Church School Play

The St. Bartholomew's Sunday School Guild of Actors has been hard at work and we were treated to their latest production today, performed as usual in lieu of a sermon. I don't remember when they started this, but I have pictures of a production in 2001.

Today we were treated to a special news production of the F.I.S.H. television broadcast network wherein television journalists interviewed eyewitnesses to various of Jesus' miracles, or replayed previously recorded interviews, two years having passed since his crucifixion.

As always, well done -- and right down to the handling of certain difficulties such as necessary costume changes in the Sacristy (they seem to be acquiring quite a range of costumes and props). We were amused by the interlude of advertisements to cover these situations, including a conversion of the Parable of the Lost Coin (Luke 15:8) into an advertisement for metal detectors beginning with the line, "Tired of sweeping the house looking for that lost coin?"

One surprise for those of us who've been around a while was the response to the suggestion that the littler children might want to view the play from up front. In no time the front pews were mobbed! We've noticed the increase in children in church over recent years (even as others grow old enough to be no longer "children"), but this brought it home. Maybe it was the play, maybe Mothers' Day, but there were a lot of children present today!

(My apology for the poor picture quality; it was a deliberate decision. I don't like flashes in church, or during performances, so I put the camera into a mode that prevents the flash going off knowing it would result in a grainy photo.)