Acting apart

It’s Sunday morning. Not much has changed. You throw on some clothes and grab a coffee on your way out the door. Destination — church.

It’s just what you’ve been brought up doing. No rhyme or reason — just habit. There’s a handshake at the door, then you head for the back pew.

The regulars, as expected, are already occupying their assigned seating. Hymns, prayers, collection and a message — of sorts. The bit you look forward to is communion — that means it’s nearly over. ‘What’s for lunch?’ Your thoughts are focused on everything but what’s going on at present. Stand, sit, kneel, stand, and now you’re off. ‘Don’t have time to chat over a cuppa — got to get my golf gear on. Running late — the sermon was two minutes longer than last time…’ So your week begins. Christ? Cross? Forgiveness? Salvation? Justification? Mercy and grace? Love? No — just habit.

Wake the sleeping church

Charles M. Tanner, screenwriter in Hollywood and committed Christian, was not only serious about the Lord, but passionate about waking up the sleeping church. Gifted in writing, he believed the Lord was calling him out of the screenwriting area and into playwriting. And so he obeyed. On September 9 1963, Covenant Players was born.

He had been asked to write a series of plays (after much deliberation by the church committee regarding this ‘new medium’, which they were convinced would never work) for an up-coming four-day retreat. Gathering up some out-of-work actor friends of his, they performed the first play. At the second venue, word caught on about the play and the crowd gradually grew. Third venue — another increase in audience size, and by the fourth play, he was scheduling requests from the local churches to come and perform for their congregation.

As the requests for performing grew, so did the need for a more full-time commitment to performing and travelling, as well as for good material. So Chuck (as we knew him), committed himself to write more plays trusting the Lord for not only the inspiration, but also to provide the people who would be willing to tour and perform on the road.

Over 40 years later and the ministry has developed to being able to perform in a variety of venues — and also in different countries and languages as well (the plays are translated into 22 languages and the Lord opens doors for performing on every continent).

Retaining the message

Statistics say a certain amount of information is retained when it’s heard, a slightly higher amount when it’s seen, but the highest retention value is when something is experienced.

Christ used parables in the Bible to illustrate his messages — often using situations and things that people could relate to — an experience. Drama is similar, in a way, allowing an opportunity for people to relate to the characters in the play, while sharing in an experience. Covenant Players has a repertoire of over 3,500 plays which they have as a resource to minister with, so that, whatever group they may be serving (be it church, school, retirement, prison, military base, summer camp, retreat convention, etc.), the plays will not only target the requested theme, but the programme be tailored in such a way that it is pertinent for that particular audience.

The mission statement of the ministry states: ‘Covenant Players exists to communicate the Lord Jesus Christ through the medium of drama. To that end we commit ourselves to: go where the people are; serve the leadership of the church and the community; live a life worthy of our call; love each other and those we serve. In Covenant with God and one another, we dedicate ourselves to this task.’

Being part of the team

So how does it work being involved as a full time missionary with Covenant Players (CP)? When you join CP, you are asked to commit to two years of service. This would be four ‘missions’ (four-to-five-month tours out on the road ministering in a specific region) and four training sessions (two summer and two winter ones).

There are five continents where CP ministers and if you are called to minister overseas, that initial commitment of service is extended. During the training periods, the Covenant Players live and train together on their respective continents, in preparation for the up-coming mission on the road. After training, ‘units’ (the small touring troupe of usually three to four people) are assigned to a region, and mission begins. You pack your suitcase (which, incidentally, is just about all you have space for in your touring vehicle) and make your way to your mission area — rehearsing plays, planning programmes, and generally getting to know the other members of your unit as you go.

The Lord’s provision

Each unit, in essence, is almost like a small business. The small group is responsible for contacting the various organisations in your area to see where the Lord may have you minister; scheduling, planning, rehearsing and performing the plays; building on-going relationships with the hosts who graciously open their doors to you, staying in their homes for one, two or three nights at a time; and generally being good stewards of your vehicle maintenance, communications, finances and time, whilst building up the calendar for the next unit who will be coming through the area.

Throughout the years there have been a variety of ways the Lord has shown his faithfulness of provision. The financial needs of the ministry are met primarily (but not exclusively) by the income from the performances themselves. The accommodation needs of the missionaries are met by willing families who are kind enough to open their homes and their hearts to the travelling strangers.

The style of performing is very minimalist — using not much other than a table, chairs, and a vivid imagination from the audience to set the scene. All these, along with the grace and love of the Lord through the leading of the Holy Spirit, enabling the Covenant Players to travel around in their small units, going from city to city, allowing for the greatest possible variety of groups of people to be ministered to — from the back of a pick-up truck, to a sandy beach front; from a classroom or church hall, to around the fire at summer camp; from a group of inmates on death row, to 30 squirreling five-year-olds in the gym; taking God’s word into the darkness through the medium of drama.

The opportunities are vast — to be thrust into the deep end — from performing up to seven or eight times a week, to performing in a language you only know phonetically, to being the leader of a unit in a country you have never heard of — never mind understand the language!

The biannual training times provide the kind of community life which allows you to grow and be faced with challenges where the Lord wants to change you — the reality of servant-hood and putting others first in a self-less way you never imagined. And the comments shared of the Lord’s hand touching the hearts of the people through the plays is a good reminder of what an honour it is to be a messenger for the Lord, since you know, and testify, that all the glory goes to God for anything that is accomplished — or even attempted!

The chance to sing when you didn’t think you could; the chance to dance when you always thought you had two left feet; the chance to cook for an entire community of people when your family at Christmas time was the largest group you thought you’d ever get the opportunity to serve; the chance to pray with brothers and sisters and experience true humility and healing; the chance to cry and pour out your heart over the people and places you visit; the chance to be blessed with parents, brothers, sisters, homes 100-fold for the things you have left behind; the chance to glimpse the work which Christ is doing for eternal purposes; the chance to laugh when all is going pear-shaped — because you know and fully trust that the Lord is in control, and believe he never wanted you to make it perfect in the first place — to him be the glory; the chance to celebrate each others victories, to carry each others burdens; the chance to see miracles of provision, direction, healing and answered prayer on a daily basis…

And all because the Lord took a handful of willing, available people — who had a few skills, hearts he could use, and a mustard seed of faith, ‘Here I am — send me’, and touched one life at a time through the medium of drama, by the power of the Holy Spirit, for his eternal pleasure and ultimate purpose.

Living Word

Imagine it’s Sunday morning. Something has changed. You throw on some clothes and grab a coffee on your way out the door. Destination — church. It’s not what you’ve been brought up doing — at least not like this! You can’t wait to share with your brothers and sisters the goodness of the Lord in your life this week. You saw a play, sensed the Lord’s conviction, and now are beginning to understand the meaning of the Cross, forgiveness, salvation, justification, mercy, grace and love! You’ve been challenged, encouraged, inspired — the Word is living and active. The joy of the Lord is your strength… and so your week begins.

Naomi Philippi

© Evangelicals Now - July 2008
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