Divine venue for the arts

Many church leaders have begun to take advantage of the talented actors and singers in the area to draw in new congregants by offering their divine venues as a place to share those talents.

Churches in the area are experiencing a growth in their music ministries. They are attracting new congregants and generating excitement in longtime members by integrating music into Sunday services and special performances at other times, church officials said.

Music ministry has always played an important role at La Ca”ada Presbyterian Church, said Tony Chunn, director of Worship, Music and Arts. It’s such a focus that the congregation is building a new worship arts center that will incorporate dramatic arts, liturgical dance, sculpture, painting, music, architecture, poetry, a film series and more, he said.

Chunn directs the Chancel Choir, which performs during two of the three Sunday services each week. The choir appears with the church’s 40-member Chamber Orchestra once a month, he said. He designs the worship and liturgy for the services as well as the special events and concerts. The music chosen for the Sunday services is thematic with the sermon, he said.

“The music and liturgy flows around the theme of the day from the beginning to the end of the service,” he said.

While making the service relevant, church officials also recognize they are living in the 21st century, Chunn said.

“We recognize that the arts play a vital role in helping people see God, in addition to hearing the word preached,” he said.

Elizabeth Futral, world famous coloratura soprano starring in the Los Angeles Opera’s “La Traviata,” will sing at the first two services on Sunday. Chunn has also just organized a youth ensemble that drew six members to its first meeting, he said, and it’s open to everyone.

“We just started and we’re inviting everyone living in La Crescenta, La Ca”ada [Flintridge] and Pasadena to join,” he said.

Those who came to the first meeting of the group, New Song, said they would bring their friends to the next meeting, so Chunn said he is hopeful it will grow in number.

“We went from zero to six,” he said. Music has played a major role in the church since its inception 50 years ago, Chunn said.

“There are a lot of artists and professionals who are members of the church who have these gifts,” he said. “We really want to be able to share this gift and talent with the community. The directors are doing such a great job and enjoy their leadership. They invite their friends and it just continues to keep growing.”

At Burbank First Presbyterian Church, five church members are organizing a Drama Ministry, said congregant Jeanette Miller, a professional actress who has appeared in movies and TV commercials. The group is made up of church members and nonmembers and ranges 18 to 93.

The church’s pastor had heard about the concept of a Drama Ministry at other churches and he wanted to start one too, Miller said. He asked her to meet the challenge.

“I like it,” she said. “It’s an honor. I think I take the Lord’s word more seriously and I am aware I have been blessed. We do this to show our thanks and bring people into the church. It’s a great family church.”

Drama Ministry Director Dona Hardy, of Studio City, hopes it will attract members of the church.

“We’d like to build the group up and attract other actors to join and young people, especially because a lot of plays call for young people,” she said.

One of the problems is finding plays that emphasize good morals, Hardy said. She is hoping to encourage playwrights to join the group and present new material. Hardy is also a professional actress and recently appeared on KABC-TV Channel 7’s “Grey’s Anatomy.”

While this is a new ministry for the church, Miller said that drama has been part of the church before Christ’s time.

“I think it first started with the morals, a teaching situation,” she said.

The Drama Ministry group performs skits during Sunday’s services that are relevant to the pastor’s sermon, she said. It also is presenting plays outside of service times.

Its second production, “A Night of Scenes,” will be performed tonight at the church. It’s a mix of comedy and drama, she said. The five scenes are from the plays “The Cemetery Club” by Ivan Menchell; “Duck Variations” by David Mamet; “Trifles” by Susan Glasspell; “Pfeiffer’s People” by Jules Pfeiffer; and “The Sunshine Boys” by Neil Simon.