The Laker/Lutz News

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Van Dyke Church

2017 had it all: A sinkhole, Hurricane Irma, wildfires and floods

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But, it also was a year of significant growth, notable achievements and touching moments, too.

It’s not often that Land O’ Lakes makes the international news, but it did just that in July when a massive sinkhole swallowed two homes in Lake Padgett Estates.

This is an aerial view of a giant sinkhole that developed in Lake Padgett Estates, swallowing two homes and causing several others to be condemned. (File)

Then, just a few months later in September, the world’s attention turned to Florida as a potential category 5 Hurricane Irma appeared heading straight toward Tampa Bay.

The year also was marked by severe flooding and wildfires in Pasco County.

It also was a year for the changing of the guard, as Dan Biles was named Pasco County’s administrator to replace Michele Baker, who retired.

Scores of headlines during 2017 involved stories about the area’s congested roadways — and projects that are planned, underway or being discussed to improve traffic flow.

Major road projects that have begun or are planned include improvements to Interstate 75 and state roads 54 and 52. A four-lane extension of State Road 56, between Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills, is also under construction.

With its sustained wind speeds of 185 mph, Hurricane Irma was deemed to be one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the Atlantic. At one point, forecasters said it appeared headed toward making a direct hit on the Tampa Bay region.

Another improvement, known as the diverging diamond, is planned to improve traffic flow at I-75 and State Road 56.

And, discussions continue over the best ways to reduce congestion at U.S. 41 and State Road 54, an intersection that handles roughly 100,000 vehicles per day.

The county also appears to be making progress in its quest to secure a permit for the extension of Ridge Road, a project it has been seeking for nearly two decades. While the project can’t come soon enough for supporters, its detractors remain steadfast in their opposition.

Increasing traffic is a symptom of Pasco’s robust growth
Housing developments, retail projects, restaurants, businesses and medical facilities are sprouting up on land previously occupied by citrus groves, farms and cattle ranches.

New schools continue to pop up, or expand, too.

Zephyrhills now has a permanent venue for community events, such as the Z’ Hills BBQ & Blues Fest, a popular event, which features blues bands and tasty barbecue.

In August, Pasco County Schools opened Bexley Elementary, in the Bexley subdivision off State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes and Cypress Creek Middle High School, off Old Pasco Road, in Wesley Chapel. In the coming year, it plans to begin construction of Cypress Creek Middle School.

Also, on the same campus, the school district and Pasco-Hernando State College plan to operate a new performing arts center. That center will be built by the college with $15.5 million in state funds, but both the school district and the college will use it as a teaching facility.

Meanwhile, the school district continues massive renovation projects at Land O’ Lakes High School and at Woodland Elementary School in Zephyrhills.

More public school projects are expected, as funding for school construction gets a boost from increased school impacts fees adopted by the Pasco County Commission that will begin being phased in on Jan. 1.

On the private school front, North Tampa Christian Academy is expected to begin operations in Wesley Chapel in the fall of 2018.

Roy Hardy, of Dade City, who died this year, was known for his perfect Kiwanis attendance and his fish fry fundraisers for the Hardy Benevolent Fund to help cover medical costs for others in need.

And, a charter school also has announced its intentions to open in Wesley Chapel in 2019, but has not identified its location yet.

The year also signaled changes on the spiritual scene across the region, too.

Van Dyke Church in Lutz changed its name to Bay Hope and expanded the scope of its mission. North Pointe Church settled into its first permanent home in Lutz, and the Episcopal Church announced its intentions to branch into Wesley Chapel.

The region also added to its list of amenities during the past year.

In Wesley Chapel, the 150,000-square-foot Florida Hospital Center Ice opened in January, with its Olympic-size rink, three National Hockey League-size rinks and one junior rink. Several rinks can easily be converted to accommodate basketball, soccer, lacrosse, volleyball and events such as corporate meetings, and parties.

