THE MISSION OF DESSERT THEATRE
With Dessert Theatre just around the corner, we asked Pam Cooke, our Youth Choir Director to share a little bit about the Youth Choir and the Youth Choir Mission Trip later this year. Read on to learn more about these amazing events.
This year, the Youth Choir are performing wonderful music from Broadway musicals and a Disney movie that tell the story of outcasts trying to find their way. We will present musical numbers from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tangled, The Sound of Music, Phantom of the Opera, and The Greatest Showman. These musicals contain great stories and songs about outcasts loved or feared by others.
Of course, while Dessert Theatre is an exciting part of Youth Choir, the end goal is for each of these students to be able to afford to go on the mission trip. We don’t want any of them to miss out as we travel from June 3–9 to Charleston, South Carolina with a stop on the way to Savannah, Georgia. The very first Youth Choir trip began in 2000. Through the years, we have sought out places where people are most in need to hear about the goodness and love of God. We love to sing in nursing homes, VA hospitals, homes for the mentally or physically challenged, and boys and girls clubs. We structure a program of sacred music, drama, and movement choir that communicates about God and his love for us. After each concert, we open up a time of sing-a-long songs for the audience to sing with the youth. I can’t tell you how many directors of facilities are blown away at the ability of our youth to fearlessly interact with the residents! It never gets old to watch these beautiful teenagers love people.
We also use the week of the mission trip to strengthen the faith of our youth as we travel together. We have morning devotions on the bus as we travel to our first stop and nightly devotions at the end of the day. It is a time for them to read and discuss scripture passages, share how they saw God at work that day, and open up about any struggles or prayer requests. We even have a time of “ask Josh” on the bus where they can ask Josh Hall, our associate pastor, questions about things they do not understand in the Bible. Josh is remarkable in this setting!
The youth love this trip for so many reasons. They get to travel to beautiful parts of the United States with their friends and learn more about the history of the city. They love getting away from their daily routine to focus on who God is. They love being loved and cared for by their fantastic chaperones. Mostly, I believe they truly love serving others. You should see their eyes light up when we walk into a new facility to sing to and love people!
We have many ways for you to help the youth be able to attend the mission trip this year.
- Pick up a ticket to Dessert Theatre on Sunday, February 24, after each worship service. The tickets are free, but you will need a ticket to get into the show. The performances are March 8 (7:00PM), March 9 (7:00PM), and March 10 (2:00PM & 6:00PM).
- Once you have a ticket to the show, stop by the Connect Center and bid on front row seats.
- During intermission at Dessert Theatre, give generously as the plate is passed.
- Bid on fabulous desserts at the silent auction at each performance. You can also pick up a change jar in the Welcome Center anytime, fill it at home with leftover change, and return it to the church by May 1.
- Volunteer to make a delicious dessert. Sign up at bit.ly/dessert-theatre
- Please be aware that we have several youth families that would appreciate scholarships to send their youth on the trip. If you wish to provide a scholarship to one of these youth, contact Pam Cooke.
Thank you for your loving support of these teenagers. We hope to see you on Dessert Theatre weekend and for the Mission Trip Home Concert on June 9.
Since the year 2000, the FBCTLH youth choir has presented Dessert Theatre to raise money to offset the cost of the June Youth Choir mission trip. It is always quite an endeavor and we enlist many talented people as we prepare. Our wonderful choreographers this year are Kylie Cooke, Chris & Shelley Green, Lisa Mitchell, and Erin Williams. The training that our youth receive in the performing arts from these creative leaders is outstanding! And, what we do without Susanne Folsom, Charlene Latimer, and Janet Pearce as they create these glorious costumes! These youth are so fortunate to have so many adults who love them and share freely with their creative gifts.