Tressie prays every night that God will send her the kind of man who'll set her pulse racing--a thug. Handsome ex-convict Payce is just as fine and exciting as she dreamed. But the reality of being a thug's girl is very different from the fantasy, and soon Tressie turns to her church for comfort, wisdom, and the strength to deal with shocking truths about herself and others...

Practical help for church drama directors is only one of the features of this book. The text also includes: directing procedures, advice on building a drama team, actor training tips, script writing, and more, as well as a CD-ROM of staging examples.

Val and Julian’s love for one another has grown so strong over the years that the time has come for them to take the next step. Val is sure that this time nothing will come between them, until a secret from Julian’s past comes back to haunt her and forces her heart to open up to another. Dean is saved, thoughtful, and understanding to Olivia’s need to remain celibate until she’s married. Finally Dean pops the question and Olivia feels obligated to say yes because of a terminal illness. When the wedding day comes, will she marry him or leave him at the altar? Danyelle is determined to find out why her sister is planning to marry a man she doesn’t love while finding love of her own. Share in the journey of love, lust, self-doubt, and Drama in the Church.

Drama ensues when the chaos of the world enters the doors of First Nazareth A.M.E. Church. Tressie faithfully prays every night that God will send her a thug. It isn’t long before her prayers are answered and she meets a handsome ex-convict named Payce Boyd. He is a fine roughneck, everything Tressie imagined and more—that is, until Tressie experiences firsthand the reality of being a thug’s girl. Seeking solace and comfort in the sanctuary, Tressie soon learns valuable lessons and shocking truths about herself and others. Val and Julian’s love for one another has grown so strong over the years that the time has come for them to take the next step. Val is sure that this time nothing will come between them, until a secret from Julian’s past comes back to haunt her and forces her heart to open up to another. Dean is saved, thoughtful, and understanding to Olivia’s need to remain celibate until she’s married. Finally Dean pops the question and Olivia wonders why the sudden rush to get married. When the wedding day comes, will the marriage be consummated? Danyelle has plans that don’t include a man, until one enters her life and shows her what it means to be in love. Share in the journey of love, lust, self-doubt, and Drama in the Church.

Written by a spiritual master this is an important Lent title that examines what it means to celebrate the Eucharist, and in turn reminds us of our capacity for love, hope and faith.

Originally published in 1965. The European dramatic tradition rests on a group of religious dramas that appeared between the tenth and twelfth centuries. These dramas, of interest in themselves, are also important for the light they shed on three historical and critical problems: the relation of drama to ritual, the nature of dramatic form, and the development of representational techniques. Hardison's approach is based on the history of the Christian liturgy, on critical theories concerning the kinship of ritual and drama, and on close analysis of the chronology and content of the texts themselves. Beginning with liturgical commentaries of the ninth century, Hardison shows that writers of the period consciously interpreted the Mass and cycle of the church year in dramatic terms. By reconstructing the services themselves, he shows that they had an emphatic dramatic structure that reached its climax with the celebration of the Resurrection. Turning to the history of the Latin Resurrection play, Hardison suggests that the famous Quem quaeritis—the earliest of all medieval dramas—is best understood in relation to the baptismal rites of the Easter Vigil service. He sets forth a theory of the original form and function of the play based on the content of the earliest manuscripts as well as on vestigial ceremonial elements that survive in the later ones. Three texts from the eleventh and twelfth centuries are analyzed with emphasis on the change from ritual to representational modes. Hardison discusses why the form inherited from ritual remained unchanged, while the technique became increasingly representational. In studying the earliest vernacular dramas, Hardison examines the use of nonritual materials as sources of dramatic form, the influence of representational concepts of space and time on staging, and the development of nonceremonial techniques for composition of dialogue. The sudden appearance of these elements in vernacular drama suggests the existence of a hitherto unsuspected vernacular tradition considerably older than the earliest surviving vernacular plays.

Drama Ministry: A Guidebook is a one-stop manual for starting, directing, and managing a drama ministry. Lay leaders who have no formal drama training will glean from the authors 25+ years of drama training and experience. Even those leaders who are experienced in drama will benefit from the practical insights in managing and leading a team, including how to organize a practice and how to ensure team members regularly attend rehearsals and memorize their lines. In addition to drama technique, you will also gain valuable leadership tools for managing your ministry. Ten original sketches are also included to get you started.