Clear Branch Baptist Church in Wesson will be spreading the good news of a risen Savior this Easter through a special musical presentation that has taken church members months to bring together.

The church has an active outreach ministry, and their choir and praise teams are a big part of that, each year producing an Easter musical and a Christmas musical.

This year’s Easter production will be, “You Thought of Us,” with two shows this weekend – Saturday at 6 p.m. and Easter Sunday at 10:30 a.m. The event is free and the public is invited. The church is at 2166 Clear Branch Lane NE.

Angela Britt, who is directing the musical, said it took many talents to pull it together.

“The whole body of Christ has come together to make this production,” she said, “it’s a big church effort. It takes a lot of people – about 50 people – to put it on with sound, lighting, staging and all the costumes. A lot of different talents come into play.”

Just as many hands are required for such a big production, much time is also required. “We’ve been rehearsing since right after Christmas,” Britt said. “It was just planning at first, but we started getting into the songs and hitting it hard around the end of January. The choir sounds very good, too. The writers did a wonderful job composing songs that make for a very moving performance. There are several solos and harmonies that will be performed, and the only word I can think to describe them is ‘awesome.’ The choir members have been working really hard.”

Britt said the church and the choir have a clear purpose in their ministry – to spread the Good News of Christ.

“Our main purpose is to make sure Christ’s story still gets told,” said Britt, a schoolteacher who spends her extra time helping her husband Mike Britt, the minister of music at Clear Branch. He is directing the musical aspect of the work, while she is directing the dramatic scenes.

“We have been here at Clear Branch for five or six years,” she said. “We love it.”

Britt said she and husband Mike are grateful for the church’s pastor, Wayne Moak, who believes in getting out there and encouraging people to come to church.

“Our pastor, Brother Wayne Moak is always very supportive of our dramas and promoting them,” she said. “He helps us with getting the word out – he’s a big believer in reaching out to the community and making sure they know they’re welcome here, and this drama is part of that.

“We did Easter in the Park at Lake Lincoln last Saturday, and we passed out fliers there for the drama and invited everyone,” Britt said. “The annual Easter egg hunt is another opportunity for us to reach out to people in the community. We want everyone to come.”

Britt said Copiah-Lincoln Community College student Eddie Dupree is playing the part of Jesus.

“Eddie Dupree is a Co-Lin student our church has been associated with through the college’s [Baptist Student Union],” she said. “I wanted to say something about him because he is doing such a wonderful job with his part. He has helped our church with several projects, and he has played the part of Jesus in several productions for other churches.”

Britt said the musical is about an hour long. The drama begins with Jesus performing miracles and takes the audience through his resurrection.

Britt believes this story about Jesus will uplift those in need of faith and healing and make hearts fill with praise.

“I hope people will take away from this that Jesus brings hope and healing through the cross and the resurrection,” she said. “One of the songs in the musical is “Friend of the Broken Heart.” It is such a moving song that’s about how Jesus meets us where ever we are in life. I feel like that’s what the musical teaches.

“I think people will feel so loved by God when they leave,” Britt said. “I really think people will have an unbelievable sense of God’s love and feel the need to worship.”