Edwina Findley interview

MasterWorks master class instructor Edwina Findley was just interviewed by the NAACP. She had a lot of great insights for young actors, and even mentioned MasterWorks!

CITA Secondary School Festival

I was thrilled to be a part of the Christians in Theatre Arts Secondary School Festival again this year. It was hosted by the Salvation Army's Kroc Center in Greenville, SC.

I got to adjudicate, perform and teach. I was glad it worked out for me to also sit in on the master class with  Emmy award-winning and Tony-nominated producer, director, song writer, Dani Davis. Her work with the students was transformative. The group she worked with in the afternoon, from Artios Academies, won in the ensemble musical theatre competition, so they were asked to perform it again at the end of the evening program. They took Dani's suggestions and ignited the piece to a totally new level!

I'm hoping we'll draw some of those talented young people to MasterWorks this summer.

The Lamp

We just watched The Lamp, directed by Tracy Trost, who directed me in A Christmas Snow. It is absolutely phenomenal! It stars Academy Award winner Lou Gossett Jr. and my ACS cast mates Muse Watson and Cameron ten Napel. Great work, both of you!

It's a powerful story about how we can believe a lie and wrap our whole world around it as if it's the truth, or we can believe the truth and it will set us free.

I once heard Janet Bachelor, co-writer of Batman Forever, say that when she read The Lord of the Rings it made her search for a world that matched Middle Earth, and what she found was that it only exists in Christianity. That's exactly how I felt about The Lamp. It's the kind of fairy tail that points right to life in the Kingdom.

It's a brilliant story beautifully told.

As a part of the opening sequence you'll see the book version of A Christmas Snow by Jim Stovall, who also penned the novel for The Lamp and The Ultimate Gift. (By the way the film version of The Ultimate Gift was cast by Bev Holloway, who has taught a number of times at MasterWorks.) A couple of other nice touches: The director makes his cameo as the "Handsome Jogger". Danny Cahill, who was the biggest loser on The Biggest Loser, played the food critic in A Christmas Snow, and a guy at the gym in The Lamp. And in both films Jim Stovall, who can't see, plays a driver.

Now I have to get back to that opening sequence: None of the characters spoke for six minutes, but the way the story unfolded without words was masterful.

This sermon goes into more depth on John 2, the passage to which I alluded last week. It also has a powerful close by my bride, Pastor Joyce. This also has an interview with the brother of one of my MasterWorks students who inspired the Giants to be "All In".

Call to worship and prayer by Pastor Linda Warren.

Pastor Randy Solomon preaches on Luke 2:13-22.

Closing comments and prayer by Pastor Joyce Swingle.



This service is available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store.

Pastor Randy mentions a young man who inspired the NY Giants with the phrase, "All In," which is now their motto. Here's an interview with that young man, Gian Paul Gonzales, the brother of a MasterWorks Festival student Rich Swingle taught.

The story of the missionary to the Stone Age tribe is in the book Bruchko, which is how the tribe pronounced the author, Bruce Olsen's name.

The Scarlet and the Black

This powerfully shows the heroic efforts of Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty to save thousands of Jewish and Allied targets from the Nazis of occupied Rome.

It was made for television before there was a rating system. In theatres it would probably receive a PG rating today because of its subject matter, frightening images, some vulgarity and violence.

Unity in Worship

Opening story by Rachel L.



Rich Swingle preaches on John 4:1-26.



The song referenced at the beginning of the sermon is Come, Now Is the Time to Worship.

For more details on John 4 review A Samaritan Woman in which Patricia Mauceri followed Pastor Joyce's sermon with testimony linked to that passage.

Here's more about how the veil in the temple being ripped is mentioned by sources in addition to the Bible: Mysterious Events in the Year 30 AD.

This service is available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store.

Unity in the Father

Pastor Joyce Swingle launches our Unity Series preaching on Psalm 133. She discovered the key to the passage is that our unity must come from submission to the Father.

 Closing comments by Pastor Rachel Taylor.

 

 This service is available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store.

Mighty Abraham

This is my audition for the upcoming film, Mighty Abraham. For more details about my personal connection to this story and how my grandfather came back from the dead visit Blog.RichDrama.com (1/2/12).

