Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church pastor Tim Seitz-Brown will welcome an old friend to town.

Seitz-Brown met the magician James Warren at a Theology and Peace Conference in Baltimore in 2011. "As part of the evening entertainment, James dazzled us with his magic tricks," Seitz-Brown said. "He made us laugh and ask over and over again, 'How did you do that?' He made me forget about the snacks table and drew me in with his entertainment."

On Sunday, April 13, Warren will perform his magic act at Zion Lutheran, which is located at 85 Brandt Blvd., Landisville.

The show will run from 4 to 5 p.m., followed by a meal at 5:30. Everyone is invited. The church will provide fried chicken and beverages, and congregants will bring side dishes and desserts. There is no charge for the performance or the meal.

Warren's magic show is part of the Zion Arts Series. "(The mission of the arts series is) to show the community at large that there's more to Zion than just a church," series chairman John Marrs said. "We are trying to reach people in a safe way to provide a community where we can all live together peacefully."

In the past, the church primarily hosted concerts. "We wanted to make it more inclusive," said Marrs. "We had a comedian last fall, and now we have a magician coming. That's part of our community outreach."

Marrs said the show is family friendly. "It is aimed at an adult audience, but children will be entertained," he said. He added that Zion Lutheran is trying to draw younger parishioners.

"Our church is going through a transitional period where there are only a few kids," Marrs said. "That's part of our mission, to engage our community and build our numbers a bit. To be a more prominent pillar in our community. We are reaching out and trying to make it inviting for other folks to come."

Warren currently lives in Erie, which is where Marrs is from. Marrs saw one of Warren's shows during a trip back home. "I was blown away by his expertise," Marrs said. "He does things that are very, very entertaining."

Warren stated that his performances are about much more than magic. "My show is called 'Imagine Magic' because I see it as an appeal to imagine our lives differently," he said. "The great thing about the magician, which I think most people realize, is that the amazing possibilities the magician creates are done with little more than smoke and mirrors, rubber cement, thread, and cleverness. This kind of magic is an affirmation of the amazing things an individual can still do in our 'technicized' society."

Warren added, "People coming to my show will indeed see amazing things, but nothing they couldn't do with some study and training. They will come to my show, have fun, be amazed, and go away uplifted, at least for a while, and hopefully a little more willing to imagine new possibilities for themselves and those they love."

After watching Warren's show in 2011, Seitz-Brown spent time with the magician. "Later, at the conference, James helped me to read the Bible in a fresh way: The punishing violence at the cross was human; the healing love and forgiveness at the cross was divine," Seitz-Brown said. "It was 'magic.' Unlike many interpretations that made God look like Zeus, firing lightning arrows of punishment at us, Jesus revealed the true character of the Father. I invited James both because of his joyful entertainment, but also because of his faithful witness to the more beautiful Gospel."

Seitz-Brown said those who attend the show will hear a meaningful message. "James' combination of joyful entertainment and deep theological insight clearly makes an impact on people," he said. "His way of framing the cross - distinguishing human violence from divine love - offers a transformative way of understanding Jesus' witness."