Students Spread Gospel Wordlessly in Fourth Annual Gospel Mime

Photo courtesy of the Gospel Mime Facebook event page.

by Hope Moural

Concordia students spread the Gospel message to the Seward community wordlessly through the fourth annual Gospel Mime, held this year on April 12 in Weller Auditorium.

“It’s always neat to see the resurrection and the death of Jesus, the actual physical aspect of it,” said senior Josh Jones, director of the show.

The performance uses the tools of music, light and other effects to tell the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus without any of the cast members uttering a single word.

“It’s one thing to read the Gospel, another to hear it, and yet another to watch it be performed,” said sophomore Britnee Fear, who took on the role of “Girl” for this year’s performance.

Fear said that the storyline for this show was a bit harsher than in previous years, including a pregnancy and abuse.

Both Jones and Fear agreed that the Concordia students are what drives the Gospel Mime to be such a success year after year.

“I always like seeing the support from students and the donations they are able to make, even if they are giving what they don’t have,” Jones said.

Fear said her favorite part of the Gospel Mime was spending time with the other cast members.

“We all bring something unique to the table, and it is very enjoyable getting to know each of [the cast members],” Fear said.

This year the freewill donations gathered before and after the performance will be given to a local sex trafficking organization.

“We as mimes don’t speak, and we want to represent people without words,” Jones said about the selection to the organization.

Jones hopes that those who attended the Gospel Mime saw a different perspective on the Gospel story. In the same way, Fear hopes that the storyline speaks to that perspective and that audience members remember what a glorious gift we have from God.

“Each time we read, see, or hear the Gospel, we gain more and more understanding of the everlasting love our God has for us,” Fear said.