial, inspirational, but educational novel, filled with spiritual and religious episodes.
About the Author
Juanita Moffett Walker, teacher and counselor, states, "Society can no longer expect schools solely to shoulder the load of educating children in the 21st century." Besides parents, she believes churches have a unique responsibility too. The author further inferred, a precious few congregations have begun to tap their resources. However, she feels that young church members need their congregations to help them with leadership training, citizenship reinforcement, directional mentors, academic tutoring, and job shadowing. But, the writer says, "The possibility of churches interweaving an education ministry into their youth programs, using their own resources, has gone basically untapped!" "My parents, who lived in Mississippi where I grew up, required me to attend church regularly and to participate in activities. The training I received there has been indispensable. Consequently, my husband, Tommy, and I welcomed the guidance our Indiana church gave our now three adult sons." Nevertheless, when this writer began keeping a log of church happenings in her community, a disturbing profile emerged. Therefore, she captured her findings to share in a tell-all novel, Church Folk. "I wrote this first person point of view novel to enlighten, inspire and cultivate critical thinking about the needs within congregations, but especially the multi-dimensional Afro-American religious world," the author concluded. The author resides in Gary, Indiana.