Goodbye to the jail

Because the McGraths were away on a needed vacation, after the busy Easter season and before next week's Synod which St. Bartholomew's is hosting this year, Drew and I led Morning Prayer (sung) again. The order for the service was a bit different from last week's, because the Church School put on one of their landmark plays.

I don't remember just when these started, I know we've now had a complete turnover of actors, but I have pictures of one from around Christmas 2001. In that one the children enacted television-newscaster style reporting of the birth of Jesus, in costume. (Mary Ellen found the sign for the TV station this morning: call letters FISH.) Another some time around 2004 included Paul's escape from Damascus (Acts 9:25); the pulley that raised the wall behind him to simulate his being let down in a basket is still in the beam above the Nave.

We've had fewer of these since Fr. Daniel's arrival, but the Church School performed one today.

Today's continued the story of Paul including his imprisonment (the chains are being put on here) and the violent earthquake opening the door, which was simulated by violent shaking the cardboard refrigerator box painted to represent a prison or jail.

At the conclusion of the play, Paul Jr. announced that the "jail" had been taking up space in the Sunday School for three and a half years and it was time for it to go. With it go memories of previous plays as it had acquired different openings for different purposes, including one for a television screen (another play on the newscaster theme, I think this one was on the Resurrection).

So after the service it was left in front of the Fr. Leen Learning Center, where some of the younger children played in it until the adults arrived. Then the jail was carted off.