Janie, I have no doubt that if you could have the chance to participate in a song circle with Deckman and Don Firth, they would appreciate your contributions and vice-versa.

I really do understand, I think, where some folks are coming from in their aversion to books. There's a song circle I go to sometimes where everyone sings from a big-print song book and everyone is to stick to that arrangement (whether the lyrics & chords are right or not) or provide lyrics and chords if they use a song that's not in the book. People get so hooked on using the books that I literally see people's heads buried in the book while they sing the refrain "What shall we do with a drunken sailor?"   And more often than not, many people jump in too soon on various lines of the song - ahead of whoever is leading it - partly because they are staring at the book and not watching or really listening to the leader.
Lyric/chord sheets can facilitate group participation, even make it possible where it otherwise wouldn't happen. But they can be a real detriment if people rely on them too much, as a substitute for listening and learning, rather than as an aid to those processes.