In Land O’ Lakes, the Heritage Park Stage opened, off of U.S. 41. The project, which was years in the making, has already become a popular gathering spot for community events.

Starkey Park District Park also opened in Land O’ Lakes, off State Road 54.

Meanwhile, across the county, Zephyrhills added a permanent venue for community events, such as Pigz in Z’Hills, a popular barbecue and blues event.

A time of milestones and transitions
While new construction made the news, 2017 was also a year of big milestones, including R.B. Cox Elementary School’s 90th birthday, in Dade City, and the Dade City Garden Club’s 70th anniversary.

Andre Pamplona, general manager for Royal Lanes, said the closing of a bowling alley has an impact on the community. Royal Lanes, which opened in the 1970s turned off the lights for the final time in May. Lots of memories were made in that building, known for its bowling leagues and birthday parties.

But, it was also the year that Royal Lanes, a community fixture in Lutz since the 1970s for bowling leagues and birthday parties, turned out the lights for the final time in May.

On a more personal level, the region mourned the loss of some of its biggest champions, including Eddie Herrmann of San Antonio, Roy T. Hardy of Dade City and Ray Mason of Land O’ Lakes. All three men were known for their deep commitment to civic causes.

Others — who captured headlines for their excellence — included Margaret Polk, the Odyssey of the Mind team from Wesley Chapel Elementary School, and Courtney Urban, a volunteer for Gulfside Hospice who received a national award for her volunteer work.

Polk, a school nurse at Pasco High School, was named the Florida Association of School Nurses’ 2017 School Nurse of the Year.

Elaine Pittman, a Lutz gardener in her 80s, grows plants and sells them to raise money for Christian Social Services. She chose that cause because it feeds people who are hungry.

Wesley Chapel Elementary School’s “Catch Us If You Can” team, finished first in the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals held in May at Michigan State University. Members of the team were Jake Piller, Sam Cappelluti, Isabell Barrios, Mina Melaika, Rowan Heyman, Jason Sherman and Justin Acosta. Teachers Veronica Acosta and Janet Heyman coached the team.

And, Urban, who initially began volunteering at Gulfside’s Thrift Shoppe in Lutz so she could hang out with her grandmother, went on to serve the organization in a variety of roles.

And then, there were the people who simply extended themselves to help others.

There was Elaine Pittman, a Lutz gardener in her 80s, who nurtures plant cuttings to create plants, which she sells to raise money for Christian Social Services, an organization that provides food for people who are hungry.

And, there was Whitney C. Elmore, who oversees Pasco County Extension.

Elmore reached out to help Frogmore Fresh Farm, outside of Dade City, after Hurricane Irma uprooted and toppled about 100,000 blueberry bushes. Elmore got the ball rolling, but hundreds of volunteers responded — stepping forward to help the farm.

Two Boy Scouts also made a difference in the communities where they live.

Michael Valenti of Lutz and Gabe Vega of Land O’ Lakes each spearheaded Eagle Scout projects.

Cypress Creek Middle High School students make their way to their second class the first day of school on the new campus in Wesley Chapel. Bexley Elementary School also opened for the first time in August, for the 2017-2018 school year.

Valenti spruced up the Lutz Memorial Park in Lutz, and Vega created a Rosary Garden at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Land O’ Lakes.

And, then, there was a trio of Wesley Chapel Girl Scouts in Troop 1263 who gave new life to Karina’s Garden, behind the administrative offices of Sunrise of Pasco County, in their quest to earn a Girl Scout Silver Award.

The girls — Paige and Kaitlin Trabouley and Alyssa Duran — added flowers, plants, butterflies and statuary to create a place of repose and refreshment in the garden which honors the late Karina Abdul, a former shelter director.

The garden now provides a place to take a break and enjoy nature, according to Vicki Wiggins, director of development for Sunrise, which is a domestic and sexual violence prevention and services organization.

The garden had been choked with weeds and had fallen into disrepair.

