The task force is now working to establish Christ Global Methodist Church. The Church Council of the new Christ GMC chose that name from a list of twenty or so names suggested for consideration. I think it is a wonderful name! This was one of the first steps we had to take to begin the incorporation process for the new GMC community. The next wonderful piece of news is that we have nearly completed Jesus Questioning by J.D. Walt. This Lenten study has shed light on many topics of faith and how to develop a personal relationship with Christ.  I am convinced that every Christian church should find the time to study this excellent guide to growing one’s faith. I don’t think it should be limited to just this time of year, but I know we have laid a beautiful foundation for Easter.

The Church Council developed a list of ten items that we must complete before we can hold our first worship service. One-by-one those things are being done. The paperwork to establish our 501(c)(3) tax-free status is now in process. We are blessed to be working with a team of people recommended by the Trinity GMC conference. They will not only prepare the paperwork for the tax-free status, but they will aid us in finalizing our by-laws and developing our church’s policies. We, of course, will follow the Discipline of the Global Methodist Church.

We are working to become full members of the Trinity GMC Conference that represents Arkansas, Louisiana, and the eastern part of Texas. Our delegation will be recognized during the Annual Conferences at Texas Station, Texas, in early June. We remain in contact with both Jason Burnham, Trinity Conference Superintendent, and Jeff Warrick, the Presiding Elder for Arkansas. Both of these Godly men have been so open to answering our questions and leading us forward in this process.

Last weekend at our weekly meeting after our Lenten study, we approved our first year’s budget, which has been fully funded by gifts and pledges. This is a critical step in bringing forth our vision of a Global Methodist Church for Jonesboro. Christ GMC elected our first officers for the Church Council. These faithful people have been working from day 1, but they were officially put in place last week. That was again a necessary part of the incorporation process. Having this slate of people will also allow us to open a local bank account soon, making our tithing and giving so much easier.

We also welcomed four new members, Richard Baker, Stanley Burdyshaw, Nancy Quinn, and Jim Quinn to service on the Church Council.  That is wonderful. Truthfully, our group is small now, but under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we know we will grow. One point in Christ GMC’s Statement of Faith is aimed at that point….Christ GMC will provide a place of welcome to all people, presently churched or unchurched, who want to know Jesus Christ.

All our Church Council firmly believe the focus will be toward families, youth, and children. We want to help each person who becomes a part of this church to learn not only what to believe but why to believe.  This effort, we believe,  will help to curb the disturbing statistics of so many people from college age to their mid-thirties who are leaving behind Christianity because they know the stories of the Bible, but fail to understand the lessons of why faith is real and meaningful in our modern world.

Of course, we won’t finish our Statement of Faith  until we have a pastor in place. And that was the best news we have received in the past few days. Christ GMC may have our new pastor in place this year before school begins in the fall. When we learned that, we optimistically set the launch date for our first worship service as Easter Sunday, 2027. Can you think of a more wonderful day to celebrate a new church than the day all Christians celebrate the rebirth we were given with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ? Hallelujah!

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For those of you who have been waiting for a new book, I am happy to say that the launch date for No Man’s Chattel is May 11, 2024.  My book signing will be held at the Jonesboro Barnes and Noble store on Saturday from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.   I would love to see many of you there.  If you are not local, the books will be available on Amazon(isn’t everything?) and the Barnes and Noble website. Thank you for your encouragement and support over these past two years.  I’ll attach those links at a later date. 

Since you took the time to come here, you will have a sneak peek of the oil painting by Sherrell Rodgers that became the cover for the book.  The painting is gorgeous and I will have it at Barnes and Noble on the 11th, and I think Sherrell will join me that day.  I hope to see many of you there.  Give me your email address in the comment section below,  and I’ll send you your “surprise”.  I have compiled a list of Ten Unique things about our Wonderful State.  If you would like it, I’ll send it to you as a downloadable PDF.  Blessings, Pat

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On the last Monday on April,  Jenny Phillips and I drove to Luxora, Arkansas, to step into the past of her family.  She had grown up in an old “plantation” house near this rural town.  Graciously she shared precious memories of her time there with her grandparents, W.C. and Ruth Howard.  In the 1920’s, they  bought the house and property from its original owner, James Horn Williams.  The Williams family occupied the house from the antebellum days so between the two families this grand old home had been occupied more than 130 years.  Today the house is abandoned and endanger of loss since its vacancy in 2014 at the death of its final occupant, Mrs. Carolyn Howard Hudson, Jennie’s sister.  The precious house is now on the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas list of the most Endangered Historic Places in our state.

