Bible Friends take a bow after last year's production.
Will they make it through the rehearsal without the director blowing her stack? Come and find out as Bible Friends present their Christmas play.
The Bible Friends group began with a conversation between two friends. One, who has an intellectual disability said she really wanted to be a Christian. "I have
tried going to different churches in town, but they use long words that I can't understand. They do strange things that I can't understand. The songs have big words in them that I don't understand. I want to follow Jesus, but I don't know how. Can you help me?"
The other woman realised that there were people in the community that churches may not cater for well. There was a need to make Christianity accessible to people who have intellectual disabilities, she said.
The result was the formation of Bible Friends - a group of people who are on a journey to find out what the Bible has to say. The group is hosted by Christ Church Anglican, but its members and helpers come from many denominations. Some group members go to their own churches on Sundays, but many of them see Bible Friends as their 'church'. The group meets on Tuesday evenings during school terms. The gatherings include worship, prayer, teaching and usually activity related to the teaching. Each evening ends with supper.
One of the highlights of the year is the Christmas play. This year's play is entitled The First Bible Friends Christmas Play Rehearsal. This retelling of the Christmas story includes a somewhat irritated director, an incredulous narrator, an unprepared production team, and a pesky angel. As well as the issue of whether the play will be ready in time for the intended "performance", a couple of big underlying questions keep running through this "first rehearsal".
The play is at Christ Church, 243 Wicksteed St, at 7pm on Tuesday, December 6. Entry is free, but a collection will be taken up to assist the group with the costs of attending the next annual camp of the Wellington branch of Christian Fellowship For Disabled. The performance includes supper.
