“Aunt Tina, Church Secretary, Be Careful What You Say Because She Writes Things Down” by Lorrie Hewitt

Aunt Tina, Church Secretary, Be Careful What You Say Because She Writes Things Down

Lorrie Hewitt
Independently Published (2019)
ASIN: B07Z31YTCS
Reviewed by Tammy Ruggles for Reader Views (10/2022)

“Aunt Tina, Church Secretary, Be Careful What You Say Because She Writes Things Down,” by Lorrie Hewitt, takes an intriguing look at a church secretary and how her life intertwines with others in her church.

The author has obviously poured herself into this play, beginning with the opening song, “God is Love,” which she herself began writing in 2008 after being inspired by God, and finished in 2012. She also places herself in the role of the secretary, also named Lorrie Hewitt. The cast of characters include members in church roles you may expect or have heard of, like an usher, and a choir, pastor, and deacon, but with a twist. They have unique-sounding names in this story, like Sister White, Sister Red, Sister Blue, etc. The King James Bible also plays a part in the play, and a list of props is conveniently provided by the author.

The church secretary, Aunt Tina, asks the congregation a simple question: Do you really know your church members? As each of the members are introduced in the play, we realize that this play is tongue-in-cheek, of sorts, a satire on how church members interact with one another. You may recognize hypocrisy, judgment, a holier-than-thou attitude, and other things found within church walls and within church members’ hearts. But it is all wrapped and delivered with a sense of humor, like when Sister Blue approaches a woman in church and measures the length of her nice skirt. Finding it too short, the woman is reminded that the church rules say she should go home and change clothes, which brings the woman to tears and drives her crying from the church.

Hewitt brings wit and wisdom to life in a church, and parts the curtain to let us have a humorous but honest look at how people in church behave. One message I took from the play: No one is perfect, not even church people, and we’ll always have these kind of people with us in the church. The funniest part for me is the phrase “She writes things down,” which echoes God’s role in keeping records of our deeds. And what would you think about a lady in the church who calls herself the church’s RN just because she took a CPR class?

The author’s style is fun and breezy, but with some church commentary that could be taken more seriously on second glance. This work ends with a second choir song written by the author, “My Beloved Son,” as well as Bible verses and a prayer for salvation. Overall, “Aunt Tina, Church Secretary, Be Careful What You Say Because She Writes Things Down,” by multi-talented Lorrie Hewitt, is an enjoyable read that would indeed make for a very entertaining play.