While the pastor is away, the church will play. And on Wednesday evening, the Mattapoisett Congregational Church hosted a puppet show that was as entertaining as it was enlightening.

Reverend Amy Lignitz-Harken is currently on sabbatical, and over the next several months, the congregation has planned a series of events for the membership and the community called Coming Home.

First on the calendar was the Home Scoop Series, family friendly events with a side of ice cream. The puppet show, presented by the youth ministry of the United Church of Christ Norwell, was the final event in that summer series.

Cathy Benedict leads the H.O.P.E. program, which stands for Helping Our Puppets Evangelize.

She said it's all “speaking the truth that God loves everyone.”

The program started several years ago as a way to interact with the community, said Benedict. It's also an outlet for laypeople to minister.

“People are all ministers in what we do,” she said.

Using around 50 puppets, from colorful and woolly creatures to those with more human features, the program has grown steadily with elementary through high school students performing.

Through the puppets, H.O.P.E. shares Christian parables, moral truths and Biblical stories.

Patty Berry, the Mattapoisett Congregational director of Christian education, met Benedict, who is her church's children's education director, through their mutual interests.

Berry thought H.O.P.E. would be a great program for her church.

“Having the children share the message is [wonderful],” said Berry, “children teaching children and adults.”

Many more events are planned for the church and community in coming months. See the schedule here.