The year was 1976. I was taking a friend to audition for a drama team at a relatively new church in Palatine, Illinois. One moment I was waiting for him in the lobby area and the next moment I was in a room holding a rake and selling it as a gorilla comb. Two weeks later I suddenly found myself a member of a drama team. I was in a haze for weeks, if not months, uncertain how I got here. But that haze disappeared when a former professor of drama became the Drama Director of this church. His name was Steve Pederson and he single-handedly changed the face of ministry and the lives of people both in this local and in the global church. This church: Willow Creek Community Church.
When you joined the drama ministry at Willow Creek you made a commitment. Not just to be a part of the weekly dramas that were embedded into the weekend services at Willow, you committed to meeting together every single Tuesday. A bar that had never been set before when it came to a volunteer ministry and one that I have never come across since. Which is a shame. Because this expectation changed the lives and the relationships of everyone who dared to cross the threshold into this unique ministry.
Two Tuesdays a month we practiced and honed our improvisational skills. Which is no small feat. It’s scary and it’s nerve-wracking but we had no choice. EVERYONE had to participate. It didn’t take long for all of us to recognize that every one of us was afraid. Even those who had had experience. Because every Tuesday was different and each of us, at some point in the evening, had to get up out of our chairs, go up front and improvise.
This alone united us in a way that no other activity could have. We sat with anticipation and expectation for each other as we watched the risks that were being taken. As scary as it was, there was never a doubt that we were amongst people who were cheering and supporting us every step of the way.
The other two Tuesdays of each month were spent in community. For two hours, during those evenings, we sat in a circle and shared our lives. The joys and the sorrows, the wins and the losses, the celebrations and the devastations. We cried, we laughed, we prayed, we clung. And it was life changing. And it was ministry changing.
When we stepped out onto the stage for the weekend drama, we entered with confidence. Because we knew the persons we were out there with. And you found yourself giving a performance that you never knew was possible because you were on that stage with someone you knew and trusted deeply.
I was a part of this miraculous team for 25 years. I went to Tuesday nights for 25 years.
This past Saturday one of our team members, Mark Demel, invited the Drama team to his Illinois home for a much needed reunion. For some of us, it had been 15-20 years since we’d seen each other. But, boy, did we want to see each other. We came from Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Michigan, Wisconsin. We flew out of our cars so fast with screams of delight as soon as we saw each other. We barely made it to the back yard for the picnic because we couldn’t move without waiting to see who was coming next. We were like kids on Christmas morning.
For 6 hours plus we hugged, we listened, we cried, we laughed, we loved. As though the years in between had never happened. There was no awkwardness, only eagerness. And a desire to make this day never end. All of us knew that we had been a part of something supernatural.
I am so deeply grateful for Steve. He led us, pastored us, taught us, loved us and, of course, directed us. We didn’t know then what we know now. We were all part of a unicorn ministry. Unique and possibly (although I hope not) a kind of ministry never to be seen again. And I don't mean just drama. I mean a team of people who invested their hours and their lives in each other. In order to bring about a life changing ministry.
But I gotta believe that it still lives on in our separate lives. At least I hope so in mine. I hope that I'm living what I learned in that unicorn ministry. To take some risks, to love deeply, to believe in and cheer for others. To live like it's Tuesday night.
Ah... the gifts that were given, used, and then sent out into the world. It indeed was a 'unicorn' ministry, so well said. I love how you talked about the commitment to each other's lives. So grateful for your legacy at Willow. The laughter still hangs from the rafters, and the gospel's truth still echoes and lingers as we love each other weekly in worship. If you have a chance listen to Megan M. last Sunday... it was baptism in the lake Sunday. I love you, friend in Christ. I pray today for your day-to-day life here. XO nanc
What wonderful memories came back from seeing everyone again at the reunion! It was a blessing I'll never be able to measure or express to be part of that team. I can truly say I grew up during my years in that family (well, mostly).
Thank you for saying it so well (as usual) Sharon.
Tuesday Nights!
What a blessing you all were so thousands during those years. You made the humanity of knowing Jesus come alive ! And the fellowship your group had and still does....PRICELESS. Willow drama team was a trademark of Willow Creek Community Church. Thank you so much for serving with "heart" and committment, not just to Tuesday nights but to reaching others with the cutting edge vehicle of drama which was a pioneering breakthru in communicating the gospel message.....and many churches caught the "wave" of a new way to share the gospel message thru the Tuesday night WCCC drama team ! Well Done!