I had a prayer: ‘Lord, I want to share the gospel with more and more people.’ I encountered the Matthew Drama in 2022 and felt called to be part of the Chinese translation team. At that time the initial draft had already been completed by a pioneer, I joined and later a team was formed to do the editing. I thought that it was a great tool for doing outreach in Australia. I discovered that Wycliffe Australia had a team to facilitate these performances and invited them to Alice Springs in September 2025.
When I heard their stories and the commitment they had made to this project, I was deeply touched. God also opened the door for me to contact local church leaders and led 14 people from five different churches to join The Luke Drama cast. A total of 10 churches worked together to make this performance happen.
Those involved in the drama were also strongly impacted by encountering God’s Word in a fresh way. Many of the cast members went on to perform portions of The Luke Drama at the ‘Alice Alive’ festival. In July, the John Drama was performed in Darwin and two of our young people went up to support the performance.
This was a team effort. A big thank you to the directing team from Wycliffe Australia, to the catering team for providing meals, and to the teams praying for the event. Also the street engagement team, who made it possible for many people to hear about the performance.
I think this combined event brought unity to churches in this town. I would like to see the Gospel Dramas being presented in more cities and towns in Australia, and throughout the world. The Chinese version of Matthew Drama has now been prepared, so I am praying that this can also be performed very soon, in God’s timing.
Please pray:
for follow-up activities planned for churches involved in the Drama
that those who were impacted by the gospel during the performances will continue in discipleship and find a church home
for more churches and individuals to get involved in Gospel Dramas
Reflections on the Luke Drama
by Jonathan Finch, Producer of the Luke Drama in Gawler, South Australia
The Luke Drama was an unforgettable experience. It involved 18 amateur actors and two Gospel Drama directors from Wycliffe Bible Translators Australia. There were six different church fellowships represented and we formed a cohesive team over six days to present the Good News of Jesus Christ to the town of Gawler, South Australia.
To see the characters from stories come alive was eye-opening and uplifting. Some characters literally came to life, like the dead son at Nain, springing up from the ground when Jesus spoke to him. Other characters were given a new lease on life, like the demon-possessed man, and the crippled woman who were raised up by Jesus in the synagogue. Our audiences witnessed Zaccheus being set free from the grip of money and guilt in his own home. We saw the disciple Peter being restored from a place of failure to being a leader in the early church. The culmination was the unjust arrest and horrific crucifixion of Jesus, followed by the resurrection.
It was an incredible experience for the cast to connect as brothers and sisters in Christ and to confidently share God’s life-giving Word with others. To see our young people (and old) grow in confidence and allow God’s words to flow through us was nothing but the Holy Spirit working through each and every one of us.
Thank you to everyone who was part of the Drama – from organising food to setting up locations for rehearsals and the performances, producing the artwork and printing for flyers, posters and programs, providing accommodation and transport for the directors, playing a role or directing the Drama, or being in the audience. It made all the late nights, long days, repetition of lines (and anxiety over forgetting everything) worthwhile.
We know that there were people in the audience who were confronted with what Jesus had done for them and some of these engaged in spiritual conversations afterwards. We pray that God’s Word will take root in their lives and produce fruit in due course. Now that the Drama is finished, we are glad to declare with the angels, ‘Glory to God in the highest!’ (Luke 2:14).
Being part of this Drama, I learned that telling a story impacts the teller just as much as the audience. It has really revived my spiritual relationship with God.
Participant in The Matthew Drama
The theatre-in-the-round was a new experience for me. I became involved in the active Bible story going on right around me.
Audience member, The John Drama in Bendigo
I’m now far more confident in God’s Word being the everlasting truth.
Audience member, The John Drama in Darwin
I think the thing that impacted me the most was seeing Jesus’s words come to life.
Participant in The John Drama
Thanks for your patience...
Waiting is hard, isn't it. But imagine waiting 2000 years for Scripture in your language! Thanks for your patience. And thanks for your generous support which will help bring the long wait to an end...
Thanks for your patience...