Ever since Tom Arthur, the pastor of the Sycamore Creek United Methodist Church, acquired the building on South Pennsylvania Avenue five years ago, he thought the sanctuary was an ideal place for community theater.
Much of the remodeling that has been done in those five years has made the church more accommodating to theater groups. “We even remodeled our streetscape this past summer and included an outdoor stage,” Arthur said.
Inside, the sanctuary has enhanced acoustics, theatrical lighting and a sophisticated sound system. Its 140 fixed seats are just right for local play productions. “We’re excited to partner with the arts to produce art that inspires and challenges,” Arthur said.
In February 2018, the pastor’s wish to host a genuine community theater production was realized when Peppermint Creek Theatre Co.’s production of “The Christians”— a play set in a church — was held at the Sycamore Creek Church. PCT founder Chad Swan-Badgero directed that play.
“I asked Chad,” Arthur said, “That was an easy one. What’s a hard one?”
On Jan. 24, 25 and 26, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” will be a trickier performance to pull off in a church setting. Swan-Badgero will direct the multifaceted reading of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s eloquent 1963 discourse about racism — written after being arrested after a non-violent demonstration.
The staged reading follows the MLK holiday. “Honoring MLK is more than a one-day-a-year effort,” Arthur said. “It takes considerable intentional perseverance to resist racism.”
Since the 44-year-old attended Duke University Divinity School, Arthur has been impacted by “Letter from Birmingham Jail”— and what a powerful, prophetic message it has for those hesitant to speak out about justice.
Building friendships with blacks that experienced struggles with racism made King’s message even more important to Arthur. And after the predominantly white Sycamore Church joined the predominantly black Epicenter of Worship in south Lansing for a service that included the “Letter,” Arthur was even more compelled to spread its message.
About a year ago, Arthur got the idea for a staged reading. After brainstorming with Swan-Badgero and the pastor’s wife, Sarah, she “did the hard work of taking our ideas and reworking them into a script,” Arthur said.
Sarah had 12 books published. They range from popular devotionals to fiction books for young adults. “She’s the expert,” he said, “I’m the organizer and producer.”
“I originally just wanted Peppermint Creek Theatre to do the work,” Arthur said. Schedules didn’t mesh to make it a PCT production (this is the final weekend for its “Gloria” at PCT’s, Central United Methodist Church home in downtown Lansing). Swan-Badgero still managed to help recruit actors, lead the three rehearsals and direct “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
Arthur’s original idea was to have one person memorize the “Letter” and deliver it in a dramatic way during a Sunday service. “Chad and Sarah had bigger, more creative ideas,” Arthur said. “So now it’s a whole cast of performers.”
The reading has Norr Allen as King in jail while following various resistance movements from over 50 years ago to current times. The diverse cast includes Tashmica Torok as the “Organizer” and AnnaMarie Horn as the “Judge.” Mike Shalley, Rick Dethlefsen and Dan McCole play white preachers. Reader #1 is Melik Brown and #2 is Ana Hattey.
Arthur feels the enactment of King’s readings personally. “MLK is speaking to people like me and my church,” he said. “And especially to whites like me who have platforms of influence in the white community.”
The pastor has a history of using his platform to promote racial justice. “After Ferguson, I got more involved in racial reconciliation in Lansing,” Arthur said, referring to a 2014 incident when an unarmed black teen, Michael Brown, was shot by a white officer.
He was on the team to bring “Congregations Organizing for Racial Reconciliation” to Lansing. It’s a movement that began in Grand Rapids. The Sycamore Creek Church hosts two “Understanding Racism” workshops a year and bimonthly CORR caucuses. Arthur said they “integrate faith with understanding how racism is personal, structural and cultural.”
Over 100 people from about 20 churches have been involved in the workshops. Two-dozen Sycamore Creek members are “helping Sycamore Creek move toward becoming an anti-racist church,” Arthur said.
The $5 suggested donation to attend “Letter from Birmingham Jail” will support CORR in Lansing. The original plan was to take their production to different churches. “We just ran out of time and energy this time around,” Arthur said. “But it could travel in the future.”
“Letter From a Birmingham Jail”
$5 Donation at the door
Sycamore Creek United Methodist Church
1019 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Lansing
Friday, Jan. 24 and Saturday, Jan. 25, 7 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 26, 10 a.m.
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