The annual Gift of Hope event is offering a different type of entertainment this year—Christian stand-up comedian Jennifer Fulwiler. The event is set for Saturday, March 21 at 7 p.m. at the Bishop O’Gorman High School Performing Arts Center in Sioux Falls.
Presented by the Catholic Community Foundation of Eastern South Dakota, the event benefits Catholic Family Services’ (CFS) Gift of Hope Fund, which helps advance the mission of CFS to provide various counseling and adoption services.
This isn’t Fulwiler’s first time in Sioux Falls. She’s made several trips here for speaking engagements and even kicked off her new comedy tour here in 2019. She loves the friendly people and beauty of the area.
Born and raised an atheist, Fulwiler and her husband converted to the Catholic Church together after much reading, research and soul searching. Since then, she has listened to where God has lead her and found many surprises along the way. The biggest one was her recent leap into comedy.
Her humor revolves around her family (she’s a mom to six children), living in the suburbs, and trying to juggle work and family life. She sneaks a bit about her conversion and faith into the mix as well, seeing herself as a new kind of evangelist.
“I think of it as doing special ops evangelization,” Fulwiler says. “Not just for Catholicism per say, but for the culture of life and witnessing to this culture that tells women that family and children are a burden. I provide a witness that there’s really something beautiful, especially for women, in family life and in connection.”
She feels her role is to share her story and leave the heavy teaching and theology to other people. This way, she can reach others who might not otherwise be exposed to what a Catholic life looks like.
“When you turn your life over to God and fully embrace the Catholic faith and let the Lord lead you, your life will get very interesting very quickly. Our God is a God of surprises.”
For more information about the Gift of Hope or to purchase tickets, visit ccfesd.org or call 605-988-3765.
