Theatre-for-the-World is once again teaming up with the Waterville United Methodist Church to put on a benefit show. This is our tenth production and we will be celebrating in a big way. Our group was created to make a difference both locally and globally. For the past 9 shows we have focused mostly upon feeding people in the local area. Thanks to the community and the congregation we have collect
ed over $20,000 and over 900 bags of groceries for charity. 85% of our monetary donations have traditionally been divided among the pantries with 15% reserved for our dig-a-well in Africa fund. This year’s family-friendly comedy is Fools, by Neil Simon. The production will take place on March 13,14 at 7:30 and March 15th at 1:30 at the Waterville United Methodist Church, 102 N. There are no advance ticket sales, but canned goods or non-perishable items are welcome at the door. There will also be a free-will offering as people leave the sanctuary. This allows even the folks who may use the pantries services to come for a night of free entertainment. Fools, is a re-creation of our very first show. It was originally performed at the old Waterville Primary school, but in 2009 we began doing the shows in our sanctuary and have never looked back. It is a great way to bring the community into our church, rally around a cause and allow them to witness first-hand, Christian people having fun and using their God-given talents to make a difference in this world. As we celebrate the history of our group, we will also take a step in faith as we try to complete the fund raising required to dig a well in Africa. This is a lofty goal. This year only, we will be flipping the percentages on our monetary donations so 85% will go towards our well and 15% will be divided along with the food donations to the pantries. Our church is fully committed, but we are praying the community will rally around our mission project as well. Our group of actors and our audience has grown outside of our congregation virtually every year, but this year we are hoping to reach even further. For the first time in our history, friends, family, strangers from around the world will be able to support us via social media at Thewaterproject.org., by searching for the “Theatre for the World” fund raising page and donating. We’re hoping this well help us reach our financial goal, while simultaneously providing individuals, families, groups the opportunity to pause and reflect on God and his blessings in their lives and maybe even inspire someone to use their gifts in a similar way. It will also expose folks to a wealth of information concerning the water crisis in Africa and how access to fresh water can save lives and change a community for generations. Theatre-for-the-World has really become a congregational project. Our youth have provided a lasagna supper prior to each Saturday performance the past 9 years. Reservations are required at 419-878-3645. Money raised from the supper goes towards their mission trip each summer. We have volunteer refreshment people, cookie bakers, ushers, food collectors etc...that all provide assistance to make our productions successful. Our cast and crew come from various denominations and are very dedicated to our success. Trust me, we love performing, but this has always been about the mission project. Oh, the stories we could tell and will as we reminisce about how God has had his hand in everything. We feel very fortunate for the opportunity to use our gifts with God’s blessing to change the lives of neighbors in need. Please consider joining us for the show or helping from a distance. We promise we’ll coax a few laughs out of you while collectively we change the lives of people in need here and in Africa.
