Comedy nights becoming attractive church outreach

By SIMONE CARR

They come from different backgrounds, with different ideas and different lifestyles, but they are all united in one determination - they are out to make us laugh! In a “clean” way.

They are a growing group of modern jesters who are tired of the atmosphere of most comedy clubs and relate very passionately to the public’s increasing desire for clean comedy, “comedy that doesn’t make you feel like you have stepped in something,” Thor Ramsey, a Christian comedian from Riverside who performs locally, wrote on his website.

Most of them were funny as children and realized that it was a calling. As their performances lifted spirits, they realized that it was a mission.

And churches are increasingly opening their doors.

Jim Greensmith of Lemon Grove Christian Church is excitedly working to coordinate their second Comedy Night, to be held on March 13. Their first event, on Jan. 17, was a great success, with an attendance of 325 people.

“We have three couples attending church now that first came just to watch our Comedy Night,” he said.

“Comedy Nights are evangelical,” he explained. “They show that church people are fun and not so stuffy. They provide a non-threatening environment to invite family and friends.”

“Many people only think about God when they have problems,” he continued. “If those who attend our Comedy Nights come to a point in time when they need God, they may remember that they felt comfortable in our church, and they will be already accustomed to coming to our building.”

Greensmith finds that Comedy Nights are also ecumenical. “Many churches can be represented.”

Kids are also invited, as the jokes are absolutely clean.

Greensmith had the idea of a Comedy Night after reading an article about Steve Verret (pronounced Ver-ày) and his performances at Daybreak Community Church in Carlsbad. He contacted Steve, who then planned their two events.

“The message was very good,” said Greensmith of the first performance, which included Steve Verret, Scott Wood and Ron McGee. “The jokes were lots of fun. Just before the end, Scott stopped to give his testimony of how the Lord delivered him from a life of drugs and alcohol, then he went back to his act. The Gospel of Christ was heard clearly.”

Scott, a nationally acclaimed performer, generally uses the same routine in secular settings and churches.

“When you work clean, you work a lot,” he said. “A whole generation of comedians like Dick Van Dyke, Bob Hope, Bill Cosby, George Burns, and Steve Allen proved that one can be funny and clean at the same time.”

Scott will perform for the “Life After Fifty” (LAF) group of North Coast Calvary Chapel in Carlsbad on March 20, and for New Hope Community Church in Chula Vista on April 18.

“The event is actually for the whole church,” LAF’s leader Ray Larson explained. “We are encouraging everyone to invite their neighbors and hope to have a full house of about 700 people.”

Larson said he had seen Scott performing at another church and was very impressed by his performance.

The next Comedy Night at Lemon Grove Christian Church will feature again Steve Verret, together with Thor Ramsey and Yamo.

Steve, who has been doing comedy for 20 years at theaters and clubs throughout the nation, including the Hollywood Improv Club, is also well-known as a pioneer of Improv Comedy Club Traffic School and its most requested instructor. His comic traffic video is sold all over the United States. “It’s a good way to meet people,” he said.

“What all those attending a traffic school have in common,” he added, “is that they don’t want to be there.”

His fast-paced routine, which has often prompted comparisons with Robin Williams, has proved to be an asset at 8-hour long Traffic School sessions. “Maybe I speak fast because I am nervous,” he suggested. “I am really a serious person in everyday life.”

Dan Grider, pastor of Daybreak Community Church, asked Steve to perform for his church after seeing his performance at Neimans restaurant in Carlsbad. Now Steve is a staff member of the church and training to become a pastor, mentored by Grider. “Dan is a former stand-up comic and we have a lot in common,” said Steve.

“Our church has been doing Christian Comedy outreach events on and off for over 12 years,” explained Grider. “These are tremendous opportunities to make contact with our community. Our congregation has found that an invitation to a comedy event is the easiest invitation they can make. Most people gladly receive a ticket to a comedy event, where an invitation to a church event gets a completely different response.”

According to Grider, “one of the keys to the success of these events is to create an atmosphere where secular people can feel comfortable without compromising the church’s integrity.”

Grider thinks that Steve has done a wonderful job developing these events for many churches in the area. “He understands the needs of churches and the mindset of the unchurched person,” he said.

What makes Steve unique among Christian comedians is that he takes each project from start to finish. He doesn’t just perform. He plans every detail and takes care of ticket sales, publicity, and media exposure. He books the comedians 2-3 months in advance and prepares checklists for the churches to follow before and on the day of the event.

Steve accredits his ability to “run the whole show” to his degree in business from the University of Southwestern Louisiana.

He has also worked with the Department of Defense to train servicemen to become safer drivers.

In spite of his busy schedule, he finds the time to spend with his wife and children, a boy and a girl. He often finds inspiration for my jokes from what his children say.

Steve loves performing for churches, which he considers a ministry and a blessing. In one of his routines, he says he is particularly thankful that in a church “there is no drunk, loud, obnoxious guy sitting in the front row, heckling you... especially if the drunk, loud, obnoxious guy happens to own the nightclub.”

