It's not so bad being a copy cat, especially when it's a divine calling that inspires you to spread the message of Jesus Christ.

That is the attitude Ann Bookhart has taken in her successful direction of God's Copycats, a creative ministry at St. George Baptist Church that includes an eager group of 9- through 18-year-olds.

The Creative Ministry Tract Team includes blacklight presentations, puppetry, hip hop and interpretive movement in programs which are set to the contemporary Christian music of artists such as Steven Curtis Chapman, Graham Kendrick, Carman and New Song.

They have extended their ministry beyond the church walls to touch the lives of both youth and adults. The troupe has put on performances at The Stevenson Auditorium and has traveled as far as Conway, Walterboro, Summerville, Kentucky and Chile.

The group is scheduled to perform in Clinton in February and has most recently been invited to perform at the South Carolina Baptist Convention Ministry Festival to be held Feb. 21-22 in Columbia.

It is Bookhart's work with the group of 40 fourth- through 12th-graders over the past four years that earned her the designation as the exemplification of patience for the month of January as part of Orangeburg County's Community of Character initiative.

"It's very humbling," said Bookhart, the married mother of two daughters, Rachel, 17, and Molly, 12. Both of her children are members of the creative ministry group.

"I listen to a lot of contemporary Christian music. God will just lay on my heart those whose message is very clear and understandable. The music is very upbeat. I'll then choreograph around the song and put them in an order that tells the story of salvation," Bookhart said.

"For example, we'll maybe start out with troubled times and then introduce Christ and what he can do in your life. We usually build our performances around between eight and 10 songs. There's just a little bit of dialogue in between to clarify the message," she said.

Her work does include being steadfast in the face of all the other things which capture the attention of youth.

"Generally, we have about an hour to two hours to practice on Sunday night because there are other things going on. If we happen to grab a weeknight, then we're between baseball practice, dance and whatever else these kids are doing.

"You've got 40 young people that want to share their stories with one another about who they're dating and what happened at school that day, but you have to cram a major practice in that time and keep them occupied. I guess that's where patience comes in," Bookhart said.

"You must also be prepared and one step ahead of them so that when you come in, you're ready to tell them what to do rather than have them sit around while you figure it out. If you're prepared, then you can keep them busy and don't have to have a whole lot of confusion," she said.

They chose the name God's Copy Cats based on the admonition in St. Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus as recorded in Ephesians 5:1.

"It talks about how we should be imitators of Christ. When we got really serious with our ministry and wanting to take it to the street in a big way, we needed a name and a focus," Bookhart said.

She said she has enjoyed her work in the creative arts, especially the productions she has created with her youth group.

"We always joke about this being my sickness. I'm definitely called by the Lord to do this. The lives of the participants are changed because they see that even though they're young, they can be used by God to impact a life. It's just exciting for someone to be totally entertained and captivated through the words of the Lord," Bookhart said.

T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton can be reached by e-mail at dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5534.

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