MAKING CHANGE : This Variety Show Is About More Than Music and Dance Transitions

The Christian rock band is up first, then the ballet troupe and the gospel choir. Then there are the vocal soloists, the family sing-along and, wrapping it all up, the inspirational one-act play.

With six different groups scheduled to perform in just over 90 minutes, the inaugural “Performance of Love” benefit Saturday at the First Christian Church in Huntington Beach promises to be an evening of transitions.

Cynthia McCue, producer of the event for the nonprofit Ecumenical Service Alliance, says the variety show format will let audiences enjoy a mix of performing artists for one fairly affordable price, and the constantly changing entertainment should better capture the attention of younger viewers.

But there is another reason to make change a focus here. Operated by 500 volunteers from churches of 16 denominations countywide, as well as several businesses, ESA’s primary work is to help low-income and homeless people make a change for the better.

Through its community centers in five O.C. cities, ESA provides food, funds, counseling, rent assistance and other services, McCue said. The group also operates two transitional living shelters: Martha House in Orange for women and San Clemente’s Anchor House for families. A third facility--Beacon House, in Orange--is planned to open in May, providing temporary housing for mentally disabled adults.

In 1992, the last year for which statistics are available, ESA served more than 60,000 people; nearly half of them families. And ESA executive director Dennis White predicts that, in 1994, those numbers will rise by as much as 10%.

“We’re definitely seeing the increase in need . . . especially in single parent families,” White said.

But, as White pointed out, fund-raising isn’t the primary purpose for “Performance of Love.”

“Yes, we need the money, but we really want to bring the community together and look at the situation,” he said. “We’re trying to help as many people as we can to understand what they can do to help.”

Headlining “Performance of Love” is the St. Joseph Ballet, the innovative Santa Ana troupe that currently involves 270 mostly inner-city youths.

According to a company spokeswoman, about 25 troupe members will perform “All God’s Children” backed by the Biola University gospel choir.

A smaller ensemble will preview a new piece from their upcoming spring concert, “Moving, Remembering, Arriving,” which is set to three Latin American-themed works by Aaron Copeland. Other artists scheduled to appear include Peter Shambrook and his Christian jazz-rock group, a Crestline family of singers who call themselves the Tender Branches and Orange County High School of the Arts director Ralph Opacic and OCHSA graduate Terron Brooks singing inspirational songs.

The second half will feature the Orange County premiere of “The Homecoming,” a one-act play about “youthful rebellion, forgiveness and reconciliation,” said McCue, adding that the event is suitable for children in grade school and up.

“There’s nothing preachy or heavy about the whole evening,” promised McCue. “We’re going to make this light and entertaining, just sheer fun.”

What: “Performance of Love.”

When: Saturday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m.

Where: First Christian Church, 1207 Main St., Huntington Beach.

Whereabouts: San Diego (405) Freeway to Brookhurst Street exit. Drive south on Brookhurst, then go right on Ellis Avenue. Take Ellis past Beach Boulevard, bearing left onto Main Street.

Wherewithal: $15 for adults, $10 for ages 12 to 18, $5 for ages 3 to 11.

Where to call: (714) 588-7422. Tickets are also available at: Celebration in Santa Ana, (714) 549-5220; Sonship Newport in Newport Beach, (714) 631-1974, and Paulist Press in Costa Mesa, (714) 545-8021.