BELIEF ENCOUNTERS
New Testament-Inspired Resources for
Creative Preaching & Contemporary Worship
New Testament-Inspired Resources for
Creative Preaching & Contemporary Worship
Belief Encounters is a collection of six New Testament-inspired monologues providing examples of creative preaching, resources for contemporary worship and ideas for developing preaching styles. It also includes a creative storytelling workshop. The six monologues are based on familiar stories from the Bible, including Judas' betrayal of Jesus, the healing of the leper and the feeding of the five thousand.
This video library can be used as part of a church service or in prayer and Bible groups as a study resource, in schools or colleges as part of Religious Education or Theology lessons, or by church leaders and trainee church leaders to help develop creative preaching styles. In the characters portrayed you will find the profound, the confused, the elated, the disturbed, the transformed – indeed, a wide range of real human emotions which identify reactions to real encounters with Jesus Christ.
Belief Encounters offers ways in which the text and context of the stories which appear on a page can be translated into three-dimensional drama for a stage. Unsurprisingly, text from the Bible was the primary source of inspiration for this material, but from the outset the main aim was to enable the words to ‘live’ through allowing them authentic voices as the stories are taken on to a stage.
The author acknowledges with sincere gratitude those who inspired the project both in its concept and development. Among these, most notably, were Alan Bennett, by virtue of his ‘Talking Heads’ series, which highlighted the impact of giving a voice to those who are 'the supporting cast in life’s dramas'. Also, Dr Jim Fleming's archaeological work, in which he identifies the land of the Bible as 'the fifth gospel', thereby providing background and insights into the everyday lives of the characters. Peter English demonstrated extraordinary skills and boldness in delivering street theatre. Working alongside him over several years was an education and became an incentive to deliver drama that would prove both engaging and thought-provoking.
Brian Pearson was ordained as an Anglican Priest in 1979, thereafter ministering in parishes in South East London, West Sussex, Somerset, Kent and Warwickshire. In 1996 he was received as a Fellow of the College of Preachers by its founder, former Archbishop Donald Coggan. As a Missioner in two dioceses and then as the Archbishop of Canterbury's Officer for Mission and Evangelism, Brian has led seminars, addressed clergy gatherings and preached in many parts of the UK, as well as in the USA, Australia and Canada. He has worked as a freelance broadcaster, writing and presenting material for regional TV and providing commentary on national TV.
Belief Encounters has been adopted by several church groups for use in worship and discussion groups. It has been presented in its entirety in a Somerset Arts and Music Festival, and several of the monologues have been performed as ‘stand-alone’ pieces in churches and open-air services. The material may be freely performed in places of worship, schools, colleges, theatres or community venues. Monologues from Belief Encounters can be performed individually or as part of a larger stage show or performance evening. Requests for advice or guidance on production and staging may be made via the message facility below.
Once the early results of the material had been 'test-driven' in front of a number of church congregations, the shape of the final presentation emerged and the collection was performed and filmed before a live audience in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. Brian Pearson has expressed his hope that this material would bring people a little closer to those who themselves were very close to Jesus. We gratefully acknowledge the valued assistance provided by the minister, Rev Andy Laird, and members of Kenilworth Methodist Church in the making of this project.
Have a question about the resources or want to enquire about booking Belief Encounters for a live performance? Send a message directly to Brian below.
We want these resources to be freely available for you to use wherever a video of this nature is appropriate. You might like to use them in a school assembly, a church service, a small group meeting, or during a training workshop.