THREE TEENS, A STEEPLE, HIGH IDEALS, AND THE POWER OF YES!

Seth Perkins and Sam Cunningham are gifted, talented, brilliant stand-up comedians  with a genius and magic all their own.  Their friends, the Campers from the years of Art Harbor Camp, the cHicKeN cOupe troupe, most of the 

Theater Pie Workshops troupes, all know this.  There was a time when Seth Perkins was Legend in Residence at the St. Ann School. 

When the idea of putting their talent on the stage and calling it a SHOW was asked of them as a request for help, they gave a resounding, no hesitancy answer, YES!  And they brought on their friend William Gleckner– who was actually right beside them with an expression on his face of real concern for what Seth and Sam had just set into motion– and  made William  producer and called the show William Gleckner presents SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL.  

The show was billed as a Benefit for The Unitarian-Universalist Society  of Rockport’s  SAVE THE STEEPLE FUND.  Jennifer Ober the music director and administrator of the UU, also a YES person, took on the project with vim and vigor and excitement and jumped into the work of organization, support, logistics, on and on.  Local Artists at the school and from the Rockport Community and the UUSR itself also responded YES with enthusiasm to providing back-up entertainment to The Featured Stars, Seth Perkins and Sam Cunningham, Producer, William Gleckner, MC’d in the good company of Beethoven, Seth and Sam’s Music Side-Kick, and Mr. Benjamin Franklin who was on board to speak for The Steeple because of its historical importance to the community of Rockport.

THE Audience, Artists/Performers, UU Members all gathered and a Show was about to begin.  A Show that was only happening because three innovative young men have the talent, and Gut and Heart Inspiration and ZEAL to make things happen and say YES and open up possibility and set the magic energy in motion.

No one can do what Seth and Sam can do.  So if not for Seth, and Sam, and William this would never have happened.

Support rallied and it was a magnificent show.  It was hoped that maybe $800. could be raised as a special gift to the UU from the Theater Pie Workshops who have their home at the UU because the UU takes care of so many in our community in so many different ways.  No one saw this fund raiser as any kind of an answer to the very serious and immediate Steeple Dilemma.  To get the Steeple reinforced and stabilized which also includes a study for the full renovation work that will span many years the lump sum amount needed before work could be started was $7,000.

Just before intermission, Rev.Susan, Pastor of the UU stepped forward to announce that an anonymous Matching Challenge Grant had just been given to the Unitarian-Universalist Church for $3, 500.  The door to possibility that Seth, Sam, and Will opened with YES was receiving an abundance no one would have thought remotely possible.

Seth Sam, and Will had Saved The Steeple.  They set the energy in motion and the energy chose to work as energy can and will if it is positive.

It is a wonderful story.

The Unitarian-Universalist Society and Church in a statement from member Heidi Wakeman to the congreagation said….

 

Young people need to be acknowledged and celebrated for their ideas,hard work,accomplishments, and generosity.  Will, Sam, and Seth took on a project, and saw it through from start to finish.”Save the Steeple” began as a gesture of thanks to the UUSR for accommodating the Chicken Coupe Troupe Productions,    with which Will & Sam have been affiliated for many years. No one expected this effort would net such lofty results.  Additional thanks go to Jennifer Ober, Music Director & Administrator of the church for all of her behind the scenes knowledge and coordination.

 

On behalf of the UUSR, I say a hearty, “Huzzah! Thank you! Hip, hip, hooray!”

 

Donations may be made to the Steeple Fund, payable as such, and sent to The Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport, MA 01966