Puppet ministry entertains, teaches Hanover church visitors

Madison Maloney, 14, left, works on preparing a puppet for a Grease performance with Hannah Smith, 16, right, during Sunday afternoon s Puppet Marathon at St. Matthew Lutheran Church. (THE EVENING SUN -- SHANE DUNLAP)

Kids, adults and puppets of all ages danced the Hokey Pokey dance to "Give Your Heart to Jesus" - one of the many songs performed at the 11th Puppet Marathon at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Hanover Sunday afternoon.

The annual show is hosted by the church's puppet ministry, under direction Deb Smith, and aims to entertain audiences with religious songs sung by several different puppets. Sunday's show featured four separate performances with more than 20 songs.

Several song selections were well-known tunes with a religious twist, including "He's the One That I Want," "Sacred Agent Man," and "Don't Stop Praisin'." Most of the songs are used year after year per request from the audience, Smith said.

This year, eight middle and

Melissa Braun, of Hanover, holds her 4-year-old son, Jacob Braun, while he giggles at the 11th annual Puppet Marathon at St. Matthew Lutheran Church on Sunday afternoon. (THE EVENING SUN SHANE DUNLAP)

high school students participated in the ministry. The group practiced the puppet show throughout the summer and on Saturdays during the school year. Many students return to perform in the puppet show year after year, but this was the first show for Abby Furhman, of New Oxford.

The 13-year-old decided to join her fellow puppeteers after receiving a letter from the church asking for students to join the ministry. She thought working with the puppets would be fun and wanted to try out the experience. Overall, the New Oxford Middle School student said she has liked performing with the puppets and had a fun time with the group.

Even moments before showtime, Furhman had no nerves. But neither did her peers. Backstage, the eight students

were prepping their puppets and joking with each other.

Alexis Myers, 5, and Kaleigh McMaster, 7, were two of many children dancing along to the music in Sunday's audience. It was the first puppet show for the two New Oxford residents, who said they were excited to dance along with the puppets during the two-hour show.

Although Myers and McMaster were seeing the puppets for the first time, for many of those behind the scenes, the puppet show has become a long-standing tradition.

Emily Kornblum and Hannah Smith, both 16, have participated in the puppet show since 5th grade.

And they still enjoy seeing the excitement of the little kids when they play with the puppets after the show.

"It feels good," Smith said.

Source: http://www.eveningsun.com/news/ci_22610592/puppet-ministry-entertains-teaches-hanover-church-visitors?source=rss

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