Good drama does that.

I recently helped produce an original musical by my church. This was the second production our church has done. Last year we did Godspell junior. For this year, we decided to commission two local artists, Dardy Guinn, and Ash Anderson, to write an original musical about our church's history. Oakhurst Presbyterian is a small church in Decatur, GA. We wanted this production to reflect on our church's history. This history includes the civil rights struggles that happened here in Atlanta. These issues affected not only the city but also the church. We also wanted the show to address issues of today's world like gender identity in the LGBTQ community and the student-led movement for gun control. That's a lot to cover. I'm proud of the show we created. The cast of the show reflected the congregation. It was multi-generational (with actors from 10 years old to 86 years) and multiracial.

One of the highlights during the show for me was looking into the audience and seeing one of the" senior" members of the congregation. She was sitting in one of the pews with tears rolling down her face. At first, I was concerned about her. Later I realized she was having a cathartic moment. Yesterday I received a card from her. Here is what she said

"....The play was so meaningful to me. I was overwhelmed with gratitude for our 29 years in this remarkable faith community. It brought me to tears. Good drama can do that. Thank you so much for being such an important part of our Oakhurst players.

With love and admiration."