Dinner theater proceeds to go to families on deployment
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on November 7, 2016 9:57 AM
Good old gospel and Christmas music is what those attending First Baptist Church's dinner theater next month will hear as they enjoy a holiday turkey meal.
A "Sanders Family Christmas" will be presented Nov. 11 and 12 and 18 and 19 at the church. The meal will be served at 5:30 p.m. and the show will be at 7 p.m.
First Baptist did its first dinner theater last year and it was so successful that it was decided to do another. Last year's production was the first in a series of three shows, titled "Smoke on the Mountain."
Proceeds were used to provide meals for families of deployed military, said Sherry Archibald with the church.
"We were looking for a way to raise some funds to be able to feed families of deployed," Mrs. Archibald said. "This was a good way for us to do that. And it was so successful.
"This year the money raised will be used to assist various ministries at First Baptist Church," she said, "to include the prayer shawl ministry, men's ramp ministry, children's ministry and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base families."
This year's show takes place Christmas Eve 1941. President Roosevelt has declared war and one of the Sanders family, Dennis, is about to head off to join the Armed Forces.
The Sanders family is going to do a concert at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in North Carolina. It will be the family's last performance before the war forces the group to disband.
"My part is Burl, the patriarch of the family," said Scott Thrailkill, associate pastor of First Baptist. "I've got my wife and children and my brother who had been in prison and is now off to California as a singer and knows Gene Autry.
"One of the characters is my oldest daughter, June. She doesn't sing, but signs all the songs. But not a lick of it is real sign language. She just makes it up. You'll laugh and laugh and laugh."
There are 25 songs throughout the play.
There will also be some pre-show entertainment this year.
Members of the church will be characters in the play and will also prepare and serve the meal.
Tickets are $15, available at the church at 125 S. John St. or by calling 919-735-2516.