Williams-Howard House

The core of this house was built after 1849 of thick cypress planks that have stood the rigors of time.  Those planks are visible on the stairwell. We climbed to the second floor of this grand place. Not one creak came from the sturdy stairs, and the banister was rock solid.  The huge old rooms spoke to the prosperity of this planter family.  While the wallpaper was mostly gone and paint peeled in many places, the substantial woodwork and beautiful wood floors of bygone days remain intact for most part.  In a few places, the siding added over the ages was missing. The two-plus-inch cypress wood planks were exposed, including a few square-headed nails that were standard in the days when this house was built.  I was enchanted.

Cypress board from before the Civil War complete with square-head nails.

Even more, the yard carried us back to times gone by.  Ancient trees, magnolias with twin trunks, and catalpa trees, shaped like dinosaurs still grace the yard of the old farm house.  Jennie said that the “smells and the sounds of the homeplace” brought back special memories of her childhood with her grandparents.  When she arrived in the drive, she asked me to stop the engine and roll down the windows.  We were greeted by myriad birds singing and the scampering of squirrels.  No other sound interrupted.  Once again, Jennie smiled and said, “These sounds are the orchestra of paradise.”  My intrusion into her memories was a blessing.  This kind of research makes writing historical fiction so special.

The Dinosaur Tree

Twin Trunk Magnolia

                                     Not a squeak!

After our tromping through the fine old house, much in need of historic preservation, we made our way to the “shoot” off the Mississippi River just over the levee across the road from the Howard-Williams House.  I didn’t know that islands lay so close to the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River.  I also was surprised how swift the river ran in the shoot.  Jennie said that many people had drowned in that area during her childhood because they didn’t know how swift the current is in the offshoot of the main river.

From there, we made our way to Wilson to find lunch.   Actually, we went to Wilson on the wrong day, as Monday is their down day. The trip to the company town established by the R.E.L. Wilson family was well worth the trip anyway.  The town has been cited by Southern Living Magazine as one of the best rural towns in the South.  The restoration and development of the area shows why.  I hope we will be able to go back on a Wednesday soon when they hold their farmer’s market day where local produce and crafts are on display every week at the Grange.

Ross and our sweet waitress from the Wilson Cafe.

We had the opportunity to eat at the Wilson Cafe and Tavern.  The Blue Plate Special of deep fried pork chops, new green beans and mashed potatoes was excellent. Even better,  the people we met were so kind and welcoming.   After we ate, Ross Harris, Jr., the manager of the Wilson Cafe,  took us on a tour of the Wilson Grange. There we met Jill Forrester, who runs Whitten Farms with her husband.  They grow myriads of plants and flowers sold across the country.  Jill told us about the outreach of Wilson through some of their programs at the Grange. Check out the Grange when you visit Wilson, Arkansas.

Wilson Tavern

Ross Morris Jr. and Jenny Phillips

One last thing ,   if you like bread pudding, you must go to Wilson and order some at the Wilson Cafe.  Their eighteen-year-old chef, whose name I forgot to write down, made the most (well, delicious is a word about half good enough to describe what we ate) scrumptious confection I ever put in my mouth.  Of course, he wouldn’t tell us how he made it exactly. He did hint that it had something to do with the browned butter and a touch of whiskey!

I am so grateful to Jennie Phillips for sharing this day of research with me.  Her memories and stories of childhood will find ways into a book someday, I’m sure!  Do yourself a favor and plan a trip to the delta in Northeast Arkansas.  Much of the past remains there but also a strong draw to a prosperous future for those who love this state.

