Together . It was the first contemporary worship musical of its kind . Come Together proved the power of united churches praising , praying , and singing the Gospel together as Catholics , Protestants , Pentecostals , and just-plain evangelicals formed worship teams and choirs of hundreds and even thousands in stadiums , concert halls , and cathedrals throughout the USA . Some well-known people in our church jumped on board to record it and later , to tour with it , including Pat Boone , 2 nd Chapter of Acts , Barry McGuire , Karen Lafferty , and our daughter Jamie Owens Collins .
Our third Champion was a woman named Jean Darnall . Jean was a respected Christian leader in Great Britain . Jean heard about Come Together and met with us . We had just filmed a performance of the musical in the LA Forum with a choir of 1,200 and an audience of 8,000 . But Jean didn ’ t listen to the musical ; she just asked Jimmy what God was saying to him . Without hearing a note , she said , “ Great Britain needs this !” and carried a copy of the film back to her home in England . There , she … an American , woman , Pentecostal , and preacher , called the Evangelical Alliance together to hear Come Together . And they came !
Jean ’ s contacts included members of the UK Parliament who sent letters of support to other VIPs . The musical soon had the backing of both Catholic and Anglican archbishops and was being done all over the U . K . through tours created by Jean . A terrific amount of work for both Jean and Jimmy , who conducted the musical tour throughout the British Isles . Pat Boone flew over and joined us . Once again , “ our gifts had opened doors of great influence .” In fact , the Archbishop of Canterbury , who is the head of the Anglican Church , said that Come Together was the most important event in the church of England since the Welsh Revivals .
Before long , Come Together was traveling around the world , all without any promotion from Jimmy and myself . We just had to get out of the way and watch God work through the champions who crossed our path .
[ WM ] And this really all goes back to your humble beginnings . Carol , you from Oklahoma , and Jimmy , you from Mississippi . As someone fascinated by history , I marvel at those living through the Great Depression and the subsequent World War II years . And Carol , you also fled the horrific Dust Bowl ! You both migrated from the South and ended up in California . We ’ re living through some tough times now as a nation . What does your perspective say to young aspiring musicians facing an uncertain future ?
[ Carol ] Don ’ t give up ! Keep praying ! Keep trusting ! Stay in God ’ s Word ! God has your back . The hard places are building something in you . Neither Jimmy ’ s family nor mine was into music , but our childhood health problems pulled both of us there , rather than sports , for recreation . God knew all about it and let it produce something we never thought of .
To anyone facing closed doors , unanswered prayers , or an uncertain future , I would say this : Try not to waste time feeling sorry for yourself . The hard places are not only building something in you , they may be taking you somewhere . My family would never have come to California had it not been for the terrible drought and soil-eroding winds that ruined farming and construction in the mid-west . Our music , books , and teaching have impacted nations , but none of it would exist had it not been for the hardships of our lives . Our gorgeous kids , 7 grand-kids and 10 great-grands wouldn ’ t exist , either , if my parents hadn ’ t tied-everything they
owned on top of the Chevy , plopped me in the back seat , and clattered on out Route 66 to California with the rest of the “ Okies ” in 1936 .
The world can change because of you if you trust God and pay attention to the gifts he ’ s given you . Those gifts can open doors of great influence , just as they did for me . Keep strengthening your music and songwriting skills . There are great books out there to help you . So , keep learning ! And again : don ’ t give up ! Keep trusting . As Jamie ’ s song says , “ The hard times make you strong .”
[ WM ] Carol , your new book , Chasing Fireflies in the Twilight , is just marvelous . Marvelous because it is filled with compelling stories and perspective . For any practicing or aspiring church musician , it is a must-read , and chronicles your inspiring trek along the pathway of ministry and opportunity , and where commerce meets it all , which is sometimes a difficult crossroads to traverse . What can you tell us about Chasing Fireflies ?
[ Carol ] I started writing Chasing Fireflies in the Twilight as a legacy to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren , realizing that my childhood would be ancient history to them . But after I finished the first part , it just grew ! It ’ s my memoir , yes , but embedded in the pages are the true stories of other people , some of whom you probably know , Alex , though we go back a lot farther than you do ! People like Keith and Melody Green , Paul Baloche , the 2 nd Chapter of Acts , Barry McGuire , Andraé Crouch ,