Many people thought drama will not be possible in RCCG- Drama Director
By Oluwafemi Dosu
The HOD/Drama Director of The Redeemed Christian Church of God Drama Department, Pastor Babatunde Oreniyi has stated that many people actually thought that drama will not be possible in the mission.
Oreniyi made this statement during an exclusive interview with Gospel Film News recently.
While speaking on the challenges the department have faced in the past twelve years he stated that there are whole lot of challenges, just like any idea you bring to the table in places where not everybody see things the way you see them.
“For instance, up until the time the drama department started off in the church we were the ones trying to rally people around to get started. There were people who said drama in RCCG was not possible, drama in RCCG can’t work but of course going by the conviction and what God told us at the beginning we saw it happen.” He said.
He further noted that the challenges are there in terms of pastors who don’t know how drama fit into their operation, saying If it were to be an independent body they know how to run around, do their things, minister in churches and all of that but if you are operating in a church as a base then the pastor is wondering how does this person help me; I know the choirs will lead praise worship, I know the ushers will stand to welcome people but when its drama, you claim you want to preach message and I am going to preach my message as well, we can’t have two messages in the same service so let me do the preaching you just sit down and listen.
The HOD/Drama Director stated that some pastors believe that If there is need for the church to watch play or watch movies they will either invite people from outside or go and put on TV and see film, but the truth is that, it’s just because of the lack of knowledge and understanding in the body of Christ and among some pastors that’s why they’ve not realize that God has given everybody gift and the bible told explains that gift are given for the edification of body of Christ and to build the church, which means that every gift in the body of Christ, every talent in an individual has something to contribute.
“Everyone of us have a particular audience that we must reach. Preaching on TV, Radio, Tract, or Leaflet won’t reach everybody but the drama we are talking about is like packaging the gospel in an entertainment format to reach out to the world because where even the gospel won’t be received in the traditional way everybody know it, gospel can reach those places through ministration of drama ministers, through films, through Christian movies. I don’t know if you are aware that before Yasser Arafat died, I learnt he watched the movie, ‘The Passion of Christ’ and I don’t know how many Christian leaders could sit the man down one on one and preach to him, but mere watching ‘The Passion of Christ’ he won’t stand before the throne of judgment and say nobody preached to him or he never heard about the gospel,” he stated.
Oreniyi told Gospel Film news that in the same manner so many others who will never walk into churches, who will never sit infront of their screen to watch a sermon, but when it comes to entertainment they will sit down before they know it they will see Christ in it.