 The production team is wanting to use the casting process to start a buzz, so I'd be grateful if you could help in three ways:

 1) Like the YouTube page and leave a comment.
 2) Like the Facebook page and leave a comment.
 3) Share the Facebook page on your profile page by clicking the Share button at the bottom of the Facebook post.
 4) Like my IMDb page. (It's just below the ad, which I cannot control in any way.)

Thanks so much, everyone!

How Cliff married the family

In 1942, Jimmy Ostema, the first husband of Hilda Triezenberg, had taken a trip to Chicago, which was almost 200 miles away from their home in Charleston, Illinois, to show his newborn baby, Judy, off to friends and relatives. On that trip he got sick, and his temperature rose to 108 degrees.

Their daughter Jeri, who was 17 months old, was singing to her father, but she and Judy, 9 weeks old, were both pulled away from him for fear that they contract spinal meningitis, the source of his illness. Hilda begged the Lord to keep her 26-year-old husband alive to help her raise their two daughters. Hilda asked the Lord how they could ever crawl out of $600 of debt, which would have been almost $8,000 in today's economy, if Jimmy didn't get better. But he got worse. His heart stopped beating, and he was declared dead. Hilda was sobbing and sobbing and still praying when he came back to life! He said, "Hilda, I'll miss you and the girls, but it's so wonderful there! I've seen the Lord. It's far better to be with Him. He will give you another husband who will be a father to our daughters. Let me go." He lived another week, but Hilda eventually told the Lord she trusted Him to take Jimmy home.

At the funeral many expressed their grief for the family by slipping Hilda money. Every year on the anniversary of Jimmy's death Hilda would sit her girls down and tell them about their father. In the same way the people of Israel celebrated passover every year so that each generation would remember the Lord's protection and deliverance long after they begged Him to stop talking to them directly, Hilda told the girls about their father's love for them, about how he would play his trumpet to draw people to their Bible Center so they could understand their Heavenly Father's love for them. She told them about his glimpse of heaven, about how they counted up the gifts from Jimmy's funeral on their bed, and about it all adding up to $600. It was exactly what they needed to escape debt! When my brother Bob and I came along, Grandma would tell us those stories, too. There were many times that she would tell us how the Lord would guide her by providing an exact amount needed for a ministry endeavor to which she felt called, and that intimate language she shared with the Lord was first spoken and understood at her husband’s funeral.

When she was only three years old, Jeri shared these amazing truths on Moody Bible Institute's radio program. Hilda and Jimmy had met while students at Moody. Cliff had attended the school at the same time, but they hadn't known each other well. The station received numerous calls from people who had given their lives to the Lord because of the young evangelist.

Jimmy's father, a retired minister, was invited to shepherd the small congregation of the Bible Center, but on his first Sunday he told them that he knew of a young Moody Bible Institute graduate who was working on his masters degree: He recommended Cliff Miller to fill the pulpit as an interim preacher.

Meanwhile Hilda and the girls went to live with her widowed father. A little over three years later he remarried, and Hilda thought it wise to re-empty her father's nest. She found a place back in Charleston. She was told about the young man now preaching at the Bible Center.

 Here's Cliff's description of how they met from his memoirs:

I was speaking... one Sunday morning early in 1946 when a young woman with two little girls came through the front door. After the service I went to the door to greet people. One of the little girls (Geraldine) grabbed my leg and announced to her embarrassed widowed mother that she wanted a daddy, too! Well Geri probably started something..." 

So on September 28, 1946, Cliff married the family.

God Is Our Leader

This New Year's Day service concludes Rich Swingle's Views of the Manger Series with "The New King". Pastor Joyce Swingle preaches on Psalm 90 and then leads in communion.

 

This service is available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store.

An Unexpected Surprise

Pastor Randy Solomon preaches on Luke 2:1-20.

 Pastoral prayer by Linda Warren. 

Additional comments by Claude Chew.

 "Harvey Silverstein" by Mac Nelson is performed by Rich Swingle.  Thomas Tornado Tinglehoop (mentioned in this version of the sketch) is the hero of Jim Warren and Rich Swingle's children's book Thomas Tornado Tinglehoop and the Three Christmas Clues.

 

 This service is available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store.

