Phenix City puppets star in national Christian TV show

He plays on stage with two local bands, but there is another musical group with which Heath Williamson performs where he is never seen.

That is Heath and the Checker Shoe Band.

It is his most popular and important work.

The 42-year-old Phenix City resident is the creator and musical talent behind the Christian puppet act which has a television show seen nationwide.

His associate on the show is puppeteer Avery Jones of Phenix City who creates puppets for theater and television. His work has been featured on “Sesame Street” and most recently seen at the Springer Opera House in the production of “Avenue Q.”

Featuring numerous different characters including Catfish Johnson, Phatty Fat, Ramone and Orbit, the show aimed at children is carried on 11 affiliates of the Christian Television Network including the local one WYBU. It can be found on Dish Network and DIRECTV.

“You can see all of the episodes on YouTube 24/7,” Williamson said.

There are CDs and DVDs.

But Williamson said there is no profit.

“Making money is not what this is about. This is a ministry. This is what God has called me to do,” he said.

Williamson is an ordained elder in the Free Methodist Church.

The show, which he said preaches no particular doctrine, features music and more. Each episode features a character words such as pride, obedience or dependability. There is always a Bible verse to be explored.

The shows are produced in a shed at his home. He said there is no script, just an outline of the show’s subject when he and Jones start taping.

Williamson said the ministry is focused on demonstrating God’s love to children.

“It is our desire to show that God has made each child unique and that God has a purpose for that uniqueness. We want to show God has accepted us as sons and daughters through the shed blood of Jesus Christ,” he said.

Williamson currently plays stand-up bass for the East Wind Blue Grass Band and the Joe Jack Band.

His father is a musician and his mother is a puppeteer, so it was “bound to happen” that the two arts would play a role in his life. But Williamson said he showed no interest in puppets as a child.

His wife of 17 years, Buffy, is a speech therapist with the Muscogee County School District and assists with the show. They have three sons, Hank, Brick and Hero.

“We try to teach lessons on the show that we teach our own children,” he said.

The show got its beginning at Christ Community Church in Columbus, where Williamson worked with the children’s ministry. It was first seen at Vacation Bible School in 2009. Children participated in the act working with puppets and singing in the early years. The first puppets were bought on eBay.

The youth performed puppet shows away from Christ Community going to other churches, Fort Benning and Damascus Way, Valley Rescue Mission’s shelter for homeless women. A CD was recorded.

Williamson, who graduated from Central High and has degrees from Chattahoochee Valley Community College and Beacon College, now attends Village Church in Phenix City, recently planted by Christ Community.

The band got its name from the checkered shoes Williamson often wears.

The show began on what a local station at East Alabama TV. When Virgil Thompson, general manager at WYBU, said he would like to carry the show Williamson jumped at the opportunity.

“The shows we had done were not long enough. We had to go back and reedit some to get them 28 minutes” he said. “I never imagined we would have the viewership we have now.”

He said his vision is to make a show parents can watch with their kids

“We want them to learn about God,” he said. “We want them to know what it means to be a Christian. This is what God wants.”

This story was originally published June 23, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Phenix City puppets star in national Christian TV show."