5 Florida United Methodist Review Online

Rabbi Rocks Youth Missions

Photo by Michael Wacht

PALM HARBOR - "The Rock & the Rabbi," a musical theatrical production based in the Tampa Bay area, is sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in new ways and recently helped Palm Harbor United Methodist Church here raise funds for its summer youth mission trips.

"The Rock & the Rabbi" is a retelling of the ministry of Jesus through the eyes of Simon Peter, using a combination of storytelling and acoustic music that was written and composed by two Tampa-area men. The show has played before packed houses around the country, including two shows recently at the Palm Harbor church.

Cynthia Butts, the church's youth director, says the church sold out its 640 seats both nights, raising $11,500 for its Youth Missions Program. The program will send 57 young people and adults to Cherokee, N.C., to work on the Cherokee Indian Reservation, and Chattanooga, Tenn., to work in the inner city.