Betty's Big Dream

I was adopted when I was four months old and shortly thereafter taken to church. I was dedicated to the Lord as an infant, held in my mother’s arms, standing in front of the church family I would grow to know and love as the Woodland Park Church of God in Seattle. The people gathered around in those old, blond wooden pews that day would stand by me for a lifetime. In so many ways, I owe my life to them.

One of the advantages of being planted in a church for a lifetime is that the same people who witness your dedication as a baby, for instance, see you also as a child, a teenager, and a young man. The value of such perspective cannot be overstated; the wonder of a church family that knows you all-too-well and loves you anyway, well, that’s a gift from Heaven. Sometimes, those sage saints who bless on the sidelines can see and call the best out of you, in ways you could not have otherwise known.

One of people like that in my life has been Betty Snow. Her dad, Luke Bennett, was the pastor of the Woodland Park Church when I was dedicated. The Snows (and their two children, about my age) have encouraged me since before I can remember.

When I was a sophomore in college, Betty had the idea to stage a production of “A Charlie Brown Christmas Carol” at church. She asked me to play Linus—you know, the kid in the Peanuts lineup who holds a blanket and delivers the Christmas story from Luke 2. I had never been “on stage” before, but Betty believed I could do it. It was a small little part in a small little play in a small little church. But, for me, it was a threshold. I memorized Luke 2 and have never forgotten it.

The next year, Betty brought forward a script for Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” In those days, most churches were focusing on elaborate choir cantatas, holiday musicals, “singing Christmas trees,” and the like. Betty had a different dream. She loved drama and believed it could have great power to speak not only to our church family but beyond.

The church loved it. But, more than that, the congregation was moved by “A Christmas Carol” and changed by it, too. We began to invite our friends. In a few years, a tradition had been cemented in our local church. Children and young adults began to appear “on stage” for the first time; little kids dreamed of the part they would play next year. People who never darkened a church door began to walk in. The irresistible lure of the Dickens’ classic captured the essential core of Christmas, as the script was adapted to emphasize Scrooge’s transformation—his conversion-at the close. Betty’s vision of a church drama that entertained and, at the same time, spoke Gospel truth, had come to life.

And not just in Seattle. In 1991, the North Anderson Church (now Madison Park Church) presented “A Christmas Carol” for the first time, with the same simple script, adapted by Betty Snow. Over the years, our production has evolved to become a popular musical, with a cast of 100 and a live orchestra. Jill O’Malia, our director, working with an original score written by Rick Vale (and, truth-be-told, that score has been the work of genius), has, with heart and soul, led a team producing what is, as far as we know, Indiana’s longest running “Carol.” Over 40,000 people have attended, from far and near.

This year, Madison Park’s “A Christmas Carol” will deliver the same, timeless tale, grounded in the Christ of Christmas, as Ebenezer Scrooge is transformed on Christmas Eve. With a phenomenal new set (thanks to a generous gift from Warner Press), the largest performance platform in Madison County, a first-rate cast, and months of preparation, this year’s “A Christmas Carol” will be one you just can’t miss. With almost 1,800 seats available for each performance (Dec. 14-15-16, at 7 pm), be sure to invite a van-load of friends, too. See our new email invitation “Evite” at MadisonParkChurch.org.

And, as always, the “Carol” is free—there’s no admission, no ticket. But, an offering will be taken to benefit Dove Harbor, a residential shelter for women and children right here in Anderson that serves in Jesus’ name. Dickens would like that; I think the Lord does, too.

Betty Snow is still walking with Jesus in Seattle. Each year, I send her a copy of our “Carol” pro-gram to let her know that her dream still lives— 2,500 miles away. Dreams work. They really do. Don’t miss “A Christmas Carol” this year. You will be amazed—and inspired. It’s a Christmas tradition, fresh and new for 2007.