Unearthing The Parables of Christ

When a professional drama outfit is laced with a message in parables from the Bible the results are just wonderful. Friday night at Mount Soche VIPs from Blantyre got to see the message in a different and creative way, through the staging of a play Beyond Measure. The audience loved it, and appreciated the fee paid. The acting was good, the storyline worth watching. It was well worth the effort. To add on it was also done for charity. CHEU MITA spoke to Bayana Chunga writer, producer and director or the play to get more on the group The Parables and the play.

What is the name of your ministry and how did it start?

The Parables is an interdenominational Christian theatrical group that was founded in the summer of 2011 in Redwood City, California but officially launched in Malawi at Robin’s Park on the 23rd December in Blantyre. I was intrigued by the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. I was amazed to see how much Jesus used creativity, the art of storytelling and parables in general to communicate some of the deepest truths about God’s kingdom. I was attending a Christian leader’s conference when the concept of using drama and other creative art forms for evangelism took shape. The group derives its name from the parables in the Bible.

Where was it started and with what purpose?

The central purpose of The Parables is to preach the gospel through non-conventional, creative methods i.e drama. The secondary aim is to raise funds to support ministries and charity causes in Malawi. We sincerely believe that evangelism is holistic in nature. We cannot just preach and sit quiet as people and ministries suffer. We want to help even if it means K100 donation we will do it.

Who are members of the ministry or who can become a member?

There are currently 16 members of The Parables. Most of them are young graduates from different university colleges around Malawi.

We are not looking for University graduates only. Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour and is prepared to use their time and talent for the cause of creative evangelism can apply. Anyone can apply. The groups e-mail address is parablesmalawi@gmail.com.

Where is this money going to?

Firstly, the money will go towards the continuation of The Parables vision which is to stage more plays. Any good performance today cannot be below K500 000 ($3 000). Fuel for rehearsals, venues, advertising etc. Secondly, we are using the proceeds to support The Parables Blind Scholarship Student Award. We have already committed ourselves to supporting Wellos Kalombora, a form 1 blind student for the next four years. Others will follow soon.

You talked of helping blind students, in what ways do you help them now and what do you hope to do for them in future?

The Parables Blind Scholarship Student Award is in two shapes. The first one is to pay for all required fees for the students identified. The second part is to offer encouragement through monthly visitations by the cast members.

What is the purpose behind the play?

Beyond Measure is a play that seeks to entertain an audience whilst presenting some difficult questions about life. Mainly, the play asks questions about marriage, forgiveness and peace. The play was deliberately designed to be multi themed.

Where did you source your cast from?

I knew a few people who I personally invited into the cast. Those invited also made some recommendations of some people they knew. It was a chain reaction recruitment.

Where else do you stage your plays?

We plan to stage our next Blantyre play very soon and tour other cities. The short film we are working on will be freely distributed to churches in and outside Malawi. We also hope to perform it live in churches.