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On March 5 of this year, I had the opportunity to go to Little Rock on book business.  During five hours, I spent  a retired teacher’s best kind of heaven on earth.  My friend Martha Rodriquez and I enjoyed a two hour chat on the trip from Jonesboro and arrived shortly before noon.  The late morning didn’t start out to be blissful. The first thing I did when we arrived in Little Rock was to get my car stuck in a driveway next door to Jason Bolden’s law office  in in the older part of Little Rock.  You know how they used to pave only two strips to drive on with grass in the middle and on either side…. You guessed it!  Some silver-haired retired teachers can’t backup very straight.  But even that turned out to be a blessing.  My former student and current legal expert had a fine maintenance man who tried to help.  Jason Bolden, that former student, tried to help.  Finally a kind, dedicated police detective from the Little Rock Police department came across the street and tried to help.  When he was unable to “unstick” my mired Jeep with the help of Jason and the other fine man,   Detective Temple called a tow business who came and dislodged me and then left no bill!  God is good, and so are so many people in our wonderful state.

Part 2:  A Continued Blessing…not often enough

Once the dilemma of a car that wouldn’t move was solved, Martha and I spent another hour and a half with Jason Bolden and his bright, funny daughter Hannah enjoying an excellent lunch and talking a little business. We had come to Little Rock to ask Jason’s advice about setting up a service to help writers who needed help preparing manuscripts for publication. We both self-publish our books and have been asked by many writers to show them how they could do the same.  His keen knowledge eased my concern about getting involved in a business at my stage of life.  Jason has always been my go-to about legal matters since he received his degree.  I always love to spend time with him and his family. They have become family to me in the years since  he was a student in my classroom.  I love to spend time with his wife and children, too.  Both Alex and Hannah are so precocious that holding conversations with them is delightful.  They both love books so we have common ground to communicate.  Jason never fails to take care of me when the need arises.  We closed our meeting with hugs and a promise to meet again soon.  Hannah even called out to me as I left, “Love ya, Ms. Pat.”  I could have come home a happy lady if that had ended my day.

Part 3: A Blessing Long Delayed

When I left Jason’s office, I didn’t know another slice of that wonderful day was just a few miles away.   Before the great snow of ’21, I had been contacted by a former student that I’d not seen nor heard from since the day of her graduation in 1985.  I was blessed to teach at Sloan-Hendrix High School in Imboden, Arkansas for twenty-one years. It was there that I encountered both Jason and Vanetta Gee. Frankly, I was surprised when she messaged me because I remembered her as a student who didn’t care much for my class.  I didn’t think she liked me very much. More than once,  I scolded her in Spanish for talking in class.  She reminded me of those daily “talks” when I entered class with “No hablan mas.  Silencio. No hablan mas, chiquitas” as I sharply slapped my hands together to get their attention.  But I always  take the opportunity to meet with former students so I decided I’d deliver the books she’d requested instead of mailing them.

That was the perfect decision.  The drive to her ranch in Saline County, just outside Little Rock was beautiful.  The rolling hills, the budding trees, and the clear blue skies made the trip a delight.  When we arrived, we found Vanetta putting her horses in the barn for the evening.  She had changed so little from the eighteen-year-old I’d know so many years ago that I was immediately taken back to a much earlier time.  Even in the time of Covid, she greeted me with a hug and told me she was so happy to have me in her home.  She was no more pleased than I was.  This visit truly touched my heart.

First, she introduced me to her beloved SHAQ… now any of you who are well-acquainted with me know that I am not much of animal person.  Frankly, I’ve always been wary of animals that I couldn’t pick up!  But I instantly fell in love with Shaq.  He is a horse…not a pony, mind you.  A really big horse.

A Truly Big Horse…and a Memorable Reunion.

Shaq is the most beautiful horse I’ve ever seen.  He is HUGE!  And Gentle! And Friendly! The darling horse snuggled my cheek and kissed my hand.  I didn’t flinch once or even want to.  Shaq is a Percheron, native of France.  His well-groomed coat glistened, black as coal.  His sides rippled with strength.  He had a friend with him that Vanetta called Victory.  He was no small-fry either, being half Clydesdale and half Quarter horse.  He is multi-colored, and when she put him in the corral at the barn, Victory scampered around like a colt.  I enjoyed him too, but Shaq had already won my heart.  I guess it was his history.  Percheron horse were the breed used by the Vikings and the Medieval knights who would have needed their strength to carry them with their burden of armor and weaponry.