The girls and the volunteers they enlisted changed all that.

“It’s beautiful. I’m so happy they did this. They brought it back to life,” Wiggins told The Laker/Lutz News, when the project was completed.

Published December 27, 2017

Bay Hope Church plans big expansion

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When Van Dyke Church began in 1985, it met in the cafeteria at Claywell Elementary School in Northdale, and the church was named for its planned future location, on Van Dyke Road in Lutz.

It never did build on Van Dyke Road, though, because the land was taken through eminent domain for the Veterans Expressway project, said Matthew Hartsfield, the church’s pastor.

Instead, the church was established at 17030 Lakeshore Road, where it remains today.

So, in a sense, it never was accurately named.

When the church felt a calling to expand its role, it also decided to change its name to Bay Hope to reflect its new vision and mission.

Matthew Hartsfield is pastor of Bay Hope Church, at 17030 Lakeshore Road in Lutz. The church is planning a $6 million project to enhance its children and student ministries, and is planning to create satellite campuses around Tampa Bay.
(B.C. Manion)

Bay Hope wants to be involved in reaching out to people throughout the Tampa Bay area, to offer them a church home, Hartsfield said.

But, it isn’t trying to attract all of those new disciples to its Lutz location.

It doesn’t feel called to create a mega-church in Lutz, or on another campus. Hartsfield said.

Instead, he said, “We felt God impress upon our hearts that we needed to multiply well beyond this campus.”

So, Bay Hope wants to help to revive churches that are faltering, to reopen those that have closed and to plant new ones in areas experiencing population growth, Hartsfield said.

The goal is to “mobilize 30,000 disciples of Jesus Christ in Tampa Bay, by the year 2030, for the transformation of the world,” Hartsfield said.

First though, Bay Hope wants to maximize the use of its current property in Lutz.

It expects to have a groundbreaking this summer for a $6 million project.

“We’ve been working with our architect to renovate the campus to primarily create whole new, innovative spaces for children’s and student ministries,” he said.

The spaces will be bright and airy, he said.

“The goal is to make the campus a lot more functional for families with children and teenagers,” Hartsfield said. The project also includes additional children and nursery space, as well, and a larger, relocated coffee house.

“It’s basically a campus refresh,” Hartsfield said.

While making those improvements, Bay Hope is also making plans to extend its reach into other communities.

“We felt God calling us to multiply campuses of Bay Hope Church, across Tampa Bay, to reach every neighborhood with a vital, local congregation of Bay Hope Church,” Hartsfield said.

There are two primary ways that will happen, he said.

One approach calls for reviving faltering churches or reopening churches that have closed.

There are churches across the Tampa Bay area that have a great legacy, “but just due to some natural church lifecycles, they no longer have the resources, they no longer have the people, so they’re either in decline, or they’ve already closed,” he said.

“A good number of them will already be United Methodist Churches, so we’re working with the Florida Conference on their strategy to reach every neighborhood. We’ll partner with the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church to re-birth these legacy churches,” Hartsfield said.

The other approach calls for setting up new Bay Hope campuses in storefronts, schools, movie theaters or other locations, to provide a church home for people in growing communities.

“Some of these might be smaller, more targeted campuses in a small neighborhood. Some of them might be larger and more regionally connecting,” Hartsfield said.

“We want to be very open to the wind of the spirit, in terms of every geographic location in Tampa Bay, from urban to suburban to rural and to ethnically diverse campuses,” he added.

Bay Hope defines Tampa Bay as being Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. Those counties are projected to have a total population of 3 million by 2030, and the goal is engage at least 1 percent of that number, or 30,000, as disciples of Christ, within that time frame, Hartsfield said.

In one sense, Bay Hope’s quest is in keeping with how the United Methodist Church took root.

“Our Wesleyan Methodist heritage is a basically multi-site heritage, from back in the circuit-riding days of John Wesley,” Hartsfield said.

