I am excited to report that one of the venues for our book tour will be where it all began, at St. John’s Episcopal Church in College Park, Georgia, a location that holds deep personal significance for me. As I wrote in Because…”in the same nave my father’s funeral service was held in. The same nave that has a stained-glass window of Christ Healing the Sick, commissioned by my mother with the funds from my father’s memorial fund. That stained window is a lasting testament that my father was always more of a humanitarian than a warrior.”
I also want to share a remarkable gesture from the St. John’s congregation during our family’s time of grief. When my father’s body returned to the U.S., he laid in state for several days at St. John’s instead of a funeral home. Members of the congregation took shifts around the clock, watching over his Episcopalian flag-draped coffin, day and night. Only after the funeral service was the Episcopal flag removed and the American flag draped over his casket as it exited the church.
The author event will be on July 13 at 1:00 p.m., after Brunch and the 10:00 a.m. service. Brenda and I plan to attend the 10:00 service. It will be a highly emotional experience to be there, not only where my father’s funeral was held, but where I was in the choir, an acolyte, confirmed by the Bishop, and wed to Brenda. I invite all of our College Park friends and acquaintances to attend if they can. https://www.stjohnscollegepark.org
James B. Wells 