Celebrating creativity and the spirit

Young Chang

Bill Wolfe’s pants have smatterings of stripes, flowers and spirals in

every color of the rainbow. His shirt is a loud green. His hat has spokes

shooting out like a jester’s.

The ensemble is a symbol of his spirituality -- a belief that artistic

creativity is a divinely inspired product that is present in everyone,

Wolfe said. His position is that the spirit is nondenominational and

encompasses any religion.

As the director and founder of Sunday Night Alive, a self-expression

group that meets monthly at the Center for Spiritual Discovery

(previously known as the Costa Mesa Church of Religious Science), Wolfe

heads up his actors, singers, dancers and writers by talking the talk and

wearing it too. As a musician, he said he uses his art to convey the

presence of God.

“To me, there’s only one God,” Wolfe said. “And he has many different

names. So there’s only one source or energy you could call it because I

believe that God is present in everything and everyone. We all have that

spark.”

Every month, participants from a gamut of religions perform using

almost every art medium. Wolfe, a composer and conductor, plays the piano

at every Sunday Night Alive gathering.

Sometimes they pray. Sometimes it’s more of a humorous, lighthearted

program.

To Arline Kaplan, Sunday Night Alive offered a safe place to overcome

her fear of public speaking. By speaking and singing in front of a group,

her knees have literally stopped quivering, her hands have stopped

shaking.

“Part of spirituality for me is a loving environment,” Kaplan said.

“Creative expression to me is . . . spirituality is always creating.”

For a special Halloween celebration on Oct. 28, the group will sing

karaoke, put on skits and dance at a Huntington Beach clubhouse instead

of its usual Costa Mesa location.

In November, participants will return to the Center for Spiritual

Discovery for a program on Native Americans and Thanksgiving.

“Take Beethoven,” Wolfe said. “Music was divinely inspired through

him. That’s what happens in the community. We have all different kinds of

levels of ability, but everyone has that sense of and the presence of God

and the beauty of music.”

Wolfe -- who has been involved with Filipino Baptist, Methodist,

Religious Science, Unity and Episcopal churches -- started the group 16

years ago from a workshop called “Life Song,” which had the mission to

“celebrate creativity in people.”

Sunday Night Alive shares that mission.

“It’s a place for people to try different things that under other

circumstances, they would be made fun of,” Wolfe said.

FYI

* WHAT: Sunday Night Alive celebrates Halloween with a special program

* WHEN: 5 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 28

* WHERE: Brookfield Manor Clubhouse, 9850 Garfield Ave., Huntington

Beach

* COST: Free

* CALL: (714) 969-4778

* WHAT: Sunday Night Alive will present a program on Native Americans

and Thanksgiving

* WHEN: 7 p.m. Nov. 25

* WHERE: Center for Spiritual Discovery, 2850 Mesa Verde Drive East,

Costa Mesa

* COST: $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for children

* CALL: (714) 969-4778