08 Nov A Dramatic Solution

Prince was a young believing chap. Everyday, he would go to college with a burden of sharing God’s love with his peers. Like many of us, he had been taught ‘personal evangelism’, yet somehow, it never worked well for him! He was either shunned or mocked at. Somehow, people did not accept his message when he spoke. He could not pass tracts or  books around, because they said they don’t care enough to read so much! Eventually, Prince realized that people do not want to read, neither do they want someone to ‘preach’ to them! He kept  wondering how he could reach out to others on campus.

There were other committed students on campus, like Prince who were making an attempt to reach out to their friends in their own small way. They bumped into each other often in their personal endeavors of talking about God with their peers. So they decided to get together and plan a strategy that would help them be more successful. After much prayer and thought, they hit upon the idea of drama and music on campus.

It was quite an effort for some group members to get together regularly for prayer and practice; others required pep talk and motivation! Initially, they were apprehensive about the success of their idea. But as they spent time praying and practising, God showed them various ways to better themselves. They understood God as the Master Story Teller and the Director of Directors! From creation in Genesis to The Revelation at the end! Jesus had used stories and parables in abundance to get His message across to the common man. Prince and his friends started with pre-planned loud dramatic talk in prominent places in their college. They would sit around in campus, strumming their guitars and singing casually. People sometimes flocked around them to listen. This gave them the courage to proceed to small skits and

street plays. They often spoke on sensitive issues and social evils; they made use of ‘Friendship Day’, ‘Independence Day’, ‘Father’s Day’ and so many other such days that are observed, to stage small skits. His group slowly explored various ways to reach out to others. As they kept working on this,  they were encouraged to see that many people who never listened to the Message when it was told, now stopped to watch their performance. People crowded around them to hear what they had to say! They then started printing
fliers for their plays to let people know what they were doing and where they were performing. They eventually  had a steady group of
youngsters come to watch them perform. Prince, who once struggled alone to share Christ, is no longer alone. He had found a way out of his predicament through the usage of drama in ministry. Even Jesus knew that a story or drama will hold somebody’s attention; it
helps drive a point home without directly preaching about it! Prince and His friends followed the Lord’s example.

About the Author

Gifty Joel enjoys reading and writing articles. During her graduation she was a part of the college cultural team. Currently she is teaching at Mount Carmel College, Bangalore. She has been a trainer in UESI Communication