Picture Racine circa 1854 - a city of more than 5,000 Yankee settlers who had come to Wisconsin to grow wheat and other crops, and eventually produce dairy products. Although the Civil War would not begin for another six years, the nation was already divided into slave and non-slave states. And under the Fugitive Slave Act - which Wisconsin opposed - it was illegal for anyone, even in the non-slave states, to help or harbor runaway slaves.

Members of Racine's First Presbyterian Church, and other churches here, worked to push Congress to take a stronger stand against slavery back then. But not everyone at First Presbyterian agreed on what position the church should take on the issue.

Such is the setting of a musical drama called "We've Come This Far With Faith," which will have its first public performance Sunday morning during the 9:30 worship service at First Presbyterian Church, 716 College Ave.

Written by Molly Hall, a member of the church, "We've Come This Far With Faith" tells the story of a runaway slave, Elijah, who leaves his family and home in Missouri and makes his way to the crawlspace at First Presbyterian via the Underground Railroad. Based on research of that era - along with a little inspiration from a children's book called "A Green Horn Blowing" - the story connects Elijah with and an 11-year-old boy, Samuel, who is impressed with the slave taking refuge in his church's crawlspace.

The two become friends and through their friendship, the play explores issues of slavery, independence and faith - and the moral dilemmas that people here and throughout the country faced in dealing with them during that time.

"It's about how small acts of goodness and commitment to others really can change a life," said Hall, who is also an attorney specializing in litigation, environmental law and elder care, as well as a mother of two.

Community effort

While the story is fictional, parts of Hall's play ring true with what is believed to be First Presbyterian's role in helping fugitive slaves escape to freedom. The crawlspace, for example, really exists at the church and historic artifacts found in it have led the congregation to believe that slaves actually hid out there at one time.

"We've Come This Far With Faith" is also a musical experience which features old slave-era spirituals and other established songs, as well as some original songs written by Hall, members of her family and local pianist Fumi Nishikiori-Nakayama.

The project truly has been a community effort, Hall says. In researching her topic, the playwright had help and support from a number of people including Dave Holle, who knows the church's history; staff at the Racine Heritage Museum; and Beth Bush, wife of former First Presbyterian Pastor Randy Bush. She also consulted with James Schatzman, artistic director of the Choral Arts Society, and members of Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church (across the street) about various aspects of the production. Her husband, Jonathan Olsen, and their children - Rosemarie, 7, and Ian, 11 - are also involved in the show in various capacities.

"All of the collaboration has been wonderful," Hall said.

Lessons learned

The cast of 19 is made up of local folks of all ages - some with prior theatrical experience and some without. The role of Elijah is played by Martice Scales, a local pianist/actor who the audience may recognize from his job at the Cup of Hope coffee shop on Sixth Street.

Prior to his work with Hall's play, Scales said he didn't even like to think about the time in our country's history when slavery existed. Learning more about it through his role as Elijah has given him much more respect for those slaves who ran away from their masters, he said.

"The masters were telling them that freedom was 2 to 3,000 miles away, when they really only had about 500 miles to go," Scales said. "This experience has shown me just how much courage slaves had to have to risk their lives in running away."

"We've Come This Far With Faith" tells an important story that everyone should hear, even if they've heard it before, he said.

Nancy DeKraay, a member of First Presbyterian who also helped with the production, agrees. Performing the play at the church helps bring a moral issue to the foreground so that people can discuss it, she said.

"There is a lot of history between our church and this issue," DeKraay said. "There were so many people here who worked and helped with the Underground Railroad."

And while she realizes that our country still has a long way to go when it comes to issues of race, DeKraay said she hopes the play will at least make people think about it and help them to realize how far we've come.

Hall said she hopes to bring "We've Come This Far With Faith" to other churches in Racine in the future.

WHAT: "We've Come This Far With Faith," an original musical drama about the Underground Railroad in Racine

WHEN: 9:30 a.m. Sunday (May 31)

WHERE: First Presbyterian Church, 716 College Ave.

COST: Free

INFO: Call First Presbyterian Church at (262) 632-1686