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This past Sunday Gayle and I went downtown
to the corner of 4th and main (the
old, Old National Bank events plaza) to see
Hannah Ford in the Civic Theatre’s production of
Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
It was fun to sit in lawn chairs in what was
the best evening for weather that we have had
for the last 4 weeks or so.
We sat with anticipation waiting to see when
Hannah would come on stage, if you can call the
events plaza a stage. She played Moth and was
heavily made up like most of the fairy corp and
elves. (Midsummer’s Night’s Dream is a
whimsical and rather disjointed play—it is a
dream—though and what dreams aren’t?) Gayle
asked me to point Hannah out when she made her
way into the production. She did an excellent
job and we joined with the rest of the audience
in a hearty round of applause at its conclusion.
Before the show began, I was pleased by a letter
written to the audience on the program by the
director. In it he praised the cast and crew
and indicated that we were to remember that this
was a troupe of amateur actors performing a
complex play, in a different prose and style
from modern English. He also indicated that the
“amateur” cast, in his estimation was performing
at a professional level. But one thing that
really caught my eye and imagination was his
definition of amateur in regards to stage
productions. Amateur means, “for the love of.”
These actors were performing this play for the
love of the performance and not for any
compensation.
In a sense nearly all of us in the church are
amateurs. Most of you work, serve and worship
as amateurs, for the love of it. Many years ago
I had a church member call me an amateur and I
bristled at that a bit. Perhaps I should have
because I was “paid” staff after all, and I
viewed myself as a professional. But today I
wish that I could once again be an amateur in
that definition. I love what I do. I love the
people I do it for and with. I love this
church. I hope you are strengthened in your
walk by realizing that as amateurs, you are
showing your love for the Lord, this church and
the Kingdom. YOU ROCK!!!
Pastor Jeff
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Our Staff