Martha and Me…with our new friends.

Martha and I could have spent the rest of the afternoon watching our new friends play in the pasture, but Vanetta invited us to her beautiful log home at the top of the hill.  A cozy fire was burning in the living room and her “other half”…I won’t say better half because I don’t know Greg Evans that well…was there to welcome us to their home.  We spent the better part of an hour talking about the past when I had known Vanetta and about her (their) live since we had parted.

Vanetta and Greg had both served our country for several years in the US Navy.  That was where they had met and began their lives together.  Over the years, their various careers brought prosperity and allowed them to retire early.  Now Vanetta spends her time volunteering with community projects and using her wonderful horses as therapy animals around the Little Rock and central Arkansas region.  She has used Shaq and his friends in schools, senior care facilities and in clinical settings with the disabled.  Together she and Greg spend much time traveling and enjoying the adventures that life has to offer.  Greg told me that he had known about me for a long time, as Vanetta talked about her teacher, Senora Blake since their early days in the navy.

A Teacher’s Reward:  Senora Blake with Vanetta and Greg Evans                                       

Yes, I was more than rewarded that day.  I loved my visit with my long lost chiquita and learning of the good she does with her life.   I am  proud of the woman she is now.  I more than enjoyed that very brief visit in her beautiful home. I am grateful for the service these two fine people gave to our country with their military years.  I thank God he gave me the opportunity to cross paths with Vanetta Gee Evans again.  I hope it won’t be the last time.

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As part of my research for ‘Til Shiloh Come,  my friend Mary Lee Cunningham and I drove to the Helena-West Helena area to visit Fort Curtis.  I’d never been to that Civil War site, much to my shame as an Arkansan who loves history.  When we got there we found a replica of an earthen works fort that was built there to protect the city and port at Helena during the war.  I learned so much that day!

Do you know what a rampart is?  You know we sing that line every time we sing our National Anthem.  “O’er the ramparts we watched, as so gallantly streaming” are some of the words  Francis Scott Key penned in 1814 to commemorate the battle at Fort McHenry.  I thought it was a wall…At Fort Curtis I  walked across a rampart behind the defensive barrier built of earth and logs.

This is a rampart…a walking area behind a barricade for soldiers.

The construction of an earthen work fort.

I found out the fort didn’t need a gate. Instead, the fort has a strong sally port that prevented invasion. 

Sally Port. A soldier’s name for a big gate!

Huge cannons were mounted on rails so they could be moved to target attacking forces.  Even the tops of the ridges of Crowley’s Ridge provided natural defensive sites from which these gigantic canons that fired shells the size of cantaloupes.  The fortification was manned by soldiers from mostly northern states, but also by African-American troops, most of whom were formerly slaves in Southern states.  Three troops, the 54th, the 57th, and most of the 69th United States Colored Troops were recruited from Phillips County.  Many of them served until April, 1865, in Helena at Fort Curtis.

A tribute to American American Union Soldiers.

Cannon at Fort Curtis

That was then…but now?

Walking around this facsimile  of Arkansas history on the warm beautiful spring day reinforced for me once again how proud I am to live in this state and to be an American.  Arkansas is beautiful, but we have a deep history. Over this historic site flies a United States flag as it looked at the end of the Civil War when the unity of our country had been preserved. It’s all part of the American experience. If we take the time, we can experience some of it of it.

God continue to bless the USA.

You’ll love a day trip to this area.  While here, drive down to the banks of the Mississippi and look across to our neighboring state of Mississippi.  Drive up to the top of the ridge and visit the beautiful military cemeteries where men who fought this war are interred and honored. May we never have to fill our cemeteries with unknown American soldiers fighting against each other within our country again.

Rest in Peace

Then you can go down to one of the local restaurants and end your day with some delicious Delta bar-be-que.

You read about Mac’s time at Fort Curtis in the latest volume of the Shiloh Saga in the book ‘Til Shiloh Come.  I hope you enjoy it.  Please let me know how you like it.