He also adds that “other comics are less likely to snicker at you if you’re caught praying backstage.”

“It’s hard to be in a club’s environment,” he explained. “Christians enjoy comedy more, not being under the influence.”

Basically, he believes that the command to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord” is not restricted to music.

On Jan. 11, Steve and Daybreak Community Church organized an especially moving and needed comedy event — a “Family Fun and Comedy Day” fund-raiser for fire survivors, held at Valley Center Middle School and Ridgeview Church. The comedy show featured, along with Steve Verret, Scott Wood and Ron McGee.

“Many said that they hadn’t laughed since the fires started,” Steve recalled. “It’s what the Bible tells us in James 2:14 - when we see a need we need to take action.”

Besides his talent in business, Steve believes that other traits that make him unique are his Cajun origins, which help him to blend in with just about anybody, and the fact that he is on staff at his church and training to be a minister.

Steve uses his talents in his drama ministry at the church. “A joke before the sermon relieves pressure, and people may be more open to the message after they had a chance to laugh,” he said.

Will he continue to be a comedian after he becomes a minister?

“I guess I’ll just tell jokes from the pulpit,” he said.

Other local comedians:

Very outspoken about his Christian beliefs even in most secular settings is Thor Ramsey, a nationally acclaimed performer who has also been working with Chuck Colson’s Prison Fellowship Ministries and Operation Starting Line.

He made a commitment for Christ in 1994. “You have to pursue showbiz with a missionary zeal anyway. So, I might as well be a missionary for something other than my own great ego,” he said.

About Christianity, he is interested in dispelling some common misconceptions.

“I tell them that it’s all pretty simple. You just bow your head, say a simple prayer and when you open your eyes — you’re a registered Republican with a firearm.”

Other comedians include a message of faith in the recounting of their daily life, like Kathy Westfield, who will be performing on March 12 for the Singles group of North Coast Calvary Chapel.

“You know how sometimes you pray and pray, and God still doesn’t seem to answer your prayers? Once I prayed that I could be with some guy that I loved, and nothing happened. I was very disappointed, until I saw his picture in a Post Office... on a poster.”

Most of Kathy’s comic routine comes from her childhood in Los Angeles, as the third of seven children, and from her more recent experiences as a flight attendant and mother.

“I came into the world laughing,” she said. “I have always been able to see something funny in every situation. A lot of my humor is about coping with things.”

Even as a flight attendant (a career that she has put temporarily on hold), she has always joked with the passengers, releasing the pressure, especially in the very tense times following 9/11.

Kathy believes that she is unique in many ways as a comedian.

“First of all, I am not a man. I am black. And I talk about real life. Not all my stories are nice and funny. I talk about trials in life, then about finding the Lord.”

Kathy started out performing everywhere, “in clubs, theatres, bowling alleys.” Some of her clients have included the Los Angeles Police Department, Boeing, and Kaiser Permanente. Recently she has performed extensively in churches.

“This is where my stuff has led me, three or four years ago,” she said. Kathy’s comedy has been described as therapeutic. “Sure. I save people thousands of dollars in psychiatric treatment,” she agreed.

Thor, Scott, and Kathy are some of the “pastor approved” comedians listed by Outreach Comedy, a branch of Outreach, Inc.

“Comedians share stories about life,” said Dionne Petipas, general manager for Outreach Comedy. “They cross all boundaries and unite.”

Outreach Comedy came to life as an offspring of Clean Comedians, a marketing company directed to both Christian ministries and secular organizations. After a while, however, the need to divide the two areas became apparent.

Outreach Inc. is a company serving the church in the areas of outreach marketing and training. Outreach Magazine, Sermon Central and Outreach Comedy are some of their areas of service.

Scott Evans, president of Outreach, Inc. and co-founder of New Song Community Church in Oceanside, gave the church the idea to host a Comedy Night on March 26.

Obviously excited about this first comedy performance, Lana Mason, event coordinator, has been busy calling other churches in the area to join efforts. “We will have two shows, one at 7 p.m. and one at 9 p.m., and we are expecting around 800 people, 400 per show.”

The show, called Caffeinated Comedy Night, will also include a jazz band. “It will be rambunctious, lively, and funny. Your ribs will ache from laughing,” Lana promised.

After the show, there will be some dessert, and, as the title suggests, lots of coffee.

The performer will be Carlos Oscar, one of the most sought after young performers today who, like Kathy, draws much of his humor from his own family life and experience.

“He is funny, just funny,” Lana repeated. “He reminds me of Bill Cosby. Except, he is a Puerto Rican from New York.”

Contact numbers:

Corporate Comedy Events, Steve Verret, www.corporatecomedyevents.com; phone (760) 409-1600; or e-mail to Improvcajun@hotmail.com

Outreach Comedy, Dionne Petitpas, www.corporatecomedyevents.com; phone (866)400-2036, ext. 310 or (760) 409 1600; or e-mail to dionne@outreach.com