Community Corner

Festival of Music Director Shares His 9/11 Story

The 10th anniversary of 9/11 is soon approaching and a festival remembering those who died that day and who served afterward takes place at the Barnes Amphitheatre this year.

Billy Payne, the director of music at Due West United Methodist Church, has helped organize the church's Festival of Music for the last five years. The festival, which is held at the Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre, usually takes place on or close to Sept. 11 every year. It has become an event to remember the 9/11 attacks, the people who died that day and the heroes who have served, who have fought and who have died afterward.

Everyone has a story about Sept. 11, 2001. This is his.

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Like most Americans, I can tell you exactly where I was when I heard about the attacks. I was in a car with my boss. My wife, a stay-at-home mom at the time, had the television on and saw the whole thing live. She immediately called me and tried to convey what was going on. Of course, I was with my boss, so I tried to cut the conversation short. She was going on about a plane hitting the Sears Tower, and in my mind, I imagined that to be a very small plane. Probably some kind of pilot error, and at worst, a nut job. But all in all, no big deal.

It wasn't until we stopped for lunch that I realized what was going on. There was a TV on in the restaurant, and we couldn't take our eyes off of it. No one wanted to move. At the same time, you wanted to be home with the people you love and care about. We hurried back to the office. Same scenario there. Everyone had gathered around a projection screen TV and was glued, then, one by one, scrambling home. Jobs weren't important. Family was.

Our elementary-aged children happily hopped off the school bus. The driver leaned out the door and whispered, "They don't know." We pulled everyone close, happy to have our family together and united, under one roof. Would we send them back the next day? Not sure. School wasn't important. Family was.

There was a creepy silence over the next few days. I guess when you've grown up under the flight patterns of our nation's busiest airport, you tend not to notice how often planes fly over. All that changes once they've been grounded. My wife and I would sit out on our front porch and there'd be silence. Silence that occasionally would be broken by a military jet flying over. That was no comfort. That was scary.

My grandfather served in the Navy. My father served in the Air Force. I've always been a supporter of our military. These are people who are willing to give their lives for our country. As we watched 24-hour news coverage of the terrorist attacks, we learned that our police and firemen had the same commitment in order to protect us here at home.

In the days that followed, something wonderful happened. What had been meant for evil was used for good. People began to care about each other. Politicians seemed to have one common goal. My favorite commercial showed a row of houses and a voice-over declaring how our common enemy had hoped that things would never be the same. In the next scene, you saw the same houses, but this time they were adorned with red, white, and blue tapestries. The voice-over assured us in a positive way that things wouldn't be the same again. A common statement could be seen on bumper stickers and banners, at ball games and parades. That statement was: "We will never forget."

The Sunday after Sept. 11, 2001, our church saw the largest attendance they'd seen in some time. It was like Easter, but instead of a feeling of excitement, there was a feeling of remorse. People had questions and wanted to know answers. Where was God in this? How could He allow this to happen?

It's been 10 years, and I think we need reminding. No, not that we were attacked by an enemy resolute to see our demise as a nation, but we must not forget our heritage as a Christian nation, or those who gave and still give to protect our freedom and our spiritual strength. Most of all, we must not forget that our only hope is in Almighty God.

This year's free, community-wide event will be an uplifting yet reflective concert, in which we remember our history, our heroes and our Christian heritage through a combination of beloved patriotic songs, original selections and narrations. We will honor our local community heroes who have served, and those who are still serving today. The night will close by turning to our spiritual heroes, and compelling us to pray for repentance and revival in America.

South Cobb Patch is seeking stories, reflections, photos from the Sept. 11 attacks and the aftermath, which we are all still experiencing in some way. Send them to kiri.walton@patch.com. Include your first and last names as well as where you reside (Austell, Mableton or Clarkdale) or your connection to the South Cobb area. The stories will be featured each week as we near the 10th anniversary of one of the most devastating events in American history.

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