The life of a drama minister, especially in the foreign mission is like a rugged missionary who is consumed with passion for souls and in his service to the Lord Jesus Christ. In summary, the life of a drama minister is a dedicated and consecrated life to God.
A lot goes into film production before serving the final product i.e. the movie to the people. Foremost, there’s lack of available, usable cast and crew members. This can force a drama minister to combine roles as cast and a crew member. Some aspects like editing and movie recording can be a bit expensive and challenge a drama minister to self- learn or go for training. For instance, my wife, Evangelist Toyin Fatunsin learnt editing
on YouTube and through practice and has edited more than 50 movies by God’s grace. I went for a short course on acting for director in the UK. This has reasonably sustained the work but not without its stress. However, some drama ministers who can’t afford this may encounter setback.
Lack of sufficient funds to purchase necessary film equipment or renting them can be frustrating sometimes. In addition, the cost of hiring a cameraman and other crew members in western world is expensive as they work on hourly basis which may not meet the drama minister’s target.
Time is also a challenge. What do I mean? Time is money, especially in the western world and in turn affect the quality time needed to produce a movie. Subsequently, we are forced to shoot movie for lengthy hours on weekends, nights and available holiday periods. It could be tiring at times.
Another factor is location. Not many people are willing to release their houses or endure the long hours of film shooting. This constraint has led us to rent apartments or maximize every part of our personal house. This has also led to the use of minimal cast.
The spiritual battle against the drama ministers on foreign mission is real. The forces against righteousness and true deliverances have been waging serious battles in the areas of immigration, marriage, career, finance, health and so on. While some are still standing by God’s grace, some have abandoned their assignments in pursuit of mundane things. These challenges have hindered the drama mission and brought discouragement.
Due to the unavailability of enough cast, my wife and I usually play the roles of husband and wife and this involves shooting at both regular and odds hours with no one behind the cameras. We would turn the LCD screens to face us and then monitor it. We made mistakes sometimes but the work must be done. These are some of the challenges of drama ministers on foreign missions.
In spite of the challenges, drama ministers can overcome all these challenges by God’s grace and determination to bring souls into the kingdom of God and bring glory to God.
“For with God, nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37).
Olumide Fatunsin
The Overcomers Evangelical Ministries International, Spain
