The Lazarus Convention

It started at a Bored meeting, the daily collection of friends who gather in front of Fannies-on-the-Beach to celebrate life on Tybee Island. O Johnny got the “brilliant” idea to get us into merchandizing with hat caps and tee shirts made with “Tybidiot” on the front and “official Bored member” on the back. The first run of 12 sold out in one day.

So O Johnny decided to do more. I should share that O Johnny actually spends more time in Atlanta than he does on Tybee. To make matters worse he is actually employed by the federal government who hold him prisoner there. Regardless his thinking is very warped as a result of living in such conditions.

That is no small statement when you compare O Johnny to the other members of the Bored!

So for the first ever the Bored had money. Everyone naturally assumed it would be used to buy the next round but then a miracle happened. Chuck Courtenay, Jr. the famous musician was riding down front, saw the Bored protecting the sidewalk in front of Fannies (which consists of Roma screaming at anybody on a bicycle or skateboard on the sidewalk) and he stopped.

After a brief exchange with Roma he set up his piano and speakers on the sidewalk and did a concert for the Bored. This is akin to the Beatles famous roof top concert on the top of the Apple Recording Studio in London. It immediately became the biggest concert every held on Tybee and everybody now claim to have been present (though there were like 10).

After that Chuck had endeared himself to the Bored. So in an executive committee meeting, which consists of Roma going to the bathroom and coming out with an idea, it was determined that all of the money would be given to Chuck to hold a concert at the Oceanside Nursing Home.

Several years ago Chuck started “Door of Hope Ministries” where he does concerts in nursing homes. If you’ve ever spent much time in a nursing home then you know that they are not the most fun places to spend an afternoon. Most seem to have had all the life sucked out of them as families stick relatives there until they can die. Not all families, but a lot. It is as Nursing Homes suck the life out of the people while charging them for it (kind of like government).

Chuck takes life back in by performing concerts for the residents. He shows up with his talent, electric piano and speakers. He is charismatic and speaks to each person who can walk or be wheel chaired in. He knows the music they like prefer he starts.

Then he starts.

Yesterday Roma, Jenny O, Johnny O, Whitely, the Rev. and a friend of us all showed up at the Oceanside Nursing Home for Chuck’s concert. He started with 1950s rock-n-roll and it was as though Jesus had wandered into a Lazarus convention! Old ladies long dead in wheelchairs jumped and danced! Old men stood beside Chuck as though they were background singers and dancers, snapping their fingers and clapping their hands. People confined to their seats sang along loudly. Even those who couldn’t do anything watched with more intensity than they’ve had in years.

As the only member of the Bored who can actually dance, I grabbed the hand of a lady in red sitting in her wheel chair and spun her around.

“Oh my” she said grinning from ear to ear.

A bit later, Roma who thinks she can dance grabbed some pom-poms and twirled them around in front of Chuck. To the non-trained she almost gave the appearance of dancing except that the pom-poms were going in opposite directions. Roma only has rhythm when alcohol is involved.

But this was an amazing thing to witness…this Lazarus Convention.

For years Chuck has mostly paid for these concerts out of his own pocket. He does them all over the place because it is amazing how few really give a shit about the people who live in Nursing Homes. He and I have been friends a long time and I know how he struggles to keep doing it but he does.

Yesterday was his 60th birthday too! He could have been making money or having parties or a thousand other things but he chose to bring the dead back to life.

So…if you want to do something to make yourself feel wonderful and participate in the raising of the dead, send him a check at P.O. Box 2294, Evans, Georgia 30809 made out to Door of Hope Ministry or call him at 706-210-HOPE.

I did the other day. But I didn’t realize what I was buying until I attended my first Lazarus Convention. My God! It is an amazing thing to witness.