First Baptist Church in Essex has picked I’m Proud of You by Tim Madigan as the book for it’s book group this fall.  All are welcomed to join!  You need not be a member of the church.  Our first meeting will be on Wednesday, October 8th at 7:00 p.m.  Please let Pastor Joy know at revjperkett@gmail.com or via text/call at 860-581-0493 if you would like to participate. We meet weekly and you are invited to join us at any time.

I’m Proud of You, by Tim Madigan

It began as another newspaper assignment, a celebrity profile of the children’s television icon. But in Fred Rogers, Texas journalist Tim Madigan found more than a fascinating subject. From their first meeting in 1995, at Rogers’ invitation, the two became unlikely friends, a deep and abiding relationship that lasted until Rogers’ death in 2003. In that time, Madigan found Rogers to be much more than the calm and compassionate personality of television. He was a person of unique human greatness who embodied love, compassion and wisdom his every waking moment. He was the transcendent being who guided Madigan through periods of life-threatening depression and the tragic death of a sibling and helped him heal his difficult relationship with his father. I’m Proud of You reveals Fred Rogers as a person who deserves a place among history’s greatest people. It chronicles male friendship at its finest and most powerful. And it is a book that has already brought hope and inspiration to many thousands of its readers.