 Here is Rich's performance of Harvey Silverstein The Innkeeper on the other side of the wall from what is believed to be the actual manger in which Jesus was born. Our guide to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem said it's over 9 out of 10 probability that it's the actual manger because a Byzantine church is built over a little chapel enclosing a stone manger. It is the oldest church on earth that is still being used. It was built within 100 years of Jesus' death, so it was the grandkids of those who were there that identified it as The Spot.

 

 "Harvey Silverstein" © Copyright 2011 by Mac Nelson and Rich Swingle.

A Picture of Our King

Pastor Linda with the
painting to which she
refers in her sermon.
Painting: "Father's Prize"
by Pastor Linda's mother,
Edith DeCecca.

Pastor Linda Warren preaches on Isaiah 11:1-10.

 Call to worship by Rich Swingle.

 Scripture reading by Chris L. and Tamara W. (NIV)

 Pastoral and closing prayers by Joyce Swingle.

 Testimonies by Claude Chew and Pastor Randy Solomon.

 

 This service is available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store.

Edward Hicks (1780-1849)

Kazakhstan connection

As I was getting on a connecting flight in Charlotte I saw a fellow wearing a Beijing Olympics sweatshirt. I found out he competed there for Kazakhstan, so I told him "Salamatzas ba" (hello in Kazakh) and we chatted until they called my boarding zone. As I was on the phone telling Joyce about how cool the encounter was he sat next to me! I told him about my performances in Beijing during those Olympics, and he showed me his photo with Michael Phelps. He's a Christian, and he showed me the cross on his necklace. He explained that it's a bit corroded from the chlorine because he wears it during his practices and competitions! We prayed together on the tarmac, especially that when he competes in March to qualify for the London Olympics that he will succeed. Join us in praying that he will, and that he will carry his witness there to people from around the world. The person who taught me Kazakh phrases runs a theatre in Almaty, Kazakhstan, so I'm praying that my new friend can connect with her during his month home.

I was transferring notes from an old draft of Views of the Manger, so I was able to give him the script to read on his next leg to Kiev. Pray it has a lasting impact.

Advent of God

Joyce preaches on Matthew 1:18-24, and I continue my piece "What!?" from my play, Views of the Manger. Additional prayers and comments by Bill Huisman and Pastors Linda Warren and Randy Solomon at Westchester Chapel.



This service is available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store.

Love bade me welcome

This is one of five poems by George Herbert that I performed at The Kennedy Center in 2002.  It was hanging on the wall in the room where I stayed while in Chicago with the father of Melissa Lorraine, who performs the one-woman play, Juliet: A Dialogue About Love. Wheaton College Church, where I miraculously performed that night, had asked the Melissa's parents if they'd host me. Later he realized Joyce and I had hosted Melissa in '07. I had met her at a speed networking session at a Christians in Theatre Arts conference, there in Chicago. We had two minutes to share about our work. She said, "I'm going to perform at the Fringe Festival this summer."

"So am I!" I bellowed. "I'll see you in Edinburgh!" Turns out she was performing at the New York Fringe Festival the same weeks we were performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. So we let her apartment sit.

So her folks returned the favor.  I asked Melissa's father about the significance of the poem, and he shared that after many years of rejecting the love of God and her family she used this poem, which she wrote and framed for her father's birthday present, to let them know that she had accepted Love...

"Love bade me welcome, but my soul drew back

Guilty of dust and sin. 

But quick-eyes Love, observing me grow slack 

From my first entrance in

Drew near to me, sweetly questioning

If I lacked anything.

"A guest," I answered, "worthy to be here."

Love said, "You shall be he."

"I, the unkind, the ungrateful? Ah, my dear, 

I cannot look on thee."

Love took my hand, and smiling did reply, 

"Who made the eyes but I?"

"Truth, Lord; but I have marred them; let my shame

Go where it doth deserve."

"And know you not," says Love, "who bore the blame?"

"My dear, then I will serve."

"You must sit down," says Love, "and taste my meat."

So I did sit and eat.

~George Herbert

On the Christmas card Melissa wrote, "Please forgive the five-year-old quality of this gift...I wish it was just a little bit prettier.  But know that the reason this is your gift today is because I finally and fully know Him and I have at long last pulled my chair up to His feast...."

Melissa's dad invited me to read a chapter she wrote in Mere Christians: Inspiring Stories of Encounters with C. S. Lewis. I was sobbing after Melissa's profound retelling of how she found Jesus in a very secular theatre company commune in Hungary by reading pages from C. S. Lewis' book, Surprised by Joy, which her sister had selected for her.

