THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 21, 1996 TAG: 9603190082
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines
Eleven years ago, when Elizabeth Berry first came up with the idea of raising mission money by staging a religious musical, the members of her Sunday school class at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church stared at her in amazement.
Put on a musical production that required at least 20 hours of rehearsal? Then stand before the entire congregation and perform it? They weren't professional actors. She had to be kidding.
Even though they loved to sing and were eager to undertake a fund-raising project, the class members overwhelmingly vetoed the idea. But Berry, a minister's wife, persisted. And persisted.
Finally, after a year of presenting the idea again and again to the Daniel Moore Class, she finally won them over. In November of 1986, after months of rehearsals, the class presented its first show, ``It's Cool in the Furnace,'' the story of Daniel, to a packed fellowship hall. At the close of the show, parishioners put $262.50 into the offering plate. All the money went to help a Methodist missionary.
The class has been putting on shows ever since.
Now in their 10th season, the Wesley Memorial Characters will present their newest - and only modern-day - story, ``Love Will Be Our Home,'' at 7 p.m. Sunday. Although admission is free, offerings again be will collected.
As Berry (who died in 1990) first envisioned, that offering will again be dedicated entirely to mission work.
If this year is any indication of years past, that amount should be significant. In all, the class has collected almost $14,000 in donations to help fund projects that provide shelter, food, disaster relief and other help for victims locally and throughout the world.
``We're not professional singers or actors; we're just a plain old Sunday School class,'' explained Helen Sides, a 67-year-old Forest Park resident. ``But we have a lot of fun doing these plays ... and it's for such worthy causes.''
Their commitment and growing professionalism has been infectious. Each year, a dozen or so other Methodist congregations ask the class to perform its latest production at their churches. The Characters have traveled from Richmond to Elizabeth City from March to November each year, presenting their biblical stories and messages of family values.
Noted Eileen Ballance, a charter member of the group: ``Everybody is committed to this project. Everybody pays their own expenses. They buy their book, pay for most of their costume and provide their own transportation. Everything we collect goes to mission work.''
Each Easter, the class makes homemade eggs to earn money for lighting, sound equipment and backdrops. Another Sunday school class at the church underwrites such production costs as equipment, soundtrack and props.
The time commitment is enormous. Eleven months of the year, cast members practice Sunday afternoons and add additional rehearsals as opening night approaches. Still, nearly half of the original Characters have remained active in the troupe.
``The group has become real close,'' noted Ballance, 56.
Added Gay Porter, a 41-year-old Ghent resident: ``Because it takes so much of our time, this is our social life between January and December.''
The message they bring, the money they raise and the fellowship they receive are the rewards, they maintain.
``Every show has had its own special moment,'' Porter said. ``From the comments we've received, I know we've touched people's lives.''
``A lot of people have told me that they've heard many of these Bible stories before, but they understood them for the first time after seeing one of our plays,'' Ballance added.
This year, however, the group decided to stray from their more ``lightweight'' Bible stories to produce a musical that addresses some hard-hitting family values. In ``Love Will Be Our Home,'' a Christian family comes together for the 40th anniversary of the aging parents. The family grapples with its faith as one of the adult children faces the breakup of his marriage.
``It's a story for the families of the '90s who are faced with so many problems,'' Ballance explained. ``In the end, they rely on God to bring the family back together.''
The cast of 30 includes adults and children as young as a year old.
``Anyone that's living and breathing and wants to be included gets a part,'' Ballance said with a laugh.
Included are Berry's daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren.
``This is a lot of work, but we have a lot of fun together,'' director Fred O'Keef said. ``Plus, now we can't think of anything else to do that would raise so much money.''
As for standing up in front of an audience and singing their souls out, that's become old hat.
``We're used to it now,'' Porter says.
Elizabeth Berry would be proud. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
RELIGIOUS MUSICAL
The Wesley Memorial Characters will present the religious musical
``Love Will Be Our Home'' at 7 p.m. Sunday in the fellowship hall of
Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church.
The church is located at 288 E. Little Creek Road.
Admission is free, although an offering designated for mission
work will be collected.
by CNB