Summer Wine Puppet Ministries
Puppets may be associated as "for children," but ask a puppet ministry leader, and they'll tell you that puppets are for everyone.
Maybe it's because puppets are a part of nearly everyone's childhood: there was Kukla, Fran and Ollie in the '50s, and Edgar Bergen and his famous puppet sidekick, Charlie McCarthy. And Jim Henson's creations of Kermit the Frog and the gang at Sesame Street continue to delight children and adults alike, well beyond Henson's untimely death in 1990.
Puppets are fun, silly and colorful. They live in a world of pretend, but they can talk about real issues, too. And in the case of puppets who reside in the world of a Trinity Baptist Church, they can talk about things like tolerance, loving your neighbor, and about the promise of Jesus Christ. "Every time we do something with the puppets at church, the children love it.
John says that their puppet ministry tries to do an all-out production a few times a year, but to keep the puppets active, a character will be brought out occasionally to make a guest appearance at a children's sermon or even just to help announce an upcoming event.
"They just love it. They just can't get enough of it. Why is this? It's probably just because it's different and it's entertaining," says Enid. "Entertaining isn't usually a word that is associated with a church service,
but why not? Our theater background says, you're putting on a show in the sense that you've got an audience, and you have to captivate them. The Word is out there, the Word is exciting. So let's not make it boring, let's make it exciting. It's a good excuse to say, 'Hey, let's be dramatic here.' "
John agrees. "The cool thing about puppets is when someone wants to get involved, but they're terrified to stand up in front of people ... This way, they can hide. All we see is a puppet! They can have a blast, tell a story, be part of this whole ministry without actually being in front of anybody.
"Finding your niche
A puppet ministry takes a lot of work, but the results bring people close together, sometimes bringing out talents that were never before realized. "This ministry can reach out to kids who maybe don't have another niche," says Janet.
Members of Summer Wine Puppet Ministries:
Enid Normington, Janet Wilding, John Caddy, Allan Baldwin, Keven Wilding, Allan Hardacre
Maybe it's because puppets are a part of nearly everyone's childhood: there was Kukla, Fran and Ollie in the '50s, and Edgar Bergen and his famous puppet sidekick, Charlie McCarthy. And Jim Henson's creations of Kermit the Frog and the gang at Sesame Street continue to delight children and adults alike, well beyond Henson's untimely death in 1990.
Puppets are fun, silly and colorful. They live in a world of pretend, but they can talk about real issues, too. And in the case of puppets who reside in the world of a Trinity Baptist Church, they can talk about things like tolerance, loving your neighbor, and about the promise of Jesus Christ. "Every time we do something with the puppets at church, the children love it.
John says that their puppet ministry tries to do an all-out production a few times a year, but to keep the puppets active, a character will be brought out occasionally to make a guest appearance at a children's sermon or even just to help announce an upcoming event.
"They just love it. They just can't get enough of it. Why is this? It's probably just because it's different and it's entertaining," says Enid. "Entertaining isn't usually a word that is associated with a church service,
but why not? Our theater background says, you're putting on a show in the sense that you've got an audience, and you have to captivate them. The Word is out there, the Word is exciting. So let's not make it boring, let's make it exciting. It's a good excuse to say, 'Hey, let's be dramatic here.' "
John agrees. "The cool thing about puppets is when someone wants to get involved, but they're terrified to stand up in front of people ... This way, they can hide. All we see is a puppet! They can have a blast, tell a story, be part of this whole ministry without actually being in front of anybody.
"Finding your niche
A puppet ministry takes a lot of work, but the results bring people close together, sometimes bringing out talents that were never before realized. "This ministry can reach out to kids who maybe don't have another niche," says Janet.
Members of Summer Wine Puppet Ministries:
Enid Normington, Janet Wilding, John Caddy, Allan Baldwin, Keven Wilding, Allan Hardacre
