July 24, 2000
Wayland drama troupe finds new role in Germany
___By Teresa Young
___Wayland Baptist University
___PLAINVIEW--A drama troupe from Wayland Baptist University planted seeds for the gospel through both words and actions during a recent mission trip to Germany.
___The Texans opened doors to warm the Germans toward receiving Americans, and especially Christians, for more visits.
___The group of nine students was led by Marti Runnels, Wayland's director of theater, his wife, Mary, an associate dean in the College of Education at Texas Tech, and Tim Kelley, Wayland's director of instrumental studies. Runnels' mother, Dolores, and his daughter Rachael, 14, also made the trip, taken in conjunction with Texas Partnerships.
___Coordinating the trip with a missionary church planter in Aschersleven, Germany, the students led drama workshops and cultural exchange lessons in a public school in nearby Hettstedt. The students became guest teachers in history, social studies, geography, English and physical education classes, as well as theater classes.
___The school formerly was communist in ideology and never had allowed a Christian group to visit. So the Texans felt the pressure was on to set the proper tone for seed-planting, Runnels explained.
___"The missionary was pretty straight with us. He told us no Christian group had been in this school and it was a real honor. If things went well, we might be able to do things there later. But if not, they may close the door to Christians forever," Runnels recalled.
___He passed the expectations on to his students, so they wouldn't be disappointed if they saw few conversions or life-changing experiences.
___"I told them before we went that sometimes on mission trips, lots of people would come to Christ and you could tell people back home about that. But this wasn't one of those trips," he said. "This is about planting seeds, building relationships, opening doors. There are people who will come after us who may have more of a harvest."
___During their time in Germany, the students built relationships with many of the school children, mostly through speaking in the classes.
___Through the idea of cultural exchange, the college students shared American views and experiences with the German students on a variety of topics. They also worked with the mission church's youth group, helping with the drama ministry and with socials.
___A barbecue dinner and drama production on the final Friday evening culminated the trip. Using the 500-year-old Hettstedt church where Martin Luther once had spoken, the students hoped to attract a large number for their finale.
___"Since we couldn't really talk about our faith in the schools, we handed out these flyers to everyone at the school, inviting them to this big barbecue," Runnels said. "We didn't know how many would come."
___They were pleasantly surprised, however, at the turnout.
___Between 300 and 350 people attended the dinner, and many stayed for the production.
___The Wayland group sang songs from musicals like "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Les Miserables." They also presented classic theatrical pieces.
___With each number, the gospel message became more apparent, and the group ended the program by sharing honestly what their purpose for being in Germany was really about.
___The group spent hours after the show visiting with people, exchanging hugs and addresses and just enjoying the company.
___The school's invitation to return was the highlight, meaning they had broken through barriers and prepared the field for more seeds to be planted.
Send this story to a friend
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!