When students of the Branson, Mo., seminary were recently asked by the Church News if any of them perform on stage, Emilee Anne Warnock tentatively raised her hand.

What show? "The Andy Williams Christmas Show," she softly replied.

That night, sure enough, there she was on stage in the Moon River Theater with three sisters and her parents -- the Warnock Family -- "teaching" Andy Williams to sing with an energetic and delightful rendition of the popular "Sound of Music" song "Do-Re-Mi."



While the entertainment industry touches almost everyone in this southwestern Missouri community, what binds the seminary students together is a willingness to meet at 6 a.m. each school day at the Church meetinghouse to study the gospel.

Though there are only approximately 7,500 permanent residents in Branson, it is home to two wards of the Springfield Missouri Stake. Those wards supply teenagers to fill two seminary classes, the older students taught by Teri Green and the younger class taught by Dave Faria. The teachers said that of the students enrolled -- a total of about 40 -- nearly 100 percent attend regularly.

The young Church members fit well in Branson, which unabashedly promotes God, family and patriotism. At Christmas time, the true meaning of the holiday is trumpeted rather than veiled.

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This story is provided by the LDS Church News, an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is produced weekly by the Deseret News.