San Rafael -- July 21, 2006

One of the biggest hits of the California-Nevada Annual Conference Session (ACS) in 2006 were the three one-act plays during worship services, performed by the Rev. Scott Wylie of Aldersgate UMC in San Rafael and the chair of Aldergate's worship committee, Joan Solana.

The writer and director was Pam Abbey, a clergy member of the conference who wrote the three plays exclusively for this ACS. She borrowed from St. Paul's letter to the Philippians. Wylie and Solana will perform the three plays again for the Aldersgate worship service on Sunday, August 13.

Aldersgate had informed Abbey that it has long been interested in "spicing worship with dramas." Abbey had known Solana through the conference network of drama people. Solana wanted to be part of anything Abbey did at ACS. Solana, who would play St. Paul's scribe Tertia, needed a Paul in close proximity to rehearse.

"Joan simply informed me that I was it. End of discussion," said Wylie. "I was glad to say yes." He said he was only leery of the time commitment. Wylie says he spent "countless hours" learning his lines -- right up to going on stage at ACS. He had taped his lines on a cassette and then listened to the tape, and repeated, while driving.

Steve Schlichter, the lay member to ACS from Crystal Springs UMC in San Mateo, called the presentation at ACS impressive with its high quality -- adding that usually drama in worship has a "vague message and actors are under-rehearsed. Such was not the case this time." (Schlichter has been the production manager of the Crystal Springs Players. Founded in 1993, its productions, with largely secular themes, have received rave reviews in the secular press.)

St. Paul, in the plays, agonized on the exact wording for what he wanted to tell the Philippians, and his scribe Tertia gave great, if sometimes sarcastic, suggestions for which Paul took total credit. The first play was based on Philippians 2:5-11 ("Every knee should bend...every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord"). The second on 1:27 ("Your conduct should be the same whether I come in person or hear of it from a distance"). The third was based on Philippians 1:6 ("God who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus"). The verses were the themes of the ACS worship services this year.

Not all church worship committees, however, have actors with experience. Wylie says he has had extensive musical comedy and other acting involvement as an amateur since age 5. Solana was a professional at 14 -- with roles in The Sound of Music and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at a theater company in San Juan. She has done radio and television commercials in both Spanish and English.

As for Abbey's writing, she said, "I tried to do good exegetical work in writing the scripts, although I obviously took a lot of dramatic license. I doubt that Paul's scribe was ever female, but wealthy Roman women would have been literate, so it's possible. In the book of Romans, the scribe actually identified himself as Tertius, so I just turned that into the female form, Terita."

Abbey gives workshops on developing drama for worship (www.actinginfaith.com).