Church’s Theatrical Productions Reaching Boston’s North Shore Communities

In a metropolitan area ranked among the top “most post-Christian” cities in the United States, finding effective ways to share the gospel can be challenging. Calvary Christian Church, an Assemblies of God congregation in the Boston suburb of Lynnfield, Massachusetts, has been rising to that challenge for over 25 years, by presenting Broadway-style theatrical productions at Christmas and Easter.

The church’s Christmas, 2024 production of “The Gospel According to Scrooge,” an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” drew more than 2,000 attendees from around Boston’s North Shore communities, with at least 115 making decisions to follow Christ.

Calvary Theater is overseen by Kendra Key, who grew up at Calvary Church where her father, Tim Schmidt, recently retired as senior pastor; Jamie Booth now serves as lead pastor. After attending Biola University, Kendra returned to New England and has been a staff member since 2022; her husband, Sterling, is also a member of the pastoral team. The couple met while serving at district camps and events, and now keep busy with full-time ministry along with caring for their son, Salem, 3; and daughter Magnolia, 10 months.

Around the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, more and more Christian creatives began finding spaces for their craft, and Calvary Church members who enjoyed the arts began thinking of theater as a potential outreach. Arts and entertainment are generally popular in the area, and many people will come to a theatrical production even if they would be unlikely to visit a church service.

The church’s first presentation, for Easter in 1997, was “The Promise,” which has remained popular over the years and will be presented this upcoming Easter. Key says it is typical to do a show for a few seasons before switching to something new; and some, including “Scrooge” and “The Promise,” have been adapted for use several times due to their popularity.

Much of Boston area culture reflects a secular worldview. Calvary Christian Church has attracted people looking for a deeper sense of community.

“It’s not like the Bible Belt, with a church on every corner,” says Key. “Once the connection is made, some people drive an hour to attend.”

For many, that initial contact has been a Christmas or Easter performance; church records kept over the years show that thousands of people have been impacted. The 2024 Easter show resulted in over 300 salvation decisions during two weekends of performances.

“I can’t begin to count the conversations,” says Key. “One woman even said she decided to attend a performance because she heard about the live animals we use in shows, and her family has been coming to church ever since.” Other attendees have shared that the Bible seemed to come alive as they watched, inspiring them to read it further.

Each production involves a cast and crew of over 150 volunteers, some with stories of their own about what the productions have meant to them.

One of those is Marie, who accepted a friend’s invitation to the Easter production in 2008. At that time, she was a high-functioning alcoholic, who began drinking with friends as a teenager and escalated into addiction over the years. She managed to time her consumption in order to succeed at work, including over 30 years as a flight attendant, but was eventually ordered to rehab when a supervisor noticed alcohol on her breath.

She completed the program in 2009, with the requirement to connect with a 12-step program before actually leaving the facility, and the rehab staff asked if she knew of any churches near her home that offered one.

Working a crazy schedule, Marie had attended a traditional church only sporadically and didn’t really feel connected, but she remembered Calvary Christian Church from the performance a year earlier. Inquiring, she learned they offered Celebrate Recovery and got involved.

“I found the church family I needed,” she says. “The presence of the Holy Spirit, the welcoming atmosphere—it filled the void in my life.”

Learning more about the theatrical productions revived a childhood interest in performing arts, and Marie became a cast member in 2010; now, at age 72, this Easter will be her 15th performance.

As soon as one show is completed, the executive team starts planning the next one.

In addition to Pastor Kendra as producer, leadership includes a director, music director, sound engineer, set design engineer, costume and makeup directors, children’s director, stage manager and stage crew director. Key’s executive assistant handles administrative details.

Auditions begin in September for Christmas productions, and shortly into the new year for Easter, using an online audition process with callbacks as needed. The leadership team spends time praying together for God’s specific direction in casting for each role.

Director Dave Ruff joined Calvary Theatre in 2007. In his mid-20’s at the time, he had enjoyed being in plays and skits for youth group and school, and also done voice-over work. With Schmidt’s encouragement, he began assisting and eventually transitioned into the director role. He says the shows helped him develop leadership skills, such as how to use a collaborative approach in working with a large and multi-generational team. He has also honed his skill at fine-tuning shows, adding an occasional light-hearted touch and creatively updating to keep them fresh. Now, he enjoys helping others grow in their skills.

“It’s exciting to unlock those gifts people didn’t even realize they had,” he says.

Once selected, cast members attend an orientation and calendar planning meeting. The commitment is not one to be taken lightly, as cast members are expected to maintain their involvement in the life of the church, and of course, many have family responsibilities.

“We have some homeschool families who make it their family ministry,” said Key. “We also have people who come straight from work, for a long evening of more hard work.”

Rehearsals start out on Mondays, and the pace picks up about three weeks out from the performance dates, when the prop/stage team and tech team, who have been practicing separately, start pulling things together for full dress rehearsals the week before the performance.

Ruff’s role could potentially be a stressful one, with many decisions to be made, some of them quickly and in the moment, but he has learned not to worry. “The success of our performances is not just good luck,” he says. “God is in control.”

Church members not actively involved in productions are encouraged to do their part—covering every show in prayer, helping with many miscellaneous details, and of course, inviting people, just as Marie’s neighbor did 17 years ago.

The Apostle Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 9:22 that souls can be won by finding ways to relate, and through theatrical arts, Calvary Christian Church is living out that concept in the North Shore community, bringing many to Christ.

Cynthia J Thomas

Cynthia J. Thomas worked for Assemblies of God U.S. Missions for six years before becoming primary caregiver for her father, a World War II veteran. She has served as a counselor for victims of domestic violence and women facing crisis pregnancies. Cindy and her husband, Phil, a schoolteacher, volunteer in youth outreach and have three adult children and one granddaughter.