Actors
1 Christian
2 Hindus
3 Moslems
1 Confucian
I Buddhist
1 Communist (or atheist)
2 Worship the Spirit of the River

Equipment At a small table on the platform, four speakers sit with microphones. They carry on a conversation similar to the one below. (You should adapt it to present an accurate picture of your own church’s mission program.)

Action 1: You all have a copy of next year’s budget and projections. What do you think?
2: This is the same as last year’s! All of our costs have gone up! And we need to send out more people! How can we keep the same figures as last year?
3: He’s right. Transportation, printing, equipment—all are way up from last year. And food costs have skyrocketed in the Philippines and Irian Jaya because of the droughts. How can we expect our missionaries to get by on this? Let alone expand their ministries!
1: You all know that we’ve had trouble making our budget these last few years. If the money doesn’t come in, we can’t spend it. It’s been a step of faith even to come up with this budget, yet we’re confident that God will supply. But it will mean sacrifice.
4: The people in our churches give to missions and God has blessed our work so far. But some still don’t see missions as being very important.
2: Don’t they see the need? Don’t they understand the number of lost souls out there?
4: Well, probably not. We try our best to educate the churches, but remember most of them haven’t had the kind of exposure to overseas missions we have. Most don’t realize how many are lost.
1: On top of that, some are hesitant to give to missions because they don’t think they can afford it.
4: Or else they feel that we have enough missionaries now.
3: Enough missionaries! (pause) Enough missionaries. Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” That’s still true today.
2: In Bogota we have eight missionary families in a city of almost three million! We have only two in Bombay, and eighteen in the entire country of Upper Volta! Even with the national pastors and evangelists, it’s a huge task. There are so many people .
3: And so many forces working against us. There are all the false religions. And the cults work overseas, too.
1: God has called us to a difficult task. There’s no doubt about that. But he’s also promised to equip us for that task. Nothing is impossible when we’re in God’s will.
3: That’s right.
2: I wish people would stop seeing missions as an extra or as something for somebody else to do. Jesus told us to go. If we can’t go ourselves, we can at least support those who go.
4: Well, Jesus also told us to pray that God would send laborers into his harvest. Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit will work in the churches. He can convince people of the needs much better than we can. If he does, and people listen, we will be able to expand the work.
During this dialogue, other young people are circulating quietly throughout the congregation trying to get converts. They distribute literature for their religion, asking people if they would like to “follow Buddha” or “worship the Spirit of the River,” and so on. These young people may wear appