An Alabaster Box

Mrs. Solomon Black is a force of will in the little town of Brookville, already plotting a church fair to keep the local pastor, Wesley Elliot, from going broke. She mixes practical concerns—debt to bakers and butchers—with a breezy optimism that even the “alabaster box” of precious ointment can be broken for the greater good. As Wesley sifts through doughnuts and half‑written sermons, he wrestles with the gap between his bright seminary ambitions and the modest realities of his new congregation.

The story paints a vivid portrait of a community where faith, frugality and stubborn pride intersect, and where a young minister must decide whether to let others steer his path or carve his own. Through witty dialogue and gentle humor, the first act establishes the tensions that will shape Wesley’s choices and the town’s future, inviting listeners to linger over the everyday miracles hidden in ordinary lives.