When the Christian Comedy Association sponsored a pair of showcases for stand-up comics during its recent convention in Richardson, local performer Ms. Vickie was the lone comedian to offer the perspective of a Christian single parent.

" I do comedy not just to be funny, but also to share my experiences and provide encouragement to other Christians," said Ms. Vickie during a telephone interview.

The Richardson comedian will headline Christian Comedy Night at The Improv in Addison on Tuesday. She has also appeared on BET and HBO.

" I tell people I'm 'single with kids,' " said Ms. Vickie, who's raising three children from an earlier marriage that "started out like Little House on the Prairie and ended like Nightmare on Elm Street ," she said.

The comedian's act combines humorous anecdotes about child-rearing with tales of her search for a Christian Mr. Right.

" I want a man who loves the Lord and who tithes – and who gives me the other 90 percent," she quipped during the CCA showcase at The Heights Baptist Church in Richardson.

" Men don't even look at you when you drive a minivan, so I bought me a two-seater," she said. Ms. Vickie began her comedic career more than a decade ago in her hometown of Kansas City, Mo.

" In 1992, I'd just become 'single with kids,' and I had a lot to say," stated Ms. Vickie. "I started doing stand-up on a dare, and I've been doing it ever since."

While clean, family-oriented humor has long been a staple of Ms. Vickie's act, her move to Christian comedy is relatively recent.

" I started doing Christian comedy about three years ago, and I learned to take the focus off me, so that in every way He receives the glory," she said. "If my work doesn't lead people to Christ, then there's no point in doing it."

Helen Daly is a Baltimore-based freelance writer. She can be reached at helendaly@mac.com.