May 21, 2010
Puppet ministry
Mission: To introduce Christ to those who don’t know him
Members and leaders of the advanced Hands of JOY group include, front row, Shannan Schrum, Carrie Schnautz, Danielle Schmitt, Jessica Vaal, second row, Patty Schnautz, Shirley Tillman, Cindy Schmitt, Ken Schnautz, Rob Schnautz, Alex Miller and Aaron Sather. Click for a larger version.
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
Olyvia Symon is a quiet child, but she can do an amazing British accent, and she smiles broadly as she thinks about her participation in the Hands of Joy Puppet Ministry at St. Joseph School in Vanderburgh County.
Its mission statement is “to introduce Christ to those who may not know him; enrich the faith of those who do; and provide an avenue by which each person may carry out his or her calling.”
Sharon Vogler is the DRE at St. Joseph parish, and she says, “It’s a great ministry for the parish.”
The group began at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Evansville, and about 10 years ago young parishioners at St. Joe were invited to participate.
Today this interdenominational group has eight to 10 young adults and three adult leaders.
Two years ago, a “Beginning Hands of JOY” group was formed at St. Joe School. It started with 12 members and one adult leader, and it has grown to 20 members and three adult leaders.
Both groups perform through-out the Evansville area at nursing homes, churches and vacation bible schools.
Patty Schnautz and Shirley Tillman lead the advanced group; Kim Bruk, Donna Hie-stand and Denise Weil work with the younger group.
The programs, which range from 20 to 40 minutes, offer both songs and dialogue. Patty explained that the songs use contemporary music and lyrics which have been rewritten to reflect a “Christian message. ‘YMCA’ becomes ‘Why Not Today,’ and ‘10 Things I Don’t Like About You’ is transformed into ‘10 Things God Commands.’
“The tunes bring you in, but the message is Christian.”
The music and lyrics are purchased, and Patty has become the script writer for the puppet shows. Common themes include “Pray Without Ceasing,” “The Meaning of Christmas,” and “Jesus Loves You.”
She says the ministry is time-consuming but she does it “because we are called to serve however we can.
“I love to write, and I usually write the scripts. It’s a chance to be creative, and still serve God.”
Membership becomes transformative, she believes, citing a young woman who was “un-churched” who wanted to join the older group. “We took her on,” Patty said, and now she is an active church goer.
Patty believes that because “we practice these songs, and say them often enough, they start to hear it, and they start to believe it.”
Sharon agrees. “It reinforces what they have learned.”
Patty’s son, Rob, has been involved with the puppet ministry for about five or six years now. He and Aaron Sather are the emcees for the older group. “We love doing this,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to be creative and funny and make people laugh.”
Patty said the younger group performs three or four times a year, while the older group performs six to eight times a year. “The goal is to get the little kids moved into the bigger kids team.”
The goal also is to find each performer’s “niche,” which is why they were so excited to learn that Olyvia could do a British accent, and they found a spot for her immediately.
Both groups are scheduled to perform at 9 a.m. May 23 at St. Joe’s gymnasium. Their performance will be “The Vast Voyage,” which will be a kick-off for the upcoming Vacation Bible School.