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Youth Group Finds Drama an Effective Tool
BELLINGHAM, WA (January 27, 2005) - Bellingham Covenant Church's drama team
SOL (Serving Our Lord) has taken ministry to the streets, performing and
witnessing every other Saturday evening in this northern Washington city.
The group includes 11 high school and college students who are involved
both at Bellingham Covenant and in other local congregations. The group
performs eight dramas
in a series over the course of 90 minutes, according to part-time youth
director Steve Hiller. Materials have been taken from DRIME, a
parachurch drama organization that has been used successfully at Trinity
Western University in Langley, British Columbia. A student who had
worked with DRIME, Michelle Miller, helped bring the concept to the
church.
A few adults are also part of the program. Some members participate
directly in the dramas while other members converse with those who are
watching, in some cases soliciting prayer requests from the audience and
talking about Jesus Christ and the message the dramas present. The drama
series - just one element in a youth program
that includes 25-35 people - has been meaningful to those who have taken
part thus far, Hiller says.
"This was a grass roots ministry that started because the youth wanted
to do it," says Hiller. "I was the volunteer youth leader at the time
and went along for the ride. The modeling of DRIME was key to making
this fly and they have been super supportive of helping us grow our
ministry. Several of the youth over the last three years were interested
in drama, which is one of the draws. The fellowship amongst the group
has been incredible and now the passion to share with people has really
added a great element. It is the Lord that has drawn this group together
and He continues to amaze us with how he can use people when they are
available."
To learn more about SOL, call Hiller at 360-733-7364. To learn more
about DRIME, visit the group's website at www.drime.com.
Many Covenant churches and their youth are making differences in their
communities as well, as reflected in the more than 250 local church
newsletters received each month by Covenant Communications. Following
are highlights grouped by conference and region.
CANADA
- Winnipeg, Manitoba: A young adults retreat last fall drew about 60
people to Faith Covenant Church with pastor Art Greco of Marin Covenant
Church in San Rafael, California, as the guest speaker.
CENTRAL
- Belvidere, Illinois: The Evangelical Covenant Church of Belvidere
Awana Club recently completed a service project by marching in the
Belvidere Hometown Christmas Parade and passing out 2,000 candy canes
and 1,000 gospel tracts. A fellow parishioner, Beth Limones, designed
the float used in the parade.
- Crest Hill, Illinois: Renee Glaum of the Church of the Good Shepherd
Evangelical Covenant Church was her congregation's 2004 Lucia Queen. A
junior at Plainfield South High School, she has been a participant on
her school's swimming team for two years and has participated in the
area's March of Dimes Marathon the past nine years. She is also active
in her church's youth program, served at various Vacation Bible School
programs for her church and traveled to Toronto last summer for a
mission project. Another student in the congregation, Kristina Wilson,
was a performer January 7-9 (she was Babette) in the Lincoln Way East
High School's production of Beauty
and the Beast.
- South Bend, Indiana: The Evangelical Covenant Church of South Bend's
Kipchumba Kibet won the fifth grade level of a spelling bee at nearby
First Christian
Baptist School. Meanwhile, Cierra Strawder was among 222 St. Joseph
County students honored by the Urban League of South Bend for earning at
least a 3.0 grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) while being involved in
other school and community efforts.
EAST COAST
- West Peabody, Massachusetts: Two teens from Community Covenant
Church are talented musicians as Tim Cushing plays trombone for the
Wakefield High School band and Will Bowers is a drummer for the nearby
Danvers High School band. Cushing's band won top honors at three
competitions recently and will travel to Disney World in Orlando,
Florida, for a spring 2005 event. Bowers and his band played in the 2005
Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, on January 1.
NORTH PACIFIC
- Eugene, Oregon: Valley Covenant Church's Paul Meshink was honored by
Boy Scouts of America with an Eagle Scout Award, which was given at his
Eagle Court of
Honor on January 2 at the church. The Eagle Scout Award is the highest
honor given by Boy Scouts of America.
- Kent, Washington: Eight youth at Kent Covenant Church learned a
little about homelessness recently as the youth program leaders
simulated a refugee's journey in
the streets of Seattle's International district and visited imitation
United Nation interview stations. The United National officials, played
by volunteers working with a local World Relief agency, helped with the
project.
- Seattle, Washington: First Covenant Church was recently spotlighted
in the North Pacific Conference's bi-monthly newsletter for assisting
high school students with a Friday night "Free Food for Teens" project
that a church family leads. A large group of
street kids are fed by the church and the story by Rick Lund documents
how people both inside and outside the church are impacted. The full
article can be found on the conference website at www.covchurch-npc.org
under the Conference News link.
- Concord, California: Crossroads Covenant Church parishioner Grace
Farag recently returned from a short-term mission trip to the Middle
East sponsored by the parachurch organization Youth With a Mission
(YWAM). Her contingent served in Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Iraq, learning
about how the arts (photography, writing, video) can be effectively used
in mission projects. Farag also spent time in Israel and Palestine. Her
group hopes to take notes, video clips and photographs from the trip and
assemble a
presentation that will enable speakers to better tell the story of YWAM
in the Middle East and inspire people to become involved in mission work
there.
ELSEWHERE
- Medellin, Colombia: High school student Skye Sander, son of Covenant
missionaries Gary and Mary Lou Sander, recently competed in a
bi-national soccer tournament and helped his squad win the championship.
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