So begins a spellbinding performance of Mark’s Gospel, acclaimed by critics, scholars, and pastors across America.
AFRAID! is a one-man play, staged with dramatic lighting and audience interaction. Its text is the Gospel of Mark, translated into contemporary American speech.
As characters, settings and shadows shift, the Gospel engages the audience’s imaginations, surprises them with flashes of humor, and drives relentlessly forward with all the dramatic suspense you would expect from great theater.
Every Christian has wondered what it would have been like: to have been there, in Galilee, and met Jesus… AFRAID! is an effort to help those in the audience have that encounter by doing exactly what the evangelist Mark did: by telling the story in the present tense, here and now, from beginning to end, in everyday language–and making the audience members part of the action….
Audience members are addressed, as the actor roams the room… They are healed, asked for a coin, or given bread… And they are challenged not to be afraid, but to go out and tell the story to others. (MK 16:8)
By the time the last candle is blown out, each audience member has a sense that they are part of the story God is writing, not simply spectators… that Jesus is a very real Presence among them…. and that they are called, not to be afraid, but to follow Him.
Watch a clip of AFRAID on YouTube…
For information on how to bring AFRAID! to your church… CONTACT US
AFRAID! is often presented as the first night of a 2- or 3-night mission, called THE JOY OF FAITH. The subsequent night(s) of the mission would be SERMON ON THE MOUNT and HOLLYWOOD vs. FAITH. The 2- or 3-night mission provides a perfect balance of drama and humor, and is appropriate for all ages.
Read more about THE JOY OF FAITH…
"Remarkable... Frank Runyeon takes his charm center-stage as St. Mark..."PEOPLE MAGAZINE
"Superb."St. Thomas More Church, Darien, CT
"Spellbinding..."CATHOLIC TRANSCRIPT
"Outstanding.... the audience was enthralled... students, faculty and the press..."University of Dayton (Catholic), Dayton, OH
"Very moving and dramatically superb."St. Barbara, Massillon, OH
"Stunning, brilliant..."Christ Church, Cambridge, MA
"Impeccable acting skills and insights..."Fallbrook Presbyterian, Fallbrook, CA
"Thrilling...people are still talking about it."Centenary UMC, New Bern, NC
"Amazing..."Trinity Lutheran Church, White Plains, NY
"Unforgettable...life-changing..."1st Congregational Church, Litchfield, CT
"Totally engrossing...Powerful..."Union Baptist Church, Mystic, CT
"Combined the best of biblical scholarship, faithfulness to the text and acting..."Univ. Place Presbyterian, Tacoma, WA