500th Anniversary Reformation Event
In celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, Gloria wanted to display in Gaither Family Resources the many outstanding books being published about the great voices of reform. To represent this anniversary of the year Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses of objection to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany, Gloria wanted an imposing door as the center for the display.
She was talking with her associates at the store about where they might find such a door, asking guests standing around if anyone knew maybe a reclamation warehouse in the area or someplace such a door could be found. A gentleman from Ohio happened to hear the conversation and said he knew some places in his area that might have one. He said, “I’ll find you a door, and if I can’t find one, I’ll make you one.”
“You would?” Gloria answered, “You would do that?”
Not sure where she would ever hear from him again, Gloria and the other display creators went collecting for display the great books about the voices of reform like Erasmus, Tyndale, Calvin, Wesley, and others that God seems to have raised up at a time when the church was either omitting a great truth or veering off track from the simple gospel Jesus came to build.
A few weeks later, this new friend, David Kinsley from the farm country around Fayette, Ohio, showed up with the most amazing red cedar door! It had a round, black iron handle, was made to stand alone, and came with a fire-singed copy of Luther’s 95 theses and a blacksmith-hammered nail with which to attach it to the door. This soon became the centerpiece for the display of the books from the “voices of the reformers”.
To complete this year-long commemoration of the spirit of those who dared to speak out against ecclesiastical abuses and hold out for the purity of the gospel message, David Teems agreed to come for a special “Dessert with David” evening. This challenging event marked the official release of David’s new devotional: Godspeed: Voices of the Reformation.
And what an evening it was! Gloria interviewed David with probing questions not only about his new release, but about his other powerful books Tyndale and Majestie (about King James and the commissioning of the King James Bible). The audience also joined the conversation with thought-filled questions and later took home multiple copies of the devotional for Christmas gift-giving.