Bay Hope’s initiative comes at a time when national reports reveal a continuing slide in membership rates among traditional congregational churches.

Hartsfield is not dissuaded.

“We don’t have a single discouraged or pessimistic bone in our body about connecting people to Jesus. We are wildly optimistic about bringing the hope of Jesus to Tampa Bay,” Hartsfield said.

Published March 22, 2017

The Laker/Lutz News brings home five awards

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Work published in The Laker and in the Lutz News brought home five awards from the Florida Press Association 2015 Better Weekly Newspaper Contest.

Eight-year-old Will Pena prepares his scissors to begin cutting paper hearts in his classroom at Academy at the Lakes. (Fred Bellet/Photos)
Eight-year-old Will Pena prepares his scissors to begin cutting paper hearts in his classroom at Academy at the Lakes.
(Fred Bellet/Photos)

The honors were presented on Sept. 16 during an awards luncheon at The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota.

The contest drew a total of 1,670 entries from 65 weekly newspapers across Florida. The work was judged by experienced editors and publishers from Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York.

Photographs taken by Fred Bellet for The Laker received accolades in two categories.

Bellet was recognized for a photograph he captured for The Laker, of a young boy working on a Valentine at Academy at the Lakes in Land O’ Lakes. That image captured third place in the photo feature category for newspapers with circulations exceeding 15,000.

Bellet’s work also was acknowledged for photographs he captured of the Watoto Children’s Choir performing at Van Dyke Church in Lutz. He won third place for a photo series in one issue, competing against newspapers with circulations exceeding 15,000.

The beat of the drums brings out dancers during a segment of the Watoto Children’s Choir performance at the Van Dyke Church.
The beat of the drums brings out dancers during a segment of the Watoto Children’s Choir performance at the Van Dyke Church.

Staff writer Kathy Steele won second place in the community history writing category, for her story about Lutz Cemetery — an account that weaved together stories of people who are buried there, along with efforts to maintain the final resting place. Her award was for work published in the Lutz News, which competed with newspapers with circulations under 7,000.

B.C. Manion, editor of The Laker/Lutz News, received second place honors for a story about Rotarian Nick Hall’s mission to battle polio — chronicling his cross-country bicycle trek across America to heighten awareness about polio and raise money in the battle to eradicate it. Her entry was in the health, medical and science reporting category for newspapers with circulations under 7,000.

Manion also won third place in the faith and family reporting category for a story she did about Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Land O’ Lakes, which is accommodating its gluten-sensitive parishioners by giving them an option for gluten-free communion hosts.

That entry was in the faith and family category for newspapers with circulations exceeding 15,000.

Published September 21, 2016

Preserving family history, one Bible at a time

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Andy Smith, who attends Van Dyke Church in Lutz, has an unusual hobby.

It began about eight years ago, sparked, in part, by the Bible he inherited from his grandmother.

The sacred text originally belonged to his great-great grandparents, dating back to the 1870s.

“I believe it was given to them as a wedding gift,” Smith said, and it was passed from generation to generation.

Andy Smith, who attends Van Dyke Church in Lutz, spends part of his free time trying to help reunite families with Bibles that were owned by their ancestors. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)
Andy Smith, who attends Van Dyke Church in Lutz, spends part of his free time trying to help reunite families with Bibles that were owned by their ancestors.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)

“It is something I had seen in my grandparents’ house when I was a little boy. It was always opened to the family registry pages,” he said.

After inheriting the heirloom, Smith, a longtime newspaper professional, decided to see what he could learn about his own family’s history.

The more he delved into genealogy, the more fascinated he became.

His great-great grandfather, Smith said, had nine brothers and sisters.

“I’ve contacted descendants of every line of that family that had children — from those 10 siblings — and all of them had family Bibles,” Smith said. “I found one guy who had my great-great-great grandfather’s Bible. I went up to St. Louis and met him, and got to see his Bible.”

