With such familiar old-time hymns as “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” “Standing on the Promises,” “I Love to Tell the Story,” plus some 20 others, Smoke on the Mountain: Homecoming can best be described as a down-home, heartfelt, gospel musical. It will be presented by Encounter Churches of Sterling and Great Bend for four performances at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 30 and at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 31 at the Sterling Encounter Church, 

407 North 6th St., and at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 1 at the Great Bend Encounter church, 601 South Patton Road.  

Sterling Encounter Church Pastor Wayne Beaver is directing the show, which was written by Connie Ray with musical arrangements by Mike Craver. The show will feature both local talent and several imports from Ohio where Beaver was Director of Theatre for Cincinnati Christian Schools for almost 40 years.  

The audience for Smoke on the Mountain: Homecoming becomes the congregation of Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in North Carolina. It’s October, 1945, and the gospel-singing Sanders Family is together again as the Reverend Oglethorpe is giving his last service. He’s been called to preach in Texas, and has already bought his ten-gallon hat and is ready to ride off into the sunset with his wife, June.  

Sterling College student Grace Major, Hillsboro, will play Denise Sanders while Hutchinson resident Wendy Pope will be seen as the matriarch of the family, Vera Sanders. The patriarch, Burl Sanders, will be played by Nathan Anneken from Cincinnati. Playing Denise’s twin brother Dennis will be Alex Dunman, also from Cincinnati. Pastor Oglethorpe will be played by Carter Perry while his wife June Sanders will be played by his real wife Leah Perry. The Perrys are theater graduates from Taylor University and have been active in the Merit Theatre Company in Ohio. Josh May, recent graduate of Calvin College in Michgan, will play Stanley Sanders. 

Local residents Sheryl Wilms and Nate Hershberger will be musicians for the show on piano and guitar respectively.  

Seating is limited at Encounter Church. While no admission will be charged for the Sterling performances, a freewill offering will be offered at intermission of the two-hour show.