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Beginnings of a "club."
Around the release of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, I thought about starting a group or "club" with something, anything, to do with Star Wars on the Internet. In April of 2002, I conceived the Jedi Assembly online costuming group after receiving the newest issue of the magazine Star Wars Insider from the SW fan club that month describing the Imperial Stormtrooper group called The Fighting 501st. The magazine referred to the 501st as a huge group with members from around the world that gather at conventions and in their hometowns wearing reproductions of Stormtrooper armor. They catered to Stormtroopers, Imperial uniformed officers, Bounty Hunters, Tie Fighter Pilots, and even the occasional Sith Lord. I didn't know of any Jedi costuming groups in the same style as the 501st on the web or around the USA, so I thought it was time to create one.
Assembling the Assembly
I began the quest to "assemble" the Assembly by starting a bare-bones webpage on the free Geocities website that allowed me to at least have a place to direct potential people to in reference to what I was talking about. I posted messages on many Message Boards to entice people that had the same desire to belong to a SW Jedi costuming "club". But at first, there wasn't any response. I tried not to get discouraged and left more messages and continued to fine-tune the webpage that was turning into a several page website. I finally started getting replies back from people that were interested in the idea of a "Jedi" club. This small set of people turned into what is now known as The Jedi Assembly Jedi Council. Without their advice and cool heads, the Assembly could not have come as far as it has.
The Assembly has 10 Council members that give important advice, help run the Jedi Assembly Message Boards, design Assembly crests, and plan group meetings. The Assembly Message Board is the online meeting place for the Assembly where costuming tips and prop ideas are traded and discussed. The Assembly’s BIGGEST goal was met in April of 2005 as over 40 members met for Star Wars Celebration III in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Assembly does not charge a membership fee and our Message Board keeps people up to date on happenings within the Jedi Council, events and latest costuming tips. The Assembly has not sponsored any events or conventions as of yet and is an ever-changing group and website. Currently, we have over 230 members worldwide and the Assembly message boards have over 700 members.
The Assembly owes a lot to the Fighting 501st Stormtrooper and Rebel Legion costuming groups. If it wasn't for them and their aggressive vision to put together an online costuming "club", the Assembly might not be doing what they love to do. 
My son Daniel was born on February 1st 2004. My wife's pregnancy was very easy and after many hours of a failed induced labor, Daniel was delivered via C-section. Nothing can describe the feeling of seeing your son coming out of your wife's open abdomen. Getting past the gore is easy once you look at the small life coming forth into this world. We left the hospital days later with the cutest baby on the planet!
Daniel has quickly grown into a bright and very intelligent young boy. He 's learning to use the potty and has been helping Daddy wash the dishes. He has a penchant for Little Einsteins, The Wiggles, The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Sesame Street. He shares my passion for Star Wars and all things Jedi and has become a Youngling in training on the path to Jedi Knightdom. He's pretty handy with a Lightsaber as well.
My son Daniel is very polite. He says "excuse me" when he burps and he says please and thank you when appropriate. He sleeps very soundly most of the time and likes to eat just about anything.
Mommy and Daddy love Daniel and Daniel loves his Mommy and Daddy!
How can I not talk about my family without first giving credit to my beautiful wife of 10 years- Pamela.
She is a goddess among women and truly sent from God just for me!
It all started 12 years ago when we worked together at McDonalds in Jefferson City, TN. After being invited to watch the final episode of Star Trek:The Next Generation at her roommates apartments, I knew that there was something happening between us.
Before long we were dating and we knew what God had in store for us. I wanted nothing more than to be with her for the rest of my life and on May 4th 1996, I made Pamela Gail Welch my wife!
10 years later, I love my wife and appreciate her support in everything I do.
Pam- I love you!!
I thought I would use the second entry to tell a little history about myself.
I was born in Jefferson City, Tennessee in 1973. My mother was a daughter of a Baptist minister, so I was brought up in a Southern Baptist church setting. When I turned the age of 6 years old, and after hearing about God and his people plus the redeemer, Jesus Christ, I felt a tugging at my heart that it was time to invite the Lord into my life. I wanted to know Jesus more closely and I wanted to know that I could meet him and be with him in heaven when I died. This was all at the age of six. Now I know what you are saying, “He was too young to make that decision on his own. He was just mimicking his parents way of religion and doing what they wanted.” I would have to disagree. I was very interested in the salvation concept and knew what it meant. Of course, this was all based on a 6 year olds level. I wouldn’t fully understand the significance of this act and the calling that came with it until much later. I knelt down upon my knees in my bedroom and with my mom watching nearby, I asked Jesus to come into my heart. I was baptized by my uncle (a minister also) who was visiting from out of town. I had reached the age of accountability and was saved!!