The Shepherd's Daughter in the Shepherd's Cave of Bethlehem

Joyce performed this piece that she wrote in the Shepherds' Cave of Bethlehem during our trip to Jordan and Israel through CITA to the Nations.

 

 This service is available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store.

Margot Morrell

I ran into Margot Morrell tonight at MasterMedia's Christmas party. She's written books on Ronald Reagan and Sir Ernest Shackleton, who led his crew of 27 through the frigid wasteland of Antarctica. She encouraged me to turn them both into one-man plays. I'm intrigued...

Putting up our tree

Advent of the Lord

Rachel Taylor preaches on Mark 1: 1-8 after Rich Swingle's performance of the first half of "What!?", a sketch from his one-man play Views of the Manger.

 

 This service is available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store.

Interview with Donald James Parker

Here's my interview with Donald James Parker on his show Weilding the Sword of the Spirit:

Listen to internet radio with Donald James Parker on Blog Talk Radio

Here are the links I mention on the show:

Beyond the Chariots: RichDrama.com/BeyondtheChariots
 Plays: RichDrama.com Click on Feature Length Plays in right index
A Christmas Snow: RichDrama.com/AChristmasSnow
MasterWorks Theatre report: RichDrama.com/MWF
 List of former master class instructors at MasterWorks: click here
MasterWorks Theatre Program for 2012: RichDrama.comMWFTheatre2012
Filmography: films.richdrama.com
Writer's Block: RichDrama.com/WritersBlock
Ivy League Congress on Faith and Action: RichDrama.com/IvyLeague
Graceworks: GraceworksInc.com
Itinerary: itinerary.richdrama.com

Christmas Greetings!

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

We pray all God’s best as we enter into this season of celebrating our Savior’s incarnation and birth as the Baby Jesus.  May all His Love flow over and in you this holy time.

The Swingles had another eventful year:

• Joyce completed her first year as lead/senior pastor of Westchester Chapel Community Church of the Nazarene aka WCCC (WestchesterChapel.org).  She has had the blessing of celebrating Christ in this beloved community for almost 15 years and has seen the Lord bring people to Himself, grow them into steadfast, faithful and Spirit-filled believers and mature them to continue to witness to His Love and Presence.  God has blessed this little group of the faithful through a time of reconstruction and return to the core of the faith:  Christ Alone.  It has been an eventful and rewarding journey.

• This was Rich's busiest year. He was in front of groups teaching, speaking, preaching or performing over 275 times on three continents, four nations and 17 states. He broke another personal record by performing nine of his 11 productions (only A Clear Leading and The Revelation were left out of the lineup: RichDrama.com), including two new offerings: Paradise Lost (which you can watch in its entirety) and Shepherds Reflect on Psalm 23 (which you can hear in its entirety). 

• Rich and Joyce performed, taught and or preached in four nations this year:  Jordan and Israel in May as Rich co-led a Christians in Theatre Arts (CITA.org) tour: CITAToTheNationsJordanAndIsrael.Shutterfly.com.  Taiwan and Singapore (Rich only) in the fall as both Swingles taught at a Spiritual Life Week at Morrison Academy and Rich went on to Singapore to perform Beyond the Chariots for a packed-out event for Singapore Youth Day. Joyce went back to the US to preach in Pittsburgh. There was a twelve hour period where the Swingles were performing for 12 hours straight in both hemispheres!

• The Swingles also had the incredible experience of appearing as husband/wife, father/mother of nine (pictured in the photo card above) in the lovely film Indescribable (RichDrama.com/Indescribable), which tells the story of God’s love.  The film is expected to be released next summer.

• Rich enjoyed unusually joyous camaraderie on the set of Writers' Block (RichDrama.com/WritersBlock), a comedy about two screen writers forced to hole up overnight and turn out a blockbuster script.  The Presence of the Lord was so strong on the set that the participants still share the wonder with each other.

• We too want to share the wonder of the surrendered life with you.  We’ve been preaching for some time at WCCC on the freedom that is in Christ and have walked with Him through the shedding of sins and idolatries of all sorts.  (You'll find some messages on WestchesterChapel.org at the bottom of the center column, including recordings of Views of the Manger as Rich shares it week by week this Advent.) The result for those who have allowed God to work has been an increasing freedom in the Spirit -- freedom to enjoy God’s Presence and to serve as He calls in joyous, fruitful measure.  We pray just such blessings for you this season and in the year to come. 

