CHURCH FOLK by Michelle Andrea Bowen is the third book in Warner/Walk Worthy's copublishing venture spotlighting African-American Christian Fiction.

Rural Mississippi in the 1960s stood in the midst of the civil rights movement. Social changes began in black churches. Essie Lee Lane, a small-town girl who is faithful to her church and loyal to her family, meets the man of her dreams in an unlikely encounter. The Reverend Theophilus Henry Simmons is an eligible pastor, as smitten with Essie as she is with him. After they begin a long-distance courtship between Mississippi and Tennessee, the couple decide to marry. They soon find that the blessings of being the "first couple" come with challenges from the local church and the national denomination. The secular issues of greed, sex, misconduct, money, and politics are as evident and dangerous in the church as outside. These human failings cause the Simmonses to struggle with their roles as husband and wife as well as church leaders. The Reverend Mr. Simmons is faced with taking a stand that will forever separate him from the ordinary and make the church congregation proud. Accepting this assignment becomes a test of his faith and the steppingstone for his future.

Michele Andrea Bowen graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the niece of an Apostolic Bishop and the granddaughter of an evangelist. She lives with her two daughters in Durham, North Carolina.

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