The Journey
The Journey program is a hands-on learning activity that helps people to grow in their understanding of God’s heart to reach the nations and why we should be involved. In 3 ½ to 4 hours you’ll experience fun and interactive group sessions, including meeting people from another culture. You will receive a taste of what cross-cultural workers may experience, and so be challenged to be better prepared for local and distant mission.
Participants pass through a variety of ‘steps’ in their journey, starting off in their Comfort Zone before hearing an inspiring message at the Local Church about the biblical basis of mission. Then they embark on their cross-cultural training.
At Reality Check, they’re given a broad outline of the unfinished task, including the need for and challenges of present-day mission. At Bible Training, it’s time to think about the importance of Scripture in our own lives and in mission, as well as the importance of learning about cross-cultural communication. Language and Culture Training opens up our eyes to the need to learn language and culture well in order to understand and appreciate people from a different ethnic group, and to reach out to them effectively. Mission Realities presents some challenging issues facing cross-cultural workers today, then Partnering explores the relationship between local churches, mission agencies and mission workers. After their Commissioning, participants ‘leave to visit another country’ where they enjoy meeting people from another culture, experiencing their language and culture, sights and sounds. Lastly, it’s time to reflect on the experiences of the day at Debrief and hear about practical ways we can be more involved and better prepared for local and distant mission at the Next Step.
An experienced Wycliffe Australia Journey Coordinator guides churches and their members to present The Journey, helped by a team of presenters from mission agencies and Bible colleges who are part of the Missions Interlink network.
If you would like more information about The Journey, or would like to discuss hosting The Journey, please contact The Journey National Coordinator, Robert Love.
Gospel Dramas
The Matthew Drama
The Matthew Drama tells the story Matthew wrote in his Gospel through the voices and actions of a cast of 15 ordinary Christians.
Matthew was writing to a Jewish audience, and was keen to let them know upfront that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the son of David, so he begins with his genealogy. He was also eager to let his readers know that Immanuel (God with us), fulfilled a whole string of Old Testament prophesies. So The Matthew Drama has an actor playing the role of a prophet, who regularly interrupts the drama to shout, “Hear ye. Hear ye. This is what God said through his servant. . .”
The Matthew Drama also includes the birth narratives, with Joseph and Mary journeying to Bethlehem, and the Magi from the East searching for the new king, all the way through to his arrest, trial, crucifixion and resurrection. The drama concludes with Jesus’ words to his followers from chapter 28:19-20 to take the Good News to all nations. And they do!
The Matthew Drama is performed as theatre-in-the-round, with the stage in the centre, and the audience in circles around the action – until Jesus moves out into the circular cross-over aisles and the action engulfs the audience, with cast members on all sides interacting with the Master Teacher.
Audience Feedback:
Is The Matthew Drama suitable for all ages?
“Yes! My nine-year-old daughter and I attended and found it super-helpful to see Scripture brought to life in such a helpful way.”
“An absolute joy, uniquely presented, engaging and spiritually uplifting. The children were ‘spellbound’ with anticipation. Thank you.”
Is The Matthew Drama good quality theatre?
“We loved it. The performance quality was excellent, and the storyline was in-line with Scripture and wonderfully portrayed the Gospel.
“It was fantastic. The actors were so good and got the message across very powerfully.
“Really well done. Great to see Matthew’s Gospel brought to life. A high-quality performance.”
A Tool for Churches: Wycliffe Bible Translators are eager for the Good News to be heard and understood by people of every nation in their own language. The Matthew Drama is a tool to help Australian churches make the Gospel message clear – both for Christians and also for their neighbours who do not yet know the one named Jesus, “. . . for he will save people from their sins.”
Matthew Drama website introduction video
The Luke Drama
In his ‘orderly account’ to his friend Theophilus, Dr Luke gives us many details of the life of Jesus not recorded in the other three Gospels. Only Luke introduces us to Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist; only Luke tells us of the visitation of Gabriel to Mary in Nazareth; only Luke tells us of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, and of Mary’s glorious song of praise; of the birth of John the Baptist and Zechariah’s prophesy; of the army of angels who descended in the fields near Bethlehem to announce the Messiah’s birth; of Jesus’ circumcision and dedication at the temple; of Simeon and Anna; of the events surrounding Jesus’ Bar Mitzvah at the age of twelve; and many other historical touches. The Gospel of Luke also includes many teachings of Jesus and parables not recorded by other Gospel writers.
The Luke Drama is the story of Jesus told by Luke, acted out over 90 minutes by a cast of 15 ordinary Christians as theatre-in-the-round.
