Comedian Jim Breuer, Mendham Church Bring 'Humbug' to Christmas

Add together two of the world’s most timeless stories on the biggest holiday of the year, and what you end up with is an ambitious production designed to make the birth of Jesus Christ as relevant today as it was more than 2,000 years ago.

That’s what the staff at Mendham Hills Community Church – long known for its incredible Christmas Eve services – has set out to do this year, as it combines Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol with the meaning behind Christmas.

“There’s a correlation between Scrooge and Marley in the Dickens’ story and the story of Jesus and Lazarus in the Bible,” said Mendham Pastor John Isemann. “We want this to be retold to become real again, because (the story of Jesus) is a real, relevant story.”

The production will come with some star power, as comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast member Jim Breuer will play the role of Ebenezer Scrooge.

The idea came to Isemann and the leadership team at the church back in August.

“So much of the story relates to the scriptures,” Isemann said. “We think by presenting this it can springboard the gospel.”

When the idea to put on the production came up, Director of Worship Arts Tim Berry approached Breuer, who earlier this year used his comedic presence to help Isemann on stage with series on marriage, and asked if he’d be interested to take on the role of Scrooge.

Breuer obliged, happily, and the team has been working on the script and performance for the last month.

The performance won’t run the length of the story, but will touch on the finer points relating to scriptures and be narrated by Isemann during three separate services on Dec. 23 and 24.

Isemann’s December sermons are based on the Dickens’ novel and how people are haunted by past, present, and future ghosts, and “how the birth of Christ impacts all those things,” he said. “The lead up to the Christmas Eve service is key, but it will also stand alone.”

Tickets for the services, which are free to the public, were made available to the public on Monday, Dec. 1. In just four hours, all seats for the Dec. 23 service were reserved, with 75-percent and 50-percent of the tickets reserved for the 4 and 6 p.m. service times, respectively, on Dec. 24.

“It’s been an overwhelming response,” Isemann said. “And all we’ve done is put the word out to our congregation. We haven’t even started marketing this yet.”

Because of that, the church will decide in the coming days if it needs to add another service on Dec. 23. Anyone interested in reserving tickets for the remaining services can do so by clicking here.

Child care will be provided during each service for kids four and under. Mendham Hills Community Church is located at 474 Route 24 in Chester.

Pictured: Jim Breuer as Ebenezer Scrooge. Photo Courtesy Mendham Hills Community Church.