Evie Clair would like to share an intimate new album of sacred hymns, close to her heart, with simple original arrangements of beloved, classic Christian hymns and sacred songs that bring her joy. Her husband, Clancy says,
“You couldn’t get an album that more closely resembles the experience of Evelyn sitting at the piano in her living room singing to you personally.”
Evie Clair, now Evelyn Thomas and her husband, recently posted about the coming birth of their first baby. The gentleness of these 15 songs makes them feel like lullabies in honor of that announcement. They come directly from her heart and speak to the listener’s soul about the love she has for God and her relationship with Him. Other album themes include kindness, gratitude, the Savior, peace and families.
The album title “That They Might Have Joy” comes from a beloved scripture passage, “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy”(2 Nephi 2:25) embracing the idea that we exist to find true and lasting Joy no matter our circumstance. It was a belief her father held even through the difficulties of a painful death from cancer. She added a remastered version she sang the year he passed away of his favorite hymn “Be Still My Soul” ending with the lyrics, “through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.” He taught her to hold to the things that wouldn’t fade with passing trends, but to fill her life with things that bring eternal joy.
Evelyn wanted to share these sacred lyrics and melodies of Jesus with others as a testimony of the joy she has found so that they, also, might have joy and internalize the true source of it.
Special thanks from Evie to a few beloved people who contributed to this album including Kirra Abplanalp, Charles Mann, Bailey Jolley, Phoebe Morris, Christy Mann, Michael McLean and Pamalee Mann.
Evie was honored with an award last night and was also invited to perform at the 13th annual Arizona Golden Rule Banquet. Evie’s new hero was one of the Golden Rule Honorees of the night named Rose Mapendo. Rose has a powerful story, a vibrant heart and mind and a soothing singing voice. She and her 10 children were refugees to Phoenix from the Congo. She was rescued from a death camp where her husband was murdered. The day he was killed, she found out she was pregnant with twins. She had to give birth to them in the unthinkable conditions of the death camp. She desperately wanted to save the lives of her twins so she decided to name them after the officers in the death camp who had murdered her husband. Her forgiving heart under these extreme circumstances saved her children’ lives and she has been working tirelessly ever since promote peace and end genocide on a global scale. Here is a video about her if you’d like to learn more.
After the banquet, Rose’s children were waiting in the lobby as Rose was meeting with all kinds of dignitaries and philanthropists. Evie took the chance to spend some time talking with these amazing kids and grandkids of hers. They were all Evie Clair fans and went on and on about her beautiful singing when she really just wanted to talk about them and their incredible escape from the Congo. Her son told Evie that they have something in common in that they both lost their fathers at a young age. This broke her heart and she realized how much more suffering there is in the world than she ever realized. We respect these people so much, enjoyed their humble spirits and are so happy that they are now flourishing in Arizona and working along side their mother to spread peace and tolerance and The Golden Rule.
Evie also got to spend some time with Miss Arizona – MaddieRose Holler. Beauty queens always promote world peace, but this one is working for it using her talents along with Evie who has been part of this organization since she was 8 years old. Last night MaddieRose performed God Bless America and Evie performed some of her favorite covers and originals plus this Native American song called Peace. Evie sings for many organizations but since she has been a part of this one almost her whole life, it holds a special place for her. The aim of the Arizona Interfaith Movement and Arizona Golden Rule Educational Experiences (AGREE) is not complicated. It is based on the realization that almost every major religion in the world has something in common – the golden rule! They all have a form of it in their teachings and this discovery is creating hope and common ground and tolerance between people of different religious beliefs and cultures with an aim to end religious conflict.
This song, Nuh wah do hey yaw duh (Peace) – Native American (Cherokee) was commissioned by AGREE and written by Evie’s friend Kendra Martinez on an album written for Arizona schools called “Stars Shine Brightly.”
When Evie was 8 she sang a different song on that album. We’ll see if any one can guess which one, but she delivered “Peace” effortlessly last night inspiring the huge gathering to embrace love and religious and cultural tolerance.
Evie thought it was really cool that Muhammad Ali was also honored last night because her dad was a huge fan of his. Ali past away in 2016 but the award was accepted by the doctor who diagnosed him with Parkinson’s disease. Acknowledged around the world as an Ambassador of Peace, Muhammad Ali received the Paul Eppinger Peace Golden Rule Award for his diligent long-term efforts in bringing cultures, religions, and countries together.
An immigrant from Chile, Magdalena Schwartz, acts as a liaison and spokesperson between the Latino community and the police departments of Maricopa County, earning her the respect of other community and religious leaders, as well as the prestigious Darl Andersen Golden Rule Award.
As an author, teacher and psychotherapist, Marilyn Murray created the renowned therapeutic process, The Murray Method, which she uses in the treatment of trauma of thousands of Russians in Moscow, and later with patients throughout the entirety of the former USSR, and now in over 37 countries around the world, thereby truly earning her the International Humanitarian Golden Rule Award.
Through the use of “structured” school play, children learn to interact in empathetic and civil ways while simultaneously learning essential social and emotional skills that will benefit them in the classroom and in their future lives — earning Playworks a much deserved Education Golden Rule Award.
It was amazing for Evie to learn from these ambassadors of world peace. She felt like she got a trip around the world and she loved catching up with her friend Pat McMahon who was the master of ceremonies for the night.