Actor’s Responses:
“I’ve read the Bible many times, but last night, being part of The Luke Drama, it was amazing to see those words of Jesus coming out of someone’s mouth. He was so bold: “Sell everything you have and give to the poor.” “Don’t bury your father.” “Leave your father and mother.” And yet he was also calm, and had such sweet compassion that was very impacting.
As you read the Gospel there are so many people who have significant parts to play in the Gospel story. But there’s also people who just have little parts. In The Luke Drama I got to play the parts of Zechariah and Simeon. Each of them with just a few verses here and a few verses there in the Gospel of Luke. And yet what an impact they had on the coming of the Messiah into the world. And it struck me that what an impact the little people like you and me can have on the furtherance of God’s purposes for this world.”
“Last night in The Luke Drama I was acting out the story of the rich fool that Jesus was relating to his followers. In that story the rich fool ended up saying, ‘Eat, drink and be merry.’ And Jesus said that he died that very night. And I realised that I was that fool. I was saying to myself, ‘Retire. Eat, drink and be merry.’ ”
Audience Responses:
“When I watched The Luke Drama, what struck me was Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel when he tells her that she is going to have a baby and he will be the Messiah. And as she grows in her awareness of what that means in the play, it challenged me to think how I respond when God speaks to me.”
“In The Luke Drama, when Jesus and the apostles went to Simon’s place, and the lady comes in, and is down on her hands and knees, crying and kissing Jesus’ feet – it was so impactful to me. I’ve read the Gospel over and over and over, but it was not until I saw it played out that I got the full impact of Jesus forgiving her sins. It was so wonderful.”
“Watching The Luke Drama, what really struck me was the line at the end of the banquet. The king arranges a great feast, but there were people who were too busy to come. And the king declares that those people who were invited first will never taste the banquet. It struck me because it’s a warning to us to not be too busy to do what Jesus has called us to.”
The John Drama
The John Drama is a dramatisation of the whole of John’s Gospel by a cast of 15 ordinary Christians, where the words Jesus speaks are taken directly from the New Living Translation of the Gospel of John. It has been performed in several churches in Brisbane and also at the Mt Tamborine Easter Convention in 2021.
The John Drama is done as ‘theatre in the round’, with the stage in the middle and the audience in concentric circles around the stage. The action moves from in front of you to an aisle behind you, and sometimes right beside you. Audience members cannot escape the events being portrayed in the Gospel drama!
The CEO of the Mt Tamborine Convention wrote, “It was excellent. ‘Theatre in the round’ offers a visual and aural experience that sometimes stage productions lack. I know that my children (13 years & 8 years) are still talking about it – they seemed to learn so much.” A member of the Mt Tamborine audience said, “The circular seating created a sense of being a part of the story as opposed to just watching a performance. The performance was an incredibly powerful and moving way to present the Gospel.”
A tool for churches: Wycliffe Australia sees The John Drama as a tool that churches can use for both disciple-making and evangelism. As the actors prepare for the presentation they internalise the whole of John’s Gospel. And audience members who are not believers hear the gospel through the story. One church leader said, “Before I saw The John Drama, I did not know that the gospel could be presented in such a clear, accurate and engaging way.”
A member of the Mt Tamborine audience wrote: “It was amazing!! Very, very impacting on young and old! A wonderful presentation of the gospel and a great tool for churches.”
The John Drama is something that any church with a vision for discipleship and outreach can sponsor.
John Drama website introduction video
The Jonah Drama
The Jonah Drama is a 45-minute theatre-in-the-round dramatisation of a significant Old Testament story in which God reminds his people Israel that he is the God of all ethnic groups – a concept he clearly states in Exodus 19:5-6 when he commissions them to be his representatives on earth.
Israel, of course, was not really interested in being God’s ambassador to other nations – especially to the powerful and relentlessly cruel Assyrian Empire, with its capital at Nineveh. Jonah represents Israel’s reluctance – and maybe our reluctance – to get involved. Yet there are over 7,000 people groups still without a congregation worshipping the God of all peoples, in their own language (see statistics in People Groups of the World | Joshua Project). We are reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:14 ‘the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations [ethnic groups] will hear it; and then the end will come.’ (NLT)
The Moses Drama
‘I will shame the gods of the Egyptians. Now go!’ The Moses Drama is the story of Yahweh wanting to rescue his suffering people. To do that he must first deal with a reluctant messenger and also with a stubborn monarch.