As Smith learned more about his relatives, he became more aware of how much personal information can be lost, when a Bible is separated from its family.

He decided to do something about that.

He began spending part of his free time helping to reunite family Bibles with their families.

“I look for the Bibles on eBay and, if they have family registry pages in them, I make a list of the names and dates provided, then match that with names and dates on family trees on Ancestry.com,” he explained.

Some Bibles sold on eBay date back to the 1700s. Some are ornately decorated. Others are plain. Some records are detailed in elegant handwriting. Many of the books develop a beautiful patina over time, Smith said. They can sell for anywhere from $50 to $350, or more.

If Smith finds a match, and if there’s contact information available on Ancestry.com, he sends off an email.

Family Bibles often contain hidden gems, notes Andy Smith. In this Bible dating to the 1870s, there’s a flower that pressed between its pages, at the marriage page
Family Bibles often contain hidden gems, notes Andy Smith. In this Bible dating to the 1870s, there’s a flower that pressed between its pages, at the marriage page

It goes something like this: “Greetings. No, we’re not related, but I’ve come across something that I think that might be of interest to you.”

Smith shares what he’s copied from the registry pages, and adds a disclaimer, such as: “I did the best I could, but I’m not 100 percent sure that this is 100 percent accurate.”

Smith makes it clear that he doesn’t own the Bible and doesn’t know the person selling it. He’s merely acting as conduit, passing along information that may be useful to the recipient.

“My primary goal is to salvage this information,” Smith said, noting a family Bible in some cases is the only repository for some records.

For instance, families typically were larger in previous generations, and there also were more childhood deaths from disease.

“A lot of these younger children never show up in censuses,” Smith explained. They may have been born after one census was taken and died before the next one came along.

It would be a shame to have this personal history lost to the ages, Smith said.

Bibles often contain other hidden gems, as well.

“There will be old letters. There may be old family pictures,” Smith said. “In my own Bible, on the marriage page, there’s a flower that’s pressed in there, between the pages. There’s a picture of my grandmother and of my great-grandmother in there.”

Of course, Smith has no way of knowing what Bibles will come up for sale, but when he scans eBay, he keeps an eye out for one that may have a connection to his family.

“For the number of years that I’ve been doing this, I’ve never found even a distant relative that I’m aware of, in any of these Bibles,” he said. “The chances of you finding anything from your own family are pretty close to zero.”

Over the years, he estimates he’s contacted thousands of people to alert them to a Bible that may interest them. Those emails have gone to people living at great distances, as well as people living nearby.

Smith doesn’t know how many Bibles he’s helped to get back to their families, but he guesses it’s between 100 and 150 — based on the emails he’s received.

His favorite response, so far, came from a woman who desperately wanted the family Bible, but said the price of $350 on eBay, was far beyond her family’s means.

She shared, with Smith, what happened next.

She told Smith that she told her husband: “I really, really, really want this Bible.”

Her husband told her: “OK, here’s the deal, I will get it for you, but this is for your birthday, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Mother’s Day. It covers everything for the next year. Are we good with that?”

It turns out, Smith said, “she was very good with that.”

It turns out that Smith was, too.

Published July 27, 2016

Holy Week ushers in celebrations

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Churches across Pasco and Hillsborough counties are gearing up for a wide array of Holy Week events and Easter celebrations.

Some churches will do re-enactments of the Last Supper and Good Friday, while others will include egg hunts, pancake breakfasts, barbecue meals and other festivities.

Easter drew a big crowd at New Walk Church last year in Zephyrhills, and is expected to do so again this year. (Courtesy of New Walk Church)
Easter drew a big crowd at New Walk Church last year in Zephyrhills, and is expected to do so again this year.
(Courtesy of New Walk Church)

Whatever they’re doing, churches are ready to greet regulars and visitors alike, as they commemorate the last days of Jesus’ life and celebrate his resurrection.