Years went by. I thought that the Lord wanted me to be a preacher like my grandfather and uncle and to preach his word. Apparently God had other plans for my life.
My parents divorced after 23 years of marriage and we entered a rough time in our lives. We were left financially lacking and quite devastated by my father’s actions. My father had committed adultery with his cousin’s wife and forever destroyed our relationship. But Jesus was always there to give comfort and to not let us take more than we could handle. I finished high school and started working at McDonalds. Due to my scheduling, I started missing Sunday Church all together. And even when I was off, I was too tired to make it to church. At least that was my excuse. It was during this time that I put Jesus in the “backseat” of my car and I took over the steering wheel once again. I started having stress problems and considerable anger issues. I would be so irritated at the littlest comment given to me by anyone at work or at home. I didn’t even think once to check my “rearview mirror” and see Jesus’ shining face looking back at me wanting to take back over the driving. Now I don’t want to mislead you and make you think I got into drugs (though I was offered) or sexual immorality. I did become an angry young man without a purpose in life. I dropped out of college and became more intense in moving up the ranks of McDonald’s management. I started living a life without dependence upon God.
I met my wife to be while working at McDonalds. She also had been saved at an early age and was almost in the same boat as I. Her parents were divorced and we shared a lot of the same life experiences. Neither of us had lost our virginity and that was a source of pride with us both. We dated for several years before marrying (we just celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary) and then moved to Mosheim in Greene County after several more years. Unfortunately, the pattern of keeping God and his son in the back seat continued for us both. We did find a church in our new hometown and joined after a year of visiting.
More time passed and I floated from job to job not knowing what God had planned for me because I wasn’t listening. My wife had found her niche as an art teacher at an elementary school. I on the other hand, had not finished college, had no degree, and felt like I had no purpose in life. I would occasionally think to pray when there was a serious illness in my life or some calamity would come up. But I wouldn’t keep him in focus like he wanted and needed to be. I finally broke down and acknowledged that I needed Christ once again in my life. I HAD to have him in charge of everything that I do and say. My wife and I got down on our knees in our bedroom one night and rededicated our life to him. A load was lifted from our minds as we once again let our Lord take over the driver’s seat again. I eventually landed a job at Wal-Mart with steady hours and a steady income. I feel as if the Lord wants me at Wal-Mart as of right now until a chance to go back and finish school opens up.
The idea of having children was discussed frequently in our marriage, but we had always put any plans off. Partly because I didn’t feel comfortable bringing up a child in this world the way it is. I truly believe Jesus changed my heart and attitude towards having children because we started seriously planning on having a child over two years ago. It only took three weeks of trying and our son was conceived. Then over nine months later, our son Daniel was born. Talk about a true blessing!! My wife and I continually thank God for this small child of happiness. We look forward each day to sharing the Lord’s love with him and bringing him up in the Christian way of life.
All of what I have been talking about has led to this. I now know that Jesus wants me to be his voice, his hands, and his heart. I am to tell everyone about him, to share his love with all I come into contact with. Time is short on this earth. I believe that soon his majesty Jesus Christ will return and call his children and people to himself and judge that one’s who refused to know him. The saved will live in his shining presence forever and ever!
Do you know Jesus? If you died today, do you know where you will spend eternity? It’s very simple. We are all sinners. By our nature, our heart runs from God and rebels against him. We are not perfect and can never be without the help of the supreme ruler Jesus Christ. He loves us and wants to save us from sin. To give us this gift of salvation, Jesus Christ died for us. You receive this gift by faith alone. You demonstrate this gift by genuine repentance and changed actions in your life. Romans 10:9 says “If you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
If you are choosing right now to believe that Jesus died for your sins and wants you to spend eternity with him in heaven, pray a prayer similar to this one:
Dear God, I know that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died to forgive me of my sins. I now accept Your offer of eternal life. Thank You for forgiving me of my sin. Thank You for my new life. From this day forward, I will choose to follow you.
If you just prayed that prayer, please let me know about it so I can pray for you in your walk with our Lord. If you have questions, feel free to ask them. I don’t know everything and I never will. But I do know that my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will return one day……… May God bless you all in your daily lives!
Greetings! I sit here at 1 am in the morn contemplating how I will use this blog and what exactly to say. It's taken me forever to finally jump onto the Blog machine and I hope that what I post will both entertain and be a witness for who and what I am.
May the Force be with you and may God bless you all!
