February is filled with rehearsals where EPPIC's local team is preparing for ministry for 2010. The local team meets for fellowship, prayer and rehearsal every Sunday at Wooddale Church from 2:00 - 5:00 pm. Any one interested in joining the team is welcome to come to a rehearsal and observe. Presently the local team is made up of six people, two guys and four gals ranging in age from 12 - 53. What a mix! I participate with my daughter Jessica who loves to be involved.
She recently performed for her youth group for a "Got Talent" night at church. Playing a role, along with her friend Amy Reimer, and team member Amanda Wasley and myself, EPPIC's sketch entitled "Rope" was presented to a group of approximately 80 students and parents. It was a fun evening as many students demonstrated their talents within a great God honoring program for junior highers, parents, family members and friends. Personally, it is a joy to be performing with my daughter.
Recently, someone introduced my profession to be "mime". While I understand that to be true from another person's perspective, because of what they understand I do, it always seems a bit odd to me when I hear it. Upon hearing it myself, it just does not seem to adequately describe my true "profession". So what is it that I do...exactly. I graduated from Rockford College in 1979 with a teaching degree. Right after graduation from college, the Lord reveled himself to me and called me to Himself. I became a follower of Jesus Christ through the faithful witness of my very good friend and mentor, Tom hall in June of that year. From 1979 - 1995 I taught elementary school in the Eden Prairie Public School system, while Tom discipled me, I served in Bible Study Fellowship and was introduced to EPPIC Ministries International. During these years I participated in many ministries, went on many mission trips and was called to do the work of an evangelist. This calling to do the work of an evangelist, eventually led to my leaving my career as a teacher and serving within EPPIC where I was able to fully focus on evangelism using the performing art of mime to communicate the gospel message of Jesus Christ.
I was sold on EPPIC's style of communicating God's Truth through mime when I invited the group to do a program for an outreach I was doing as a teacher at Forest hills Elementary School in December of 1983. For a number of years before joining EPPIC, I did a thing I called "Saturday School" where I invited kids I taught directly in the schools to a Bible fun activity time on Saturday mornings at the school. I rented the facility and brought in many performing artists as an interesting way to share Bible content with students in the public schools. My first exposure to EPPIC was when they came into Saturday School to do a 45 minute program for a special Christmas program I organized for about 22 students. I invited the parents of the students that were attending Saturday School as well. EPPIC's program on that day moved my spirit deeply. As I looked around during the presentation, a few fathers were in tears and all present were glued to what the EPPIC team was portraying on the stage we set up for them. It turned out to be a very meaningful event for many. In January of 1994, after attending an Urbana Convention in Urbana/Champaigne, Illinois and meeting up with EPPIC again at the conference, the Lord confirmed His calling on my life to do the work of an evangelist. I knew at that time I would be attending a conference for itinerant evangelists in Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1986. I also began attending EPPIC rehearsals that same monthb after returning home from the Urbana '83 Convention. This is when I started performing on a team using mime. I played small parts within EPPIC sketches and eventually moved into playing more in-depth roles. In 1985 I went to Australia with an EPPIC team as a team member. By 1986 I was leading a team on a tour in the Scandinavian countries after attending the 1986 Conference for Itinerant Evangelists in Amsterdam. I served on EPPIC's R.E.S.T. staff from 1987 - 1989 and began directing EPPIC in 1990. Between 1990-1995 I led many EPPIC teams on national and international tours, helped train these teams and provided direction for EPPIC as a non-profit mission organization. In 1995, I was commissioned for missionary service through Wooddale Church to serve as a missionary. EPPIC Ministries International became the framework through which i pursued missionary service as an evangelist.
So, when I think about my "profession" it is a little bit of a mixed bag. I've come to explain it this way; "I'm a teacher by training, a missionary by commissioning and an evangelist by calling." I don't profess to be a mime....just a guy serving the Lord as he has called me to do so.
Praise God for all that he has done, is doing and desires to do, in me, through me and for me. My prayer is that one more person may come to experience and know the relationship we all can have with God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It is my desire to live for Jesus, and no longer for myself, no matter what my profession might be.
Pray for EPPIC's local team as they gear up for ministry in 2010. Pray for EPPIC's teams in Honduras and Bulgaria as they continue to serve the Lord in their countries. Pray for plans that are being discussed for developing teams in Canada and Thailand. Pray for the Lord to raise up workers to serve within EPPIC on staff, as support team members and as full time team members.
In Christ,
Chris
