Hands Of God Puppet Theater
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Colossians 3:23
Our Team
Hands of God Puppet Theater is made up of a crew of dedicated young people that God truly has His hands on!
Barbara Willard a.k.a. The Puppetlady, Director
Barbara has been in ministry to children since the age of thirteen. She has been building puppets for fifteen years after learning the craft from former Muppet builder, David Pannabecker. Barbara has directed several puppet ministries in her native NY. In July 2008, Barbara and her husband Jack moved to Rock Hill, SC. The first church they visited a few weeks later was looking for a new puppet director. That church was Westminster Presbyterian, in Rock Hill. Little did the folks at WPC know what they were in for! Barbara brought her thirty-plus years of experience with her and started a spark in the existing puppet team with no name. Within a few weeks...the team had a name, a new stage, curtains, sound system and lighting system were purchased for them...then Barbara started using the Christian parody music that she had used many times with her other teams. That spark...became a full three alarm fire and Hands of God Puppet Theater was born! Barbara made a few new puppets for the first performance the team had EVER turned out in December 2008...Cowboy Christmas. For May of 2009 the team was asked to perform for their church family...Barbara made eight new baby puppets special for the two songs they performed. (see video page for highlights) Every Sunday the team ministers to the Pre-School Sunday School. Barbara's vision is for the team to be able to minister to their church family as well as the community. Barbara has a unique style in training her team by raising up leadership from within. She studies each of her team members and brings out their talents that even they themselves may have never realized they had.Ginny White, Associate Director
Ginny is Barbara's right-hand...and possibly her left also...Ginny is the administrator for the team and supervisor when Barbara is out of town, traveling as Pickles Da Clown. Ginny brings many years of administrative experience to the team. She will keep the team on schedule with gigs, setting goals and keep communication to parents, church members, church staff and the community rolling. Ginny looks forward to helping the team grow and keep focused on their goals.
Ginny is the mother to Pierce Jennings, Sound Manager for the ministry.
Jonas, Co-Director
Janelle, Stage Manager
Janelle loves to doodle…her creativity and enthusiasm shines through her infectious smile. Every Sunday morning Janelle voices an adorable little kangaroo puppet the children know as Pockets. Her voice is sweet and expressive. Her performance each week as Pockets is so convincing that some of the children actually want to share toys and books with her. Janelle has qualities of both a leader and a follower. Though this 11th grader may seem quiet and shy…don’t let first impressions fool you. Janelle has shown top leadership skills. She works diligently behind the stage to see that everyone is where they need to be and is giving 110%. She is an excellent listener. Janelle takes everything that her director teaches and puts it to work in her leadership role as Stage Manager. She loves Jesus and it shows all over her face. Her Christ-like qualities sparkle with everything she does. She enjoys watching how God works through puppetry to bring the message of his love to the children every week. Janelle’s recent claim to fame was appearing in a local car dealership commercial along with members of her high school band.
Pierce, Sound Manager
Pierce is an outgoing, energetic ninth grader that loves to play basketball and videogames. He joined H.O.G. because he claimed he was bored and had nothing else to do. Well…he was put to work running the CD player for the team. When the team acquired a sound system, Pierce was immediately made the official Sound Manager for the team. Pierce is always talking…gee no wonder he is in charge of sound! The only time he’s not chatting is due to the lack of sleep. Pierce recently decided to be more involved with puppetry by taking the lead on a song in the 2009 Christmas show. He is our team comedian so his latest venture is to become a clown and learn to twist balloons along with his cousin William (also a member of H.O.G.). Pierce enjoys ministering to the children at church every Sunday. He loves watching the looks on their faces as they laugh and make comments about what the puppets are doing. As the Sound Manager he has a bird’s eye view of the children’s reactions. Even though Pierce considers himself a follower, Barbara has been encouraging him to take more steps to becoming a stronger leader. He enjoys being part of H.O.G. and ministering with fellow young Christians. Though his least favorite occupation right now is being a student…Pierce plans to one day become a Chemical Engineer.
TJ, Puppeteer & Propateer
T.J. is an avid soccer player, but he also loves to shoot hoops with his friends. He joined H.O.G. because of his love for puppets and knew it was a way to serve hiding behind a curtain. He figured he would just blend in and go unnoticed. He considers himself a follower because of his lack of self-confidence. Little did T.J. know that Miss Barbara would tap into his hidden leadership skills. Every Sunday this homeschooled 9th grader makes suggestions to enhance the team’s performance. During practice when the conversation goes astray from the task at hand…T.J. interrupts and brings everyone back to reality. This is a sign of a true leader. T.J. is not only a puppeteer, but has found a new skill as a propateer. During a recent performance he mastered the timing for using props to enhance the meaning of a song. T.J. believes that being a part of this puppet ministry will assist him with his journey to grow closer to the Lord. He’s surrounded by other believers and the music the ministry uses is inspiring. T.J. looks to the future serving the Lord every step of the way and to carry out His will in his life. Then perhaps T.J. will be led to take over the puppet ministry someday.
William, Puppeteer
William has been acting in school productions for quite some time. He enjoys being a part of H.O.G. because it gives him a chance to use his acting skills and creativity for the Lord. William always has an opinion on everything. He gets involved with every aspect of H.O.G. and is looking forward to taking on more responsibilities in the Summer of 2010. William is very outgoing and loves to talk! He always keeps everyone on the team laughing. If you want ot see someone really spark to life...just put William on stage in front of an audience! He is really funny! William is also a clown, Gravee, along with his cousin Pierce (Sound Manager for H.O.G.) so he can reach out to more children in the community. Together they form the team of Bizkitz 'n' Gravee...Hillbille Cuzinz! William twists balloons and is in the process of learning skits for a stage show. William is ambitious and is always willing to pitch in, roll up his sleeves and get the job done. He plans on being a lawyer someday despite not wanting to eats his veggies.
Lydia, Puppeteer
Lydia loves to read and is ready to challenge anyone to a video game. She joined Hands of God to make some new friends and most of all…honor God by having FUN! Lydia may seem quiet, but she is like a sponge soaking in everything she learns each week. She considers herself both a leader and a follower. She shows her leadership skills when she interjects her ideas during weekly performances and practices. This charming, smiling, homeschooled 9th grader has been quickly advancing in her puppetry skills. Lydia wants to make people happy and show them how God speaks through puppetry. She has devoted time to making props to be used in performances by the team. Each week she considers when she raises her arm with a puppet on it that she is praising the Lord. Lydia’s dream is to one day travel the world and share God's Word with people. Perhaps she will incorporate her puppetry skills as a missionary to children around the world.