During the journey Yahweh plans to show both messenger and monarch that ‘there is no god in all the earth like Yahweh, the God of Israel.’
The Moses Drama is also an extended conflict between Yahweh, the God of all the earth and the array of Egyptian gods. In ancient Egypt, the gods were deeply intertwined with daily life, nature, and governance. Each of the ten plagues leading up to the Exodus targeted specific aspects of Egyptian life and their associated gods, showcasing their powerlessness compared to Yahweh, the God of Israel.
Throughout The Moses Drama, Yahweh symbolically dismantles the Egyptians’ belief system, proving that their gods could not protect them. The plagues were not just punishments on Egypt, but were a declaration of God’s authority over both the physical and spiritual realms.
The Moses Drama is a 90-minute enactment of the life of Moses from the burning bush to Egypt and back to Sinai, where God gave Israel their ‘Great Commission’.
Encounter Culture
Most of us, when confronted with something that is ‘different’, have an emotional reaction to it, and inwardly think of it as ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’. This creates a hurdle, even if sub-consciously, to befriending people of different cultures when we are wanting to share the gospel with them.
Encounter Culture
Wycliffe’s Encounter Culture course helps people develop a non-judgemental attitude to other cultures, a positive cultural curiosity, and an appreciation of all people. Through the five weekly sessions and four practical exercises you will:
- Progressively unpeel the ‘onion’ model of culture starting with the outward visible layer of behaviour,
- Learn how values influence and determine behaviour,
- Dig deeper to learn how beliefs drive values, and
- Consider what is real beyond the physical realm – what one’s worldview is.
Maximum benefit is gained from this course when participants pre-arrange to meet with a person from another culture to go through the weekly practical exercises with them.
Wycliffe offers this course to help churches in their role of ministering to people they enounter daily, in the increasingly diverse cultural landscape that Australia is becoming.
If you would like to host an Encounter Culture course in your church or ministry group, we can help! Contact the Encounter Culture Coordinator, Robert Love, for more information.
Member Orientation
To see upcoming workshops, please scroll to the bottom of the page.
New members of Wycliffe Australia need to complete 3 orientation workshops. People can choose to do these workshops while they are in the process of applying for membership, or may leave them until after they’ve completed the application process and received official notification regarding their acceptance as members.
The 3 orientation workshops are:
- Worldwide Wycliffe: explores the vision and mission of Wycliffe Australia, the history of Bible translation, how Wycliffe Australia works in partnership with other organisations in the global Bible translation movement, and operational details relevant to Wycliffe Australia members.
- Partnership Development: equips participants with attitudes, skills and resources to build a team of financial and prayer partners.
- Ready, Set … Thrive: introduces skills, resources and practices to help Wycliffe Australia members thrive in long-term cross-cultural situations. Topics include communication and conflict resolution skills, spiritual vitality, adaptation and living in community.
These workshops are usually held in person at Wycliffe’s National Centre at Kangaroo Ground, Victoria. Accommodation is available at the centre for those who need it.
Story the Bible
Have you ever wanted to tell a friend or stranger about God, but felt you didn’t know how? Do you wish you felt more inspired in your own Bible use? Are you looking for ways to bring the Bible to life in your family, congregation or life group?
Wycliffe’s Story the Bible (STB) workshops will equip you with skills to use Bible stories in mission, ministry and everyday life. You may choose to attend one of the workshops shown on our event calendar below or do the Story the Bible Online Comprehensive Course that offers training that you can do in your own home and in your own time. See this page for more information.
Here are some other options:
- A Story the Bible workshop to suit you
We are happy to receive invitations from churches to come and conduct a workshop in your church. Ideally, this would be a 3-day event with at least 12 people.
- STB-lite
This 1-day course is perfect for busy, working people who can set aside a Saturday, but not 3 days at this stage. (Please bear in mind this is not a substitute for the 3-day training.)
- STB taster
This 2-hour workshop is an introduction to STB. Here you will experience the power and impact of Bible stories told in a way that is SUCCINCT, ACCURATE and MEMORABLE, and learn a few basic techniques for crafting a story from the Bible.
Contact Francois van der Walt, francois_vanderwalt@wycliffe.org.au, mobile: 0419 623 397 (in Queensland) or your local state rep or Malcolm Barker if you are interested in these options.
Wycliffe Story the Bible Workshops from Wycliffe Australia on Vimeo.
Video – Insights from teaching Bible storying in East Africa
Ministry
Explore Language introduces you to the elements that strengthen cross-cultural missions and gives you the opportunity to assess your ability to communicate in another language and culture.
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