NATCHEZ — It’s OK to act out and get a little goofy, as long as one is being a fool for Christ.

That is the theme of the Clown Ministry at Jefferson Street United Methodist Church.

The ministry, overseen by youth coordinator John Hudson, has been going on since the 1980s and allows children of all ages to dress up like clowns and entertain the elderly at local nursing homes in the spirit of the Lord.

Hudson said there is a rich tradition behind clowning.

“In medieval times, the king always had a jester, and his responsibility was to tell the king, when he was doing something stupid,” Hudson said. “He could speak freely to the king and nothing would happen to him.

“The same thing started to happen in the church, the church jester or clown would be in a box and he would pop out the box if people weren’t connecting to the word or if the preacher wasn’t doing his job. That’s where the jack in the box came from, because he jumped out of the box.”

Now, there are the Jefferson Street UMC clowns, who go around town to spread the goodness of the Lord through cheerful activities.

Hudson said it is a fun way for the children in the church to do good deeds for the Lord.

The clowns perform approximately five weekends a year, visiting many nursing homes each weekend, and the transformation into fools for Christ can be a little tedious.

“We meet at the church at about 9 a.m. and begin to put on makeup, and all the makeup has symbolism for Christians,” Hudson said. “Covering our face with white grease paint symbolizes the death of the person you are, and putting colors on your face is the birth of the new person you have become.

“The white paint covers who you were and creating a new person in Christ. The red nose is a sign of being a fool for Christ. They would put on other symbols, and balloons and crosses and anything that would connect them to the uniqueness of a Christian clown.”

Hudson said the process of layering make up on their faces takes up to two hours. Jefferson Street clown James Coley said it is a process that he does not look forward to.

“It is probably the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Coley said. “You have so much stuff on your face, and you can’t even look in the mirror and tell its you. But it’s like putting on a mask and going to a party, and you can be whomever you want to.”

Coley, 16, may not be a fan of the make up, but he said he is a fan of brightening up the day of those he entertains.

“When I do it, I just go into it and do whatever I can to make them smile or laugh,” he said. “It changes you. It makes you change the way you look at everything. It makes you realize that these people usually don’t have many people come see them. For you to go in there and instantly put a smile on their face makes your day.”

Coley remembers his first time vividly during the 2012 Balloon Race weekend, and he said that experience is what brings him back to local nursing homes in face paint and red nose.

“I had no idea what I was doing and I just went in there and did my best,” Coley said. “When I was leaving, the first couple of people stopped me and asked me my name and told me I was one the best ones. For my first time, I will always remember that.”

Hudson remembers a very significant moment while visiting a nursing home many years ago involving a woman who was dealing with depression that stemmed from having both of her legs amputated.

Her demeanor was one most children wouldn’t dare mess with, Hudson said. She sat in her wheelchair with her head dangling towards the ground, not at all moved by the antics the clowns were putting on.

Hudson said one of his young clowns had the courage to go up to her and ask an unfathomable question.

“He asked her, ‘Can I dance with you?’” Hudson said. “She said to him, ‘I can’t dance, I have no legs.’ He took her hands and twirled her around in the wheelchair. By the end of it, she was laughing. She was experiencing spiritual ecstasy at that point. That was powerful.”

Those moments keep the clowns of Jefferson Street UMC coming back for more. Though the main mission is to project smiles on the faces of those who seem to not have many smiles, the clowns are also fulfilling their purpose as Christians to help spread the joy of the Lord.