"Being God’s Partner/Buddy”

September 19, 2004

Meet today's cast...
Fr. Charlie: Quite a wit, pastor of our flock	Bubba: a country-boy, good natured, fun loving	And introducing Charleeeene-Bubba's sister, a fast talking, Country girl, who also just loves life and absolutely loves the letter "P"

FR. CHARLIE: Greets the children, asks how was their Summer, mentions that he is going to do all the talking today as he was not able to bring anyone with him!

BUBBA & CHARLENE: (Enter from back of the Church/ walk down the center aisle)
BUBBA: Charlene, I’m going to give you a tour of our Church, St. Agatha. Isn’t it beautiful! Look at the pretty colored windows and the special pictures on the wall.

CHARLENE: WOW, Bubba…..look at all the benches. They look like the benches in Puppetville……but, uh, oh, Bubba, we’re definitely not in Puppetville.
(Charlene is looking around and looking at the people sitting down) What do ya call these things sittin’ in the benches? What funny lookin’puppets!

BUBBA: Charlene, they’re not called benches…they’re PEWS and you’re lookin’ at my friends….they’re called PEOPLE…and…..

FR. CHARLIE: BUBBA, BUBBA! What are you doing? Could you please come here! (Bubba and Charlene walk towards the Altar) You can’t give a tour now. We are having Mass and I’m talking to the children. Who is with you?

BUBBA: Sorry, Fr. Charlie. This is my sister, CHARLEEEENE! She’s visitin’ me so I wanted to show her ALLL the things that make up our Church. Charleeeene, say hi to our Pastor, Fr. Charlie.

CHARLENE: Hi, Pastor, I’m positively pleased to see this place! You got some pretty things and plenty of peculiar looking people in the Pews! And guess what,
I lovvvvvvvvve the letter “P”!

BUBBA: Oh, no, here she goes………Fr. Charlie, I wouldn’t start asking her……

FR. CHARLIE: So, Charleeene, welcome to St. Agatha’s. Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself.

BUBBA: You’ll be soooorrrryyyy…………………….

CHARLENE: Welllllllllll, We have a pet pig named Petunia. My Mom’s name is Patty, my Dad’s name is Paul. My favorite colors are pink and purple and I grow peas, potatoes, parsley, parsnips, and pretty pumpkins in the garden. I love to play the piano and my very favorite food is peanut butter, pastrami, pineapple, pickle PIZZA!

BUBBA: (Yelling out) CHARLEEEEENE! You’re bein’ a PEST!

CHARLENE: Party-Pooper!

FR. CHARLIE: Stop!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let’s get back to business before the boys and girls have to go bye-bye, ok Bubba!

CHARLENE: Hey, Pastor Charlie…….you must like “B” words!

BUBBA: Yeah, BEEEEEEEEEEEE Quiet!

FR. CHARLIE: Cooooool it!......Bubba, our Church is much more than pews, windows, and pictures on the walls….it’s the PEOPLE and everything THEY do when they’re NOT IN the pews that helps make us the Church.

CHARLENE: Pardon me, Pastor Charlie, I’m perplexed.

FR. CHARLIE: Here’s an example. This past Summer 35 boys and girls took part in St. Agatha’s outreach program called “Service Plunge.” In fact, two of the girls are here with us. Katie and Rachel, can you both come up here and tell the boys and girls about what you did this Summer.

Katie and Rachel will go to their places and Fr. Charlie will introduce them.

BUBBA: Fr. Charlie, can we ask them questions?

FR. CHARLIE: Sure…..go ahead!

BUBBA: Katie, where did you go to help people?

KATIE: Two groups went to Fr. Bill’s, that’s a place where the homeless people go and my group made them lunch.

CHARLENE: Oh, Katie…..did you make the people pepperoni pizza?

KATIE: No, we made them tuna fish sandwiches and gave them potato chips, fruit, and a drink.

FR. CHARLIE: How many people ate there, Katie, maybe about 25?

KATIE: No, we were told to plan on 60 people and over100 came that day because another shelter didn’t have enough food.! We also got a chance to eat with them, too!

BUBBA: OVER 100!! That’s a lot of tuna fish! How many cans did you use?

KATIE: About 40 huge cans! I’ve never seen so much tuna fish in my life!

CHARLENE: Katie, that’s positively preposterous! And tuna fish---YUCKEY pooo!
(holds her nose) I would have packed a peanut butter and peach sandwich!

FR. CHARLIE: Actually Charlene, one of the girls in the group told one of the adult chaperones, Mrs. Cronin, that she didn’t like tuna fish and asked if she could take a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. Do you know what Mrs. Cronin told her?

BUBBA: Yeah, “Sure, you can take one and can you pleeeaseee take one for me too!”

FR. CHARLIE: No, she told her to think about something…the homeless people at Fr. Bill’s didn’t have a choice of what to eat. They either had to eat tuna—OR go hungry!! The girl also knew that for supper she would be eating pizza at St. Agatha’s, but homeless people never know when their next meal will be. Katie, what did the girl do?

KATIE: She decided to eat the tuna sandwich…she didn’t finish it…but she learned an important lesson. She saw what it felt like not to have choices.

CHARLENE: Rachel, what other places did you go to?

RACHEL: We went to Interfaith Social Services where they have a food pantry and clothes. We put the food on the shelves and sorted through the clothes and helped organize them and then we vacuumed.

BUBBA: Rachel, did anyone come for help when you were there?

RACHEL: Yes, a mother with 2 children and an elderly woman.

CHARLENE: What do poor people look like, Rachel?

RACHEL: They can look just like me, my Mom or Dad…or anyone here!

FR. CHARLIE: Rachel, where did the food come from?

RACHEL: Another Service Plunge group went to the Greater Boston Food Bank. It’s the biggest food bank in New England. They worked hard and boxed up several TONS of food. Those boxes were sent out to other agencies that help the poor. When they went to Interfaith Social Services later in the week, they actually saw some of those boxes!

BUBBA: WOW! I got muscles…I could do that hard work! (Flexes his muscles) What else did you do, Katie?

KATIE: We went to the Milton Council of Aging and had a Car Wash and Cookout for all of them.

CHARLENE: CAR WASH…my favorite…plenty of people playing in puddles and I presume, money……plenty of pennies!

KATIE: No Charlene, they were both FREE…we were there to help them.

RACHEL: Yes, but we did make money…

FR. CHARLIE: I heard about that. The elderly people there did not have much money but they INSISTED on giving you some, and boys and girls, do you know what they said? They said, “Give it to people who need it.” Imagine that! They have very little, yet they said to give it to people who need it.

BUBBA: Ah….Fr. Charlie….I think I need it!

CHARLENE: Bubba! Pastor Charlie…how can these small, petite people and puppets possibly provide help to the poor and help God?

FR. CHARLIE: Good question…and you’ll LOVE this word, Charlene…..You can be God’s PARTNER….like a BUDDY! You can take some pennies and help buy a jar of peanut butter for a food pantry, help make cookies and take it to a homeless shelter, or help your neighbor do something. That’s being God’s Partner--that’s what CHURCH is! Katie and Rachel…did you enjoy being God’s BUDDY?

KATIE & RACHEL: YES!!!

RACHEL: A lot of people need our help because they cannot do things themselves…

KATIE: And it feels good to help other people

FR. CHARLIE: Thank you girls for sharing your experiences with us. Boys and girls, before you go back to your seats, it’s time for something! Charlene, I bet Bubba told you about this…………

CHARLENE: YIPPEE!!…….the PUPPET PULPIT PASSWORD is……..?

FR. CHARLIE: “PARTNER” or “BUDDY” since you think I like “B” words.

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