On Sunday I went to see Colchester Community Theatre’s performance of Oliver! (great job Jakob, Kailyn, Marissa, and Abby who were all in the show!)  It was wonderful to experience local theater right here in Colchester.  Now I happen to love theater.  Part of the reason is because live theater is full of possibilities and even disaster!  The stakes are high, each performance is different.  The work the cast and crew puts in behind the scenes week in and week out to present that play or musical to an audience can be intense and so rewarding.

Having performed in school plays and musicals growing up (my most famous role in high school was Ursula the Warrior Princess), I can honestly say that the weeks leading up to live performances are extraordinary.  The pressure is there and the reward for being able to come together as a cast and crew and present something that can move an audience to laughter and tears, to hear thunderous applause at the end of a show, or even receive a standing ovation, to look around as the curtain goes down at the group of people who helped make it all possible is such an amazing feeling.  It was terrific to experience those memories from my own past and to feel that sense of togetherness from the cast of Oliver in the present.  The marvels of theater at work, and it was a great show to boot!

Sometimes when we take up the morning’s offering during worship I say something along the lines of, “And now it’s time to give back to our church, knowing that there is so much more we can do together than we ever can alone.”  Sometimes that statement comes out more eloquently than other times.  But what I mean by that sentiment is that amazing things happen when people come together and work together to do something beautiful together—whether that’s a theatrical performance or giving as we are able or just being the Body of Christ here in Colchester together.  Teamwork makes the dream work as the saying goes, and that’s just something I’ve been thinking about this week. 

Love,
Pastor Lauren 

(This Week’s Thoughts 2.20.20)