Our Lady of the Rosary Church, at 2348 Collier Parkway, expects about twice as many people at its Easter services as normally attend its weekend Masses, said the Rev. Ron Aubin, the church’s pastor.

“A normal Sunday, it would be about 3,000 to 3,500. Easter, it will be over 7,000,” the pastor said.

Aubin said the Easter message, in part, will be this: “He (God) sends his son (Jesus) as savior of the world, and that we who believe in him and die in the waters of baptism and rise with him in the waters of baptism, will also rise to the eternal life.

“I have the hope of one day rising from the dead. And hope is not wishing. Hope is believing. It is something that’s coming. It’s just not here yet,” Aubin said.

Like Our Lady of the Rosary, Van Dyke Church in Lutz and New Walk Church — which has campuses in Zephyrhills, Dade City and Holiday — also are expecting a big boost in attendance.

“We’ll probably have basically a doubling of attendance,” said Rev. Matthew Hartsfield. We usually worship anywhere around 23 (hundred), 2,400, on a typical weekend. We’ll probably see 5,000 on Easter weekend,” said Hartsfield, pastor at Van Dyke Church, 17030 Lakeshore Road in Lutz.

Leading up to Easter weekend, “we simply strongly encourage our members, our existing members to be inviting friends and relatives, acquaintances and neighbors and to simply be more intentional about just having kind of an open heart to people who might be willing to receive an invitation to come and celebrate Easter,” Hartsfield said.

The service itself is very similar to a typical Van Dyke service, Hartsfield said.

“We typically have a very high energy, high celebration time of music and worship and our messages are always positive and life-application oriented. We really don’t change much of that particular emphasis for Easter. We just simply have a very Easter-specific message,” Hartsfield said.

However, there is a special children’s program at all of its Easter services that children attend while their parents are in the main sanctuary.

In a society in which a growing number of people do not identify with any particular religious affiliation, Hartsfield said he thinks the best way to help encourage people to open their hearts is through making the love of Jesus real in their lives.

“Truly, only the Holy Spirit can arouse the human heart. But obviously, the Holy Spirit uses human believers to help the rising of that in non-believing hearts,” Hartsfield said.

“It’s really the way that Jesus himself said it would work,” Hartsfield said, citing a scriptural passage in which Jesus says that others will recognize his followers by how they love one another.

“If the world is going to know that we’re his disciples and he ever existed, it’s going to be demonstrated by our acts of love and of mercy and compassion,” Hartsfield said.

New Walk Church is expecting to nearly triple its normal attendance during Easter weekend, said Gary Baldus, lead pastor.

Normally, the church has an attendance of 2,000, but it expects around 6,000 during Easter weekend.

“We get that from a pretty big outreach that we do. We bring in a helicopter with eggs and they drop them,” Baldus said, noting there are other smaller activities, too.

“We go a little extra because we know that people are more likely to attend on this weekend than many other weekends of the year,” Baldus said.

He thinks that many people also attend Easter services because the mindset, “This is just what we do on Easter.”

For some, it’s a “Get right with God weekend,” Baldus said.

That may not be theologically accurate, but many people feel that way, Baldus said.

New Walk is ready to welcome newcomers and invite them to get involved.

“We do have our groups that we are launching on the next weekend that they can get connected to. We have a baptism the next weekend, that if they make a decision, they can come back to be baptized,” Baldus said.

Some of those visiting for Easter services will undergo a transformation and begin attending regularly. Others may come back in a month or six weeks.

“It is about life transformation through Jesus,” said Baldus, noting anyone who wants to find out more about the church’s services can visit EasterAtNewWalk.com.

Many other churches throughout Lutz, Odessa, Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel, Dade City, San Antonio, New Tampa and Zephyrhills also are planning special celebrations, including Exciting Idlewild Baptist Church, 1833 Exciting Idlewild Blvd., in Lutz.

Exciting Idlewild is planning four weekend celebrations.

