Janis from Texas took this picture of Bobbie and Willie Nelson, at the Abbott Methodist Church.
Willie and his sister Bobbie attended the Abbott Methodist Church on July 2, 2006, and performed along with Mickey Raphael, Bea Speers, Leon Russell, and Donald Reed. The church in Abbott is the church were Bobbie and Willie attended as children, with their grandparents.
In 2006 Willie and Bobbie purchased the building, when they learn that it was being sold, and may be moved. Willie said, “Sister Bobbie and I have been going to this church since we were born.”
The service was taped, and the Church has been selling dvds of the show as a fundraiser for scholarships for local students.
Friends, family, church members and residents of Abbott were all invited to the service that day. For those of us who weren’t in the church, we got to watch the service on large screen tvs, and hear the music broadcast over speakers. It was a warm, Texas day, and we sat under tents. After the service, Willie signed autographs and shook hands with everyone. Then, Willie had arranged for a organic feast for everyone to eat, and we all ate on tables under the white tents. It was such a beautiful day. It was one of my most special times hearing Willie play, and I wasn’t even in the church. He made us all members of the Methodist Church that day, and made us a part of the Department of Peace.
Willie Nelson, Bee Spear and Mickey Raphael, Abbott Methodist Church (7/2/06)