In Christ Alone,  

Rich and Joyce Swingle

P.S. If you're still looking for some gift-giving ideas consider some of Rich's projects: 

A Christmas Snow (also check out your local listings) 

God of Hope

Sponsor a child as a gift to someone you know and to a child in a developing nation: RichDrama.com/Compassion. 

 P.P.S. Here's Joyce's performance of her one-woman piece The Shepherd's Daughter, performed in the Shepherds' Cave of Bethlehem.




Here is Rich's performance of Harvey Silverstein The Innkeeper on the other side of the wall from what is believed to be the actual manger in which Jesus was born. Our guide to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem said it's over 9 out of 10 probability that it's the actual manger because a Byzantine church is built over a little chapel enclosing a stone manger. It is the oldest church on earth that is still being used. It was built within 100 years of Jesus' death, so it was the grandkids of those who were there that identified it as The Spot.

Freud's Last Session...again

Joyce and I saw Freud's Last Session tonight. I loved it for the second time! The difference was that in Atlanta C.S. Lewis had more fans, and here in New York Freud seemed to hold sway. Still, Truth was spoken, and hopefully there will many that turn up the music, as Freud does in the end, and wonder.

Have you registered for the Secondary Festival yet?

I'll be adjudicating and leading a workshop at this event...

When the New Year begins, registration for the CITA Secondary School Theatre Festival CLOSES. Don't miss the deadline! Registration closes on January 3, 2012.

We are happy to announce that several college representatives are on board to interview and recruit students at the festival. We will also be presenting two $1,000 scholarships to the best male and best female senior performers.

If you would like to bring students or if you are a college representative and would like to meet prospective students, be sure to check out our website for information on festival registration, hotel information, and more! Also, "like" us on Facebook to receive helpful tips on how to prepare for the festival! You DO NOT want to miss this wonderful event!

Advent of the Light

Pastor Linda Warren preaches on John 1:1-18 after Rich Swingle performs Part 2 of Views of the Manger, "Guess What", the story of Gabriel's announcement to Mary. In this recording Pastor Joyce Swingle lends her voice to Mary's reaction to the news.

Pastoral prayer by Joyce Swingle.

 

 This service is available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store.

Butterfly Circus

I have a friend who performed a minor role in Butterfly Circus, which won $100,000 for first place at The Doorpost Film Project Competition. It was also recently featured the Searching for Sanctuary Film Festival at Biola University. It's a profound look at hope despite unfortunate circumstances.

The Spiritual Life of MasterWorks

Here's a video on the spiritual life of MasterWorks, created by MasterWorks Theatre Department alum, David Kavanaugh. It opens with the Bible study that Joyce and I had the pleasure of leading, along with Terry Ewell, who composed new music for Paradise Lost, in which I performed earlier this year.

 

God of Hope DVD now available

In this section of the larger God of Hope project, which includes a book, music CD, audio book and DVD, I play the Apostle Paul.

When Paul begins telling his story, his hatred of Jesus' followers -- of these traitors to Israel -- is obvious. Paul describes the trial of Peter, the bloody stoning of Stephen, and then his life-changing encounter with the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus. realizing he has been an enemy of God, the terrified Paul believes the situation is hopeless and that he is to be severely judged, but instead he receives God's grace, unlimited love, and the assignment to tell the world that Jesus is King. Paul speaks of rethinking his convictions and learning that God's secret plan is to defeat evil through His Son Jesus.

For the next thirty years, Paul tirelessly and fearlessly preaches the gospel that Jesus is King. Paul also confesses that he is burdened by guilt for his persecution of God's people. Emperor Nero is also persecuting Jesus' followers, and Paul is taken out to be executed. Jesus has not returned, but Paul knows he has fought the good fight and kept the faith. He knows that nothing can separate him from God's love as revealed through God's son Jesus. Before he is executed, Paul calls on the readers to have a spirit of power, of love, of self-discipline; to stand firm in the faith as they wait for Jesus to return; and to do everything in love.

Video and audio excerpts are available here: God's Story.