The final volume of the Shiloh Saga.

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      I told my readers I would complete the Shiloh Saga by the end of the year.  I set Christmas as my deadline.  I actually reached that goal with the help of many friends, family members and supporters who held me up, kicked me a few times, and gave me the will to finish this project, despite all that 2020 threw our way.

And so it begins…Chapter 1

      But with lots of help, the words came, and by the summer, the story began to take shape.  I knew what had to happen to tie up all those loose ends from Shadows Over Shiloh.  I knew this story had to carry the MacLaynes through the Civil War.  I wanted to talk about the families that stayed home and those who got pulled into the struggle through no will of their own.  I also wanted to point out how Arkansas was impacted by one of the worst periods of American history.  So the book grew…and grew…and grew some more. This is the longest volume of the story line.  The book has more than 450 pages. I hope you like to read.

Lots of paper and lots of ink!  Lots of story to tell.

My loyal dedicated Beta Readers got me back the drafts in record time.  A huge thanks to these dedicated ladies:  Brenda Thakkar, Beverly Thompson, Mary Lee Cunningham, Yevon Prater, and my dear writing partner Martha Rodriquez.  With their go-ahead, I completed the editing, formatting, and got the book off to the printer the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Until finally the last page was written in September.

The Shiloh Saga is now Complete!

Volume V of the Shiloh Saga

     If you would like me to send you a signed copy of this book, please send me a message on my contact page.  I’ll get back to you.  If you prefer, you can get a copy at Amazon.com.

Happy, blessed 2021!!!

The post ‘Til Shiloh Come–An Arkansas Family in Time of War appeared first on Patricia Clark Blake.

Mrs. Lillian Pittman and I at a book talk in Paragould.

News From Patricia’s Place

Yes, my friends, today I am seventy.  No, I can’t believe it either. On Saturday, I was having lunch with some classmates from the Bono Class of ’67, and we were discussing that very issue.  We talked about how when we were in school, those who   were fifty-five seemed so very old to us.  We never saw ourselves as those not so young, slightly decaying people who had lived three score years and ten.  Frankly, even today when I look in the mirror, I sometimes wonder how that image of my grand-mother came to be staring back at me.  Oh, to be thirty-five again!

But you know, I don’t think I would turn back the clock now, even if I could.  I look back at the last half of my life at all the blessings I’ve received and the joy and wonder that has been placed in my path and I wouldn’t want to sacrifice any of it for an opportunity at a do-over.  No, I haven’t gotten everything from life I wanted. In most ways, I’ve gotten so much more than I ever dreamed I’d have.  If I sat down to count my blessings, I’d still be sitting in this chair this time next year to list the best of them.  I too have had a few heartaches, but such a pittance when compared with the blessings God has laid at my feet.  My life has been a good one.

So where do I go from here?  At a recent conference in Collierville, Tennessee, the Mid-South Christian Writer’s Group used the theme of “My Pen, His Plan.”  I am going to steal their motto for my future goal.  I love writing.  I have had a wonderful time sharing my Shiloh stories with Arkansas.  I am going to finish the five volumes of this story and then wait to see what new story about my home state the Lord wants me to tell next.  All of you who have read my books have blessed me more than I can tell  you.  I appreciate your encouragement and support.

The post The Shiloh Sounding Board: A Newsletter for those who follow the Shiloh Saga. appeared first on Patricia Clark Blake.

Shiloh United Methodist Church                             February, 2019

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Patricia Blake’s Reviews > The Widow of the South

The Widow of the South
by Robert Hicks

Patricia Blake’s Review
Feb 27, 2019

I really liked it.

Mr. Hicks wrote a very interesting story based on the life of a real woman who lived this event during and after the Civil War. I truly had to dig my way into the storyline, but I couldn’t stop reading until I finished the book. I’m not sure I would call it a romance, as both main characters were more obsessed with each other than “in love.” Yet they built a bond that is as strong and as important in their lives as any love affair I’ve read about. The historical background was well-researched and spoke to the horrors of war, which I appreciated. I’m glad I read the book.

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