Two services are scheduled for April 4, at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., with Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que and food from the Idlewild Kitchen from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

On April 5, there will be two services at 9:15 a.m. and 11 a.m., featuring Ken Whitten, the church’s senior pastor, and its worship choir, orchestra and band.

Children, from age 5 through fifth grade, can enjoy their own Easter worship celebration at Kidz Cove.

Published April 1, 2015

 

Watoto choir shares story of Africa’s vulnerable children

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The Watoto Children’s Choir is kicking off its four-month United States tour with appearances in Florida, including local stops.

The choir’s tour, entitled “Beautiful Africa: A New Generation,” seeks to raise awareness about the plight of orphaned and vulnerable children in Africa.

The Watoto Children’s Choir is touring around the Southeastern United States, including stops in Wesley Chapel, Lutz and Tampa. Allan Nyakaana takes center stage here. (Courtesy of Watoto Children's Choir)
The Watoto Children’s Choir is touring around the Southeastern United States, including stops in Wesley Chapel, Lutz and Tampa. Allan Nyakaana takes center stage here.
(Courtesy of Watoto Children’s Choir)

The performances — which are free and open to the public — include original African music, dance routines and life-transforming stories from rescued orphans and women who are part of the choir.

Local stops on the tour include a 7 p.m. performance Jan. 14 at Victorious Life Church, 6224 Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel, and three performances at Van Dyke Church in Lutz. The Van Dyke performances are at 6 p.m. on Jan. 17, and 9:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. on Jan. 18. Van Dyke is at 17030 Lakeshore Road.

Each of the children in the choir has suffered the loss of one or both parents. They live in Watoto Children’s Villages where they are nurtured to become productive citizens and leaders in their own country.

Edwinsmith Kigozi, now 29, was just 11 years old when he went to live in a Watoto Village. His parents had both died. His uncle did not have the means to support him and they welcomed Watoto’s help, said Kigozi, now a team leader with the organization.

The concerts feature a fusion of contemporary gospel and traditional African rhythm.

Watoto’s children’s choirs have been traveling internationally since 1994 as ambassadors for millions of children who have been orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS, war and poverty.

Besides appearing in the United States, the choirs have traveled to Australia, Brazil, China, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, France and the U.S, among others.

Their audiences have included royalty, presidents, ministers, as well as people without rank or wealth.

The choirs serve as a cultural exchange and as a way to attract support for Watoto’s work, Kigozi said.

Choir members have the chance to be exposed to a broader world, he said. And, the hope is that audience members will do something about the plight that less fortunate people face, not only in Africa, but in America and other places, Kigozi said.

Watoto’s aim is to nurture children and to help them to develop into future leaders in their country, Kigozi said. Those leadership roles may come in different spheres of life, including medicine, law, politics and other areas.

Besides the Wesley Chapel and Lutz appearances, the choir also will be performing at Exciting Central Tampa Baptist Church, 2923 North Tampa St., in Tampa, at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 21.

Published January 14, 2015

Youth ministry uses puppets to spread gospel message

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The music is cranked and the kids are clapping, jumping and gliding around in a second-floor room in the education building at Van Dyke Church in Lutz.

The members of the 2013 Puppets for Christ touring team are, in front, kneeling from left, Madison Welch, Preston Keleher, Allison Tsay, Jessica Grimes, Alex Whittington. Standing in back, Sarah Brennan, Sandy Graves, Zoe Wallace, A.J. Collado, Cody Coates, Meaghan Heveran, Conner Berg, Jaelin Brigner, Becky Bonanno, Lindsey Proulx, Jordan Reineke, Sarah Lucker. (Courtesy of Sandy Graves)
The members of the 2013 Puppets for Christ touring team are, in front, kneeling from left, Madison Welch, Preston Keleher, Allison Tsay, Jessica Grimes, Alex Whittington. Standing in back, Sarah Brennan, Sandy Graves, Zoe Wallace, A.J. Collado, Cody Coates, Meaghan Heveran, Conner Berg, Jaelin Brigner, Becky Bonanno, Lindsey Proulx, Jordan Reineke, Sarah Lucker.
(Courtesy of Sandy Graves)

They are waving flags, raving poi balls and making dance moves, as they practice a routine for a future performance.

