Blog Archives
Lenten Speaker Series Continues: Kate Campbell
Last evening, we kicked off our series, “The Callings That Find Us,” with Dr. Danny Potts. An overflow crowd filled the room and was not disappointed as he shared his personal journey with brokenness and new life through his father’s long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. It was inspiring and so helpful to all who were there.
Next Wednesday we welcome folksinger Kate Campbell. Kate is a favorite singer-songwriter for many. She is a storyteller and singer with a unique voic
e that blends faith, justice and humanity in her writing and singing. Growing up in the south as the daughter of a Baptist preacher, Kate’s formative years were spent in the very core of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s, and those years left a mark on her.
Her Two Nights in Texas CD received the prestigious Mississippi Institute of Arts & Letters Award. Ballet Memphis featured several tunes from her song catalog as well as a live performance by Kate and band at a ballet entitled South Of Everywhere. Three of Kate’s songs (“Ave Maria Grotto,” “William’s Vision,” and “Fordlandia”) were recently featured in documentary films. A variety of artists have recorded Campbell’s songs including Laurie Lewis, Missy Raines, Ronnie McDowell, and the Nashville Bluegrass Band who covered her compelling snake-handling song “Signs Following.”
Campbell has played the prestigious Cambridge Folk Festival (England), Merlefest, Philadelphia Folk Festival, and Port Fairy Folk Festival (Australia), been featured on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Live From Mountain Stage, and had her story (and haunting song “When Panthers Roamed In Arkansas”) included in the debut issue of The Oxford American’s ultra-hip Southern Music series. Kate’s latest release Damn Sure Blue, a heart-felt collection of tunes that pays a respectful nod of admiration to the Man in Black and reverberates with the soulful sounds of award-winning Americana guitar whiz and producer Will Kimbrough.
Kate lives in Nashville with her husband, Ira, a minister a
Frozen 2016: Church From Home
Church will be broadcasting today on radio
and the internet (WVSU FM 91.1)! Use your radio app,
or go online if you aren’t in range for the station.
Well, here’s a new one. Birmingham Alabama is shut down by a little ice and snow.
Being in this most beautiful spot on top of Shades Mountain, we are also accustomed to being the coldest spot in Jefferson County occasionally. We have on more than one occasion been forced to cancel services because of ice and snow. Once, every other church was open except us. The roads right around our church still so frozen that no one could safely get in to our parking lot.
Once, we had a guest speaker who stayed in a hotel nearby down the hill. An ice storm forced us to cancel services and he never even made it up the mountain and went home on Monday morning, having spent a nice weekend alone! Still, our hearts are joined today by the wonder of technology to join in this usual time to worship, pray and to join in the study of God’s word together.
I look forward to being on the station today. I’ll share a gorgeous piece our choir and orchestra did back in December, some information for the congregation about upcoming events and bring a sermon called “Hospitality as Witness” Hope you can join us! Neither of us will have to leave home to be together.
