A Moment of Joy

Inside the lobby of Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York City, a group of performers from The Salvation Army Eastern Territory’s Joy ministry do costume and choreography test runs. A Spider-Man practices the flip he’ll do for his entrance, while Jessie, the cowgirl rag doll from the movie Toy Story, helps adjust the mask of Woody, her partner.

They will present a variation on an act that can be seen every summer at The Salvation Army Pier Festival in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, plus some inter­active games and callout songs.

Right before starting, the group takes a moment to pray—for one another, and for the young hospital patients and their fami­lies who will be watching.

“We do have some practices and prepa­ration, but it all really comes together at that last rehearsal before the show,” says Resa Berry, who is an arts ministries specialist and the director for Joy. “The first time we did this, I cried. Almost every patient had to be wheeled in with their parents and nurses.”

The Salvation Army’s work to comfort the sick isn’t new, but Berry has created a show-based, family-centered ministry around it with a timeless message of love and inspiration.

“In other countries, The Salvation Army runs professional hospitals and health care centers,” says Berry. “If we had places like that here, I think the arts would have a role to play in that ministry too. I hope that the memories we bring through Joy can connect the families with the love, grace, and hope of Christ in their own way.”

The Joy ministry is as much for the parents as it is for their children, whose days are filled with doctors and nurses, medical tests and procedures, and uncertainty. Berry has talked to many parents who were people of faith at one point but whose lives changed dramatically to care for their children.

“Sometimes you can see the pain in the eyes of the parents as they try to help their children communicate with the Joy cast members,” Berry says. “We always tell them that they don’t have to burden themselves with that. We’re here for them.”

Joy’s performances are professionally recorded by the hospital’s video staff, then play on a loop on the hospital TVs, so patients who can’t attend can still see the show. Berry hopes that the Joy ministry can one day incorporate bedside inter­actions with children undergoing care.

The performers would have to take precautions, but Berry says the ministry would require less preparation and a smaller cast, making it possible to perform more frequently and meet children who are unable to leave their hospital rooms.

“When any child can see their favorite character standing in front of them, it’s almost like they’re seeing a long-lost friend,” says Berry.

“But children at the hospital have serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions. They may never be able to visit a theme park and see these characters, so it’s even more important for them. It takes them out of their situation, even for moment, to a place where they can feel like superheroes and princesses too.”