DRAMA AT BETHEL

​Do you need a little drama in your life? Believe it or not, that is the question we are asking ourselves at Bethel Church right now. That is because we may be about to get a drama program. The possibility of getting drama at Bethel has come up in a rather surprising way, and we are trying to discern if the Spirit is moving us in this direction. Let me explain what has            developed, and how you can help determine if we get drama at Bethel. 
 
Dr. Randy Ritz and his wife Dorothy have been attending our church for the better part of a year. You may have met Randy, or you may remember him from his presentation of “Barabbas” on Good Friday. He is the recently retired Drama Department-Head from Concordia University. As well as being a published author and film producer, Randy has directed over forty   productions—many of them national in scope. 
 
Several months ago I met Randy. I was the one who first encouraged him to come to Bethel. In the course of discussions with him, I learned that he was eager to use his gifts to help a church develop a drama program. Although he was prepared to “make a deal we couldn’t refuse,” by asking only a fraction of what he might reasonably have requested for an eight-month  contract position, I knew we had no room in the budget for such a person.
 
But then I was floored. Maybe I underestimated God’s power. I brought up this out-of-the-box, seemingly-impossible proposal with our church’s leadership, and someone in the room, said, “I’ll donate the full amount.”
 
Encouraged by this offer, the Managing Elders have decided to test Bethel’s eagerness for such a program. On May 10, starting at 7:30 pm, we are convening a meeting of everyone interested in seeing drama flourish at Bethel. 
 
If you want to see drama happen at Bethel, you should come to that meeting. You can talk with Randy, express your interest in the program, have some fun, and help shape the future of drama at Bethel. If the level of interest expressed at this meeting is sufficiently high, our Managing Elders will accept the gracious offer from the prospective donor, and bring Randy on board as our church’s drama coach.
                                                                                                              —Pastor Tom

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