A packed house of presbyters, many toting Bibles under their arms, could set them aside for the evening as entertainment was clearly the goal of the initial gathering.

The Thirty-Second General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, meeting in Baton Rouge Louisiana this weekend, officially began Wednesday evening with its “Opening Ceremony,” styled as a night of songs and skits. The colorful set of southern-themed musical performances and slapstick dramas began the meeting of 324-church Reformed body on an entertaining, if kitschy, note. 

The host church, First Presbyterian Church of Baton Rouge, pastored by Rev. Dr. Gerrit Dawson, pulled out all the stops to ensure that the meeting’s first gathering tickled the ribs of all in attendance. 

The performance-oriented set included “How to Survive in the South” a talk-show themed dialogue between a displaced Jersey woman and a true southerner; “The Blues Brother’s Bayou Adventure” a reprise of the Aykroyd/Belushi-classic featuring First Presbyterian members wrestling blow-up alligators in a “Swamp People” reality show take-off; and “Jambalaya on the Bayou” a duet sung by Margery Fabre and Sue Spaht exalting local delicacies.

A packed house of presbyters, many toting Bibles under their arms, could set them aside for the evening as entertainment was clearly the goal of the initial gathering. Those expecting to hear an expository sermon on the mission of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church were likely to be surprised at the tenor of the performances, although the willingness of the church to poke fun at its own southern colloquialisms was endearing.

If the Opening Ceremony is any indication, the Assembly aims to carry a light-hearted, and fellowship oriented ethos into the weekend.

Matthew Everhard is a minister in the EPC and serves as the Senior Pastor of Faith Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Brooksville, Florida.   He is a volunteer (the only kind we have) reporter for The Aquila Report

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