In March, Anderson University students went on actual mission trips in the U.S. and around the globe. Likewise, some Baptist Collegiate Ministry students went on virtual mission trips to places like Guatemala, Italy, New York City and New Orleans – without leaving the campus.
How? The students staged the first ever “Missions Musical,” a show about students who decide give up their Christmas breaks to go on mission. The entire production was a student-led event to rally support for local and foreign missions in hopes of getting even more students involved.
The musical was based (sometimes loosely) on actual student experiences during mission trips, and centered around five friends who were separating for the break: self-absorbed Chloe, serving the HIV-AIDS community of New York City; studious Noah, working with children in Guatemala even though he doesn’t like children; absent-minded Haley, bound for China but winding up accidentally in Italy; and the sarcastic Micah, serving the homeless in New Orleans while unable to get along with his teammates. With his friends elsewhere, the bored Jackson stays at home to work at the grocery store and hang out with his family. He acts as the narrator, reading e-mails from his friends. By the end of the show, each character learns a truth about missions and ministry.
Sophomore Christina Houck, who acted in the New Orleans scene, was on the trip that was depicted in the musical. “Some of the stuff, as comical as it was, actually happened on the mission field,” Houck said. “The frustration in my scene was true, and working with team members can be difficult at times, but the love of Christ is what held us together. It was true in New Orleans and true during the production.”
Thirty-eight students gave time and energy to stage the musical. “I was amazed by the number of hours the students spent to promote missions and raise funding for their peers,” said Russ Bennett, director of Baptist Campus Ministries at Anderson.
The student actors had fun, while the people who watched the show got an education about real missions as well as a chuckle. A parent said after the show, “We were pleasantly surprised at what the students accomplished and the message they had. I don’t think we realized that students themselves had written script and music for it.”
The performance raised more than $600, which will go to support four groups of students on mission, all of whom were involved in the production. The students are going to South Asia, Guatemala and locations in Africa.
Sophomore Micah Taylor, who played an exaggerated version of himself in the musical, really enjoyed the experience.
“There was a lot of hard work, many tears, some bleeding, and a lot of laughter,” he said. “But it was all worth it on opening night, and it was great to be able to raise money for missions. It’s like a double-whammy of excitement and a cacophony of blessings.”
Bunner is a senior Christian ministries major at Anderson University.