The middle and high school youths are part of a group called PfC, which stands for Puppets for Christ. If the name implies some kind of sedate puppet presentation laced with staid Bible lessons, think again.

This group has a groove on, and the kids are using music and props they created to help share a gospel message through performances that both they and their audiences enjoy.

Normally, they perform under black lights, wearing black costumes with mesh or cloth hoods that cover their faces. They use neon puppets, signs and other props to get across their message.

The ministry has won a fair number of awards at competitions, and recently was one of the ministries showcased at the 2014 Real Ideas Conference at Van Dyke Church, which attracted about 650 people from 177 churches to learn practical ways to enliven their churches.

At the recent practice, PfC volunteer director Becky Bonanno recalled that the ministry began about 15 years ago, with two little green puppets that came in a curriculum kit, when she used to teach children’s church.

She and her husband used the puppets in the ministry, and their son Nick later asked if he could put together a puppet team.

Initially, it was intended to just put on puppet shows at the church. But PfC kept growing and has evolved into an ongoing ministry that now has 21 members, from various middle schools and high schools.

Beyond performing locally, the group hits the road once a year on a tour, where they perform primarily at other churches in the Southeast, said Sandy Graves, the other co-director. They perform in such places as Atlanta, Savannah, Charleston and Jacksonville, but they’ve also been as far away as Chicago and Washington, D.C.

They also perform locally, generally for vacation Bible schools, inner-city ministries, children’s homes, domestic abuse shelters and other churches.

The troupe meets for an hour and a half weekly, gathering on Wednesday nights to work on routines and plan out future performances. Sometimes they have prop parties.

There’s a storage room at the church that is chock full of puppets of all shapes and sizes. There are huge elephant puppets and strap-on flamingo puppets. There are all sorts of neon signs and decorations.

“It’s so much fun,” Bonanno said, noting she had no idea the direction that PfC would take when it began.

There are stories of parents who did not come to church, but began attending after bringing their children to a puppet show, Bonanno said. There are stories of kids who were on the puppet team that wound up getting married when they became adults.

Many of PfC’s members are siblings of former members or were invited by friends to give it a try.

“My brother was in it, and I started watching it when I was in third grade,” said Cody Coates, 17, who was so eager to join he persuaded Bonanno to let him join in sixth grade.

“It’s a blast,” said the Steinbrenner High School student said. “This is the only thing I’ll cancel my friends for. I’ve missed birthday parties.

“I like that I can be a Christian while still having fun. You’re spreading God’s word,” Coates added.

If the audience hasn’t heard of them, they’re in for a surprise, he said.

“No one expects to see a fun, black-light puppet show,” Coates said.

Emily Keleher, another PfC member, was surprised the first time she saw a show.

“I thought it was going to be a little puppet show, and then I saw it,” the Martinez Middle School student said.

She enjoys performing, but she thinks the best part of being involved is hanging out with other members of the group.

Jerry Grimes, 13, who is new to the group this year, said he wanted to join after seeing a performance when he was young.

“I would come to these puppet shows, and I was like, ‘Oh, wow, that’s really fun.’ Now, I’m doing it,” said the Walker Middle Magnet School student.

He gets a kick out of watching children react. “It’s been very fun, just to see the smiles on kids.”

As they run through their routines at practice, the kids are clearly enjoying themselves. They seem to have an easy rapport with Bonanno and Graves.

As they talk about their upcoming tour, for instance, one kid tosses out an idea: “We could do a flash mob on the metro,” he said.

It’s an idea, Bonanno said, that’s worth considering.

Published April 2, 2014