A Sparrow Could Fall

“When relentless hate meets overwhelming love” When Jack and Lillian Tate become the first African-American family to move into rural Dalarna, Minnesota, they stir up the anger of the Freedom Association, a newly formed hate-group whose creed is “Dormant white spirit awaken in me.” But little, 23-member Dalarna Community Church, led by seminary student Luke Rawlings, rallies around the Tates, setting up a fierce struggle for the soul of their community. When the Freedom Association attempts to burn down the church in retaliation, volunteer firefighter Emma Mohr meets Luke and his wife Amber, and is compelled to share with them dark secrets from her and the church’s past. From the ashes, come hope and new beginnings, though not without one final assault from the hate-group whose wrath now falls on Luke and his family, and changes their lives forever. “A Sparrow Could Fall,” by Bear Clifton, is based on real events which took place when he served as a pastor in rural Minnesota in the 1990s. Three months into his ministry, an arsonist nearly burned down their church. Yet what seemed like a disaster became a powerful, redemptive opportunity for the church and community. “Beauty came from ashes, like the Bible says,” says Clifton. “That’s what this story is about.” The Dalarna of “A Sparrow Could Fall” is a captivating blend of Lake Woebegone, Mitford and Maycomb. The result is a heart-wrenching, heart-touching tribute to the ordinary people of middle America facing an extraordinary threat with raw courage and conviction.