This story is courtesy of The Callaway Courier
CALLAWAY – The Callaway United Methodist Church has a new pastor, and a welcoming new splash of color to greet all visitors and parishioners – thanks to teenage sisters.
Angel Johnson, a junior, and Tiersa Johnson, a sophomore, are both students at Callaway High School and explained that they saw a need to refresh the large symbol in the concrete in front of their church and decided to do something about it.
Angel shared that the idea to help was sparked by an event she attended during the summer. “I went to Norfolk and attended a leadership conference and when I came back, I was just thinking about things I could do to help my community and things I was involved in that would help me with that,” she said. “This project has been on my mind and something I have wanted to do, but I just didn’t know who to talk to about it or how I should start.”
She reached out to Janet Kalinowski and asked if she thought the church would be open to her repainting the cross and flame symbol in the outdoor area between the sanctuary and commons.
“I talked to some of the people in the office and told them I would be willing to do everything if they were interested in letting me do it, and they agreed. The church got me the paint and Tiersa was willing to help me with it,” Angel said.
Tiersa said the project took about a week from start to finish, because of having to work around the busy schedules the sisters have. They completed the painting in July, which corresponded with the arrival of the new pastor. She said that this project was an easy choice for her and her sister, as both are members of the CHS art club.
“We love art, and it is something we are passionate about so it was a fun project,” Angel added.
She said it is her understanding that the cross and flames had not been repainted since it was first placed in the concrete. The project has gotten a lot of attention from local residents.
“Everyone was very grateful, especially some of the older ones who have been here for a long time. It was nice to see their faces when it was redone and knowing someone was taking care of it,” said Angel.
Tiersa explained that though the colors were very faded, once the girls got down close to the design they could see what the original colors were. “The cross was originally a brown color, but we decided we wanted to make it pop more so we did it in black,” she shared. “We got a color of yellow that I think is a little lighter than what it was, but we felt like it just made it pop more. You can see it now.”
Angel and Tiersa entered the foster system when they were just three and four years old and began living with Julie Johnson at that time. When the girls were nine and 10, Julie adopted them. “And Norman Johnson is our grandpa,” Angel proudly stated.
The sisters attend church at UMC and participate in the Callaway High School youth group, led by Darin Ellis.
Both said doing this project just made them happy. They are currently brainstorming ideas for their next community service venture.
