Marinelli and his wife, Marilyn, founded the Christian poetry Association of America in 1983 while living in Fort Lauderdale. After seeing their efforts take off, the Marinellis moved out of state. They returned to Florida last year and settled in Ponte Vedra Beach, where they recently have established the Fellowship of Christian Poets. At our first meeting in November, we had 30 people. This month, we had 20.
Attendance is open to anyone who enjoys Christian poetry.
We hear a lot of good poems that are very focused and well written. He first tried his own hand at writing poetry during college as part of an assignment for his humanities class. Unlike secular poetry, which focuses on one's relationship to the world around him, Christian poetry focuses on the individual's relationship with God. This week, he will mail out his first order for water-resistant ponchos that will be donated to the Homeless Clothing Center, a ministry for homeless men in Jacksonville Beach. Designed by a Christian ministry in California, the ponchos can also be used as blankets or pup tents.