Anna Breneman and Tim Strawser promise guests will laugh and just might learn something along the way.

Breneman and Strawser are co-directors of The Promise Players' production of "Casting Swine Before Pearls."

The family-friendly comedy will be performed Thursday, Nov. 6, through Sunday, Nov. 9, and Thursday, Nov. 13, through Sunday, Nov. 16, at Lampeter Church of the Brethren, 1900 Lampeter Road, Lancaster.

The Thursday and Friday shows will begin at 7:30 p.m., the Saturday shows will be held at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and the Sunday shows will start at 2:30 p.m.

The Promise Players' shows frequently sell out, so reservations are encouraged. Seating is general admission on a first-come, first-served basis. Go to http://www.promiseplayers.org to reserve tickets or call the church office at 717-464-2050 Mondays to Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Payment will be made at the door.

" 'Casting Swine Before Pearls' is set in a small church, and it's a very small cast, which has been a lot of fun," Breneman said. "The congregation and the pastor and the secretary find out that one of the church members has passed away and has left his inheritance to the church, which they're shocked to find out. There's a caveat to the deal, and they have to take care of his pets. They think it's probably dogs or cats, and then they discover it's three prize-winning swine, and their names are Mo, Larry, and Curly. They have to take care of these pigs until their passing."

The Promise Players is a Christian theater group, a ministry of Lampeter Church of the Brethren. The troupe puts on two shows a year. The productions traditionally raise money for a Christian nonprofit. "Each show, we choose a beneficiary that sort of ties into the theme of the show in some way," said Breneman. "For this performance, we've selected Love INC of Lancaster County. We chose them because they help with transportation for people who have difficulty getting to doctor's appointments or shopping, and there's some reference in the show to helping the people in their neighborhood, in their backyard."

Breneman, a Strasburg resident, has been the organization's stage manager for seven years and is directing for the first time. "It's been good," she said. "Tim is really good to work with. We've worked together before, obviously, because he's directed many other shows. But it's been a good experience. We have a really good cast."

Strawser, who lives in West Lampeter Township, is enjoying the experience of working alongside Breneman. "It's a pleasure working with her," he said. "It's going to be exciting to see what she'll do with this."

Strawser joined The Promise Players in 1996 as an actor and has directed eight shows. "I really enjoy the directing. I enjoy the acting, so it's kind of kind of a bittersweet to be the co-director but also seeing the acting," he said. "But this play is very, very funny and really, really gets into the danger of the love of money."

Strawser added, "I think what I love about The Promise Players is two things. One is that it touches on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but it also helps with the community when they come. It's not like it's something's being banged over your head, but it's giving them something that they can laugh about and maybe think about when they're driving home."

Steve Quigg of Martic Township originally auditioned for the role of Jingles but will portray pastor Vince Valentine while acting in his third show with The Promise Players. "I was just part of the background in the first one and had a little bit more parts in the second one, and I am one of the leads this time," he said. "It's a little bit daunting. It wasn't the role I actually auditioned for, but I was open to him. My dad (Walter) was a pastor, so I know what a pastor's supposed to look like and act like, so it's not too far off the stretch. It's honor in that sense, but Dad never had to deal with what I'm dealing with in this (show)."

He is loving his time with the group. "I'm retired now, and so I was looking for something to get involved with in retirement, and I'm used to being on stage doing presentations and seminars, so it wasn't a far stretch to go try out for this," said Quigg. "It's been a neat fit, so it's been rewarding and fun and good camaraderie, and a lot of other good things."

The rest of the cast includes Lorie Grucelski as Robyn Chandler, Shawn Gollatz as Jingles Bradshaw, Wayne Rhinier as Micah Tasker, Nancy Snyder as Pearl June Carbuckle, Lanny Millette as Quentin Carbuckle, and Claire Meashey as Senator McNutt. Marty Raine is the stage manager.

Breneman stated that the production will be a blast. "If you need an evening just to laugh, this is a good way to do it," she said. "Even during our read-through, some of us were laughing so hard we were crying. It's just a really enjoyable way to spend an evening, and there's a good message in it. It's just a lot of fun."