Quotes
Your performance, GOD OF HOPE, was anointed and filled with the Holy Spirit of God!! Enjoyed it very much... Thank you for blessing the Nyack students with the gift that God has given unto you for His glory!!
--Latricia T. Moore
Pastoral Ministry student (class of 2012)
Nyack College, Manhattan Campus

Rich - I wanted to thank you once again for the awesome performance yesterday at our church! It was a powerful message from the life of Paul who seemed to step out of the pages of the scriptures yesterday. The papers stopped rustling, the auditorium grew silent as the Spirit of God moved amongst us. And I'm SO glad you worked extra hard to prepare this new play as it was exactly where our church has been and exactly what we needed!
--Scott Cornett
Pastor
Bethel Baptist Temple
Cincinnati

I really enjoyed your dramatization/sermon of Saul/Paul! You have a gift!!! Hope you can come back and visit soon!
--Sarah Beth Zylka
Cincinnati

Thank you for coming to our church today. Everyone so enjoyed you!!! I was truly impressed by your drama of Paul's life.
--Mark Doeding
Cincinnati

It was great to have you minister to our people. You certainly did make Paul come to life. Thank you so much.
--Larry Cornett
Pastor
Bethel Baptist Temple
Cincinnati




Rich recorded the voice of Saul/Paul for the Audio Book and performed for the DVD of God of Hope. They are both available now.

Registration Deadline Approaching for CITA Secondary Festival!

I'll be adjudicating events and leading a workshop...

  Everyone at CITA hopes that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a great start to the holiday season! We also wanted to remind you that the registration deadline for the CITA Secondary Festival is January 3, 2012! Come take part in this exciting opportunity for students.

Two $1,000 scholarships will be offered to the best male and female performer. Representatives from several colleges will also be attending, including Anderson University, Rocky Mountain College, Asbury College, Abilene Christian University, Lee University, North Greenville University, Indiana Wesleyan University and more!

The CITA Secondary Festival is an opportunity for students who share their common faith and passion for theatre to connect with one another during a weekend of workshops, professional performances and student performances for ajudication.

For more information, please visit our website!

Also, "like" us on Facebook and receive updates about how to prepare for the festival!

The Covenant Keeper

Rich Swingle performed his sketch "The Covenant Keeper" from his Christmas play, Views of the Manger, and Pastor Joyce Swingle preached on the text the piece dramatizes: Genesis 15.  This service closes the Freedom Series and launches a five-part series which will include each sketch from Views of the Manger. Opening prayer by Pastor Linda Warren.

 

 This service is available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store.

Wielding the Sword of the Spirit with guest Rich Swingle

I'll be interviewed by talk show host Donald James Parker on Dec. 11 at 6pm ET. You can also call in and ask questions. I'm looking forward to it.  Click here to listen live.

Views of the Manger throughout Advent

I'll be performing my play Views of the Manger throughout Advent and Christmas at Westchester Chapel. Each week I'll perform one of the sections of the play:

Sunday, November 27
The Covenant Keeper: Abraham looks forward to the Christ 

Sunday, December 4
Guess What?: Gabriel brings the Good News that the Light of the World is about to shine 

Sunday, December 11
What!? part 1: Mary tells her fiancé, Joseph, that she and her elderly cousin are with child 

Sunday, December 18
What!? part 2: Joseph sees that his fears were unfounded

Christmas Day, Sunday, December 25
Harvey Silverstein: The innkeeper had no idea who they were 

Sunday, January 1
The New King: Wise men cross the earth to worship Him

After Rich performs in the main service he'll bring the sketch to the nursery. On December 18 he'll perform Thomas Tornado Tinglehoop and the Three Christmas Clues for the nursery in lieu of What!? part 2.

Join us each Sunday at 11am at The Crowne Plaza, 66 Hale Ave, White Plains, NY.

Audio recordings will be posted to WestchesterChapel.org.

Freedom from the Fear of Circumstances

Rich Swingle preaches from Matthew 14: 22-33 on Peter's walk on water. Opening prayer by Pastor Randy Solomon.

