A Theatre Program for Children and Youth
With Arts and Music Classes for Parents and Younger Siblings

Staging A Miracle (SAM), a summer program at First Church, is featured in the Sac Bee's Book of Dreams 2009. The church will receive easels, canvases, brushes, pottery wheels and tools, a photo printer and digital cameras for Sunday morning classes as well as Staging A Miracle.     

For more information about the program, watch a Sac Bee video. In addition, see a four-minute video on The Making of Staging a Miracle, produced by Cate Monaghan, communications director for the Cal/Nev Conference, who also contributed many of the photos in the SAM photo gallery.   

SAM is a First United Methodist Church program developed to offer high-quality music and arts education to the children of the City of Sacramento, regardless of their ability to pay.

In 2009, the program was directed by Michael Miiller, former Director of River City Theater Company. Participants starred in a Second Saturday performances Aug. 8 and Aug. 9.

The five-week summer program included dinner each Tuesday and Thursday evening; music and creative arts classes for parents and pre-school and infant childcare. In 2009, SAM served 100 participants, of which half were children and youth who star in the performances.  

Our community partners in this program include, among others, Family Promise, Mustard Seed School, Women’s Empowerment, St. John’s Shelter for Women and Children and Habitat for Humanity.  Their hope, and ours, is that by nurturing the creative gifts of children whose families cannot afford to purchase music and arts education, we can remind those children that they are loved by God and created to live good and productive lives. 

In an economic environment where most of these programs are being cut from school budgets, the need is even more clear. The gifts and resources of this church, and especially our long and deep appreciation of music and the arts, make this a great opportunity for us to be involved in God’s work of bringing wholeness to our community.  
 
This ministry was a very big and very bold step for us in 2008, but God has been blessing and preparing us for a long time. In 2009, the number of participants in the program doubled, and we are praying for guidance to pursue our dream of a year-round program for youth and families. Please consider joining us on our journey.

Watch Video of FUMC's 2008 Arts Program - Staging a Miracle

Participants Performed Musical Revue 'I'm Showing Up'

Staging a Miracle is a First United Methodist Church program developed to offer high-quality music and arts education to the children of the City of Sacramento, regardless of their ability to pay. In 2008, the program was directed by Michael Miiller, formerly Director of River City Theater Company, with music direction by Kevin Manz, our acting organist.