Writing

We have so many happy memories of our time at Epiphany Church. I credit my time there with the beginning of my career of writing for the church.

It was two weeks before Christmas, 1972, and we realized that we had no Christmas pageant. What to do? Since the church was “in-the-round” we decided to try something different. As the costumed children created a tableau a Narrator told the Christmas story and the congregation made sound effects. We divided the congregation into three sections: 1) shepherds sleeping (made snoring sounds) 2) little lambs (baaaing softly) and 3) angels (standing and saying “ Glory to God in the Highest!” Sounds were all aroud us. A Second Act was the Manger scene and the Third Act was the Wisemen –each with appropriate sound effects. Arthur Zapel, editor of Contemporary Drama, heard about the play and published it. In the following years I wrote over two dozen plays for him and from these plays I began writing books for Abingdon Press, Discipleship Resources, Cokesbury, and Upper Room. Most of the plays I wrote for Contemporary Drama (now Christian Publishers) are no longer in print. But that little Epiphany play, “Listen to Christmas,” is still listed in their catalog and I still get a yearly Royalty check.