This sermon is available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store. Here's footage of Rich performing the role of Peter walking on the Sea of Galilee from their May 2011 trip to Jordan and Israel with Christians in Theatre Arts:

Rich alluded to The Tree of Life by Terrance Malick:
 

The First Thanksgiving

Tonight at our Thanksgiving Eve service one of our pastors, Randy Solomon, told the story of the first Thanksgiving. It's such a powerful story of the Lord's grace on those that came to America for religious freedom. You can read about it in Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving, which you can download now on a Kindle:
 

The Jeweler's Shop

This year the MasterWorks Festival Theatre Program will be going to New York City after our final performance in Winona Lake.

Because this will be our first on-the-road experience, we decided to keep things simple with our play. We'll be performing The Jeweler's Shop, written by Karol Wojtyla, who later became Pope John Paul II. Before he was a priest he was an actor and playwright through the Rhapsodic Theatre in Krakow, Poland, during Nazi occupation. Their focus was on simplicity of production so that the full attention could be placed on meaning and acting.

Besides simplicity, we specifically chose a lesser-known play because New Yorkers have access to popular plays with A-list actors. We wanted to choose a play that would be intriguing to audiences in both Winona Lake and New York, and we believe this play will do just that.

A photo of me from an article
on The Jeweler's Shop

I had the opportunity to perform two roles in the play in the mid-90s with the Polish Theatre Group of New York. We performed it in Michigan, Georgia (here's an article from the Augusta Chronicle: "Pope's play testifies to enduring power of love"),  Florida, including Miami.  We also performed it throughout the New York City area, including a performance at the United Nations that received a standing ovation. In fact, I can't remember a single time during our performances that it did not receive a standing ovation. Before I came on board, they'd performed it at Carnegie Hall and The Lincoln Center, and bookings were underway at Princeton University, Tokyo, Paris, Poland and in The Vatican for the Pope. Unfortunately our director died of a heart attack before those dreams were realized.

The director of our 1990s
production with
Pope John Paul II.

The play tells the story of three couples and the joy and pain of love and marriage. New York's Daily News reported on our production: "City's Polish Troupe Thrives On Pope's Play".

The play employs a very different style from plays we've produced in the past unfolding mostly in a series of monologues directed to the audience. It invites audience members into the private thoughts of the characters at various stages of life and love. This makes the play a great challenge for actors, and as we experienced, it affects audiences in a profound way. Richard Barbuto wrote of our UN performance, "...the play made me feel like I was participating in it. ...It was clearly the the objective of (the) author... to invite the audience to more than aesthetic appreciation: to artistic participation!" I just saw a play Off-Broadway that used this technique with great skill, and it was captivating.

Performing this play does require a very high level of experience and skill, we've decided to reserve the right to accept applicants until the Festival's early application deadline of March 1 to ensure the highest level of talent. Also, the play will limit our program size to fourteen students, so be sure to apply before March 1.

Applicants must submit:

• Application form completed in full
• Application fee (application cannot be processed until fee is received)
• Current résumé and/or summary of all stage experience and training
• Current headshot
• A video recording of high quality containing a 2-3 minute monologue from the play. Use the Samuel French publication, which you can order from their site.

Post your audition video to YouTube.com as a private video with a "limited access URL," as the script is copyrighted. Be sure to hit save or the URL it generates will not work. Be sure to include the URL on the third page of your application. 

I'm looking forward to your auditions!

MasterWorks Theatre Alum in VW spot

Chad Rasor, a MasterWorks alum and recent master class instructor was just featured in this very fun VW ad. (He's the one in the driver's seat.)
 
VW "engage" :60 from derrick borte on Vimeo.

Thanksgiving Greetings from all of us at Graceworks!

For over a decade I've used my theatre background to coach people on their presentation skills through Graceworks. I'm grateful for the opportunities I've had to see major breakthroughs, and we send our Thanksgiving greetings to you.

Graceworks Inc. 470 West End Ave. New York, NY 10024 212-724-1541 | info@graceworksinc.com | www.graceworksinc.com © 2009 - 2011 Graceworks Inc.

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Shepherds Reflect on Psalm 23

Conceived by Pastor Linda Warren, who plays the role of Shoshona, Rich and Pastor Joyce Swingle address their flock as Zelophahad and Pethahiah, shepherds with a perspective on Psalm 23.

 

This service is available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store.

For more sermons by Joyce, click here.

To book Rich and Joyce for a live performance visit RichDrama.com/Booking.

Music at the start of the service is from "Stand Up and Give Him the Praise", from the album Shalom Jerusalem.