By Sami Hodges – Loveland, Colorado … Campion Academy welcomed Apostle John, Peter, Judas, a leper, a blind man, and finally, a Roman centurion during their week of prayer.
Army Chaplain and award winner Dick Stenbakken became each individual to enact six key elements of the Gospel story and to help students better understand Jesus’ character through the experiences of first-person presentations.
“I’ve never seen Mr. Stenbakken’s performances before,” Haley Beckermeyer, Campion sophomore commented. “They personally made me look at my life in a whole new light. They showed me how to see the Bible characters from their point of view rather than just reading the story. I felt like I could really experience the characters, like we lived in the same time period.”
Although never officially trained in drama, Stenbakken pointed out that all preachers and teachers have to “dabble in drama” at some point in their lives.
“I’m a visual learner, and many other people are too. So, when you see the character, the hammer, the nails, and the leprosy spots, it makes an impression that just describing it can’t do,” Stenbakken explained.
Not only are these drama performances influential to the audience, but he described how the presentations have changed his own life very deeply. “In order to develop a character, I need to get the story behind the story. I have to dig way deeper into the biblical text, as well as the historical and cultural background. As I immerse myself in the character, the message that character has comes alive. When it comes alive to me, then it does the same for the listener.”
Students found the presentations realistic.
“I think it was cool to see what the characters in the Bible might have actually looked like. It was very interactive, relatable, and Mr. Stenbakken really captured my attention with his presentations,” Kylie Wehling, Campion junior said.
Stenbakken had this final message to the audience: “Study the Bible and enter into it as an actor of the story; then, read it again from a different point of view. Suddenly the story will become very real and personal instead of something on paper. That’s the ultimate way of encountering God.”
–Sami Hodges is a senior at Campion Academy; photos supplied
