The sanctuary of Marshalltown's Trinity Lutheran Church was alive with hearty laughter Wednesday night.
Much of it was deliberate.
The occasion: The church's Laughter Club was in session for its weekly half-hour meeting from 5:30 p.m to 6 p.m.
Facilitator Mary Harris was dressed appropriately, with a multi-colored wig and coveralls.
There were flying monkeys, propelled through the air in sling-shot fashion. Mock bowling and joke telling were also on the agenda in the lively and fast paced meeting.
Harris did not lecture.
The activities were interactive, with all in attendance taking part.
Members laughed out loud for the sake of it. They turned from their place in the pew and laughed at each other. In one exercise, members would pick a piece of real or imagined lint of their clothing and laughed. A crowded "pretend" elevator was another skit which generated even more laughter.
Joining Mary Harris for this particular meeting was husband Jeff, Rev. Gregg Davison of Trinity and parishioners Martha Schwandt and Sherry Allen.
During the course of the meeting it was evident that there was more than laughter and rubber-band powered toys to the meeting.
The purpose, of all the exercises, according to Mary Harris is to make laughter a priority in people's lives.
She was serious about it.
Before each exercise, she spoke briefly about how laughter, in general, could make people happier and healthier.
She also said that laughter made people more resilient to stress, improved sleep and people were less prone to catch colds and flu.
Throughout the meeting Harris was using what is called laughter yoga.
Put simply, laughter yoga, according to an Evangelical Church of America website,elcabop.org/Home/LiveWell/Wellness, "was developed in India by Dr. Madan Kataria who figured there had to be a good way to harness the healing power of laughter. The method combines laughter with deep breathing techniques to maximize the benefits of the workout."
Mary Harris trained with a master trainer of Laughter Yoga, Rev. Laura Gentry of Lansing.
Gentry was trained by Kataria.
He said of her: "She speaks from her heart and inspires people with her true , joyful spirit. Laughing Laura is surely one of my best laughter professors."
It was Gentry's presentation at Trinity in June, 2009 that motivated Mary Harris to learn more.
"I saw her presentation," Harris, an elementary school educator said. "I know I could do that."
She went to Trinity's parish council and asked permission to form the club and use the church.
Her request was approved.
Mary Harris had another reason for learning about laughter.
"There was a lot of stress in my life at the time," she said. "My mother was in her 22nd year of Alzheimer's (disease) and if you have lived with that for awhile, its just is always there, it is always there."
There was more.
"And it's not something you laugh about," she said.
The Laughter Club provides relief.
"This is good," Mary Harris said of the club meetings. "It's good balance."
Member Sherry Allen said she "enjoyed a great good night's sleep" after attending her first session some time ago.
Davison said he attends the meetings periodically because "mostly because the provide stress relief," he said. "Everything I've read said that laughter is good for the body. I believe it.'
He had more to say.
"I think Jesus laughed a lot," Davison said, "considering some of the disciples he had, sometimes it is better to laugh than to cry."
The church Laughter Club meets each Wednesday in the church sanctuary during the school year
Contact Mike Donahey at 641-753-6611 or mdonahey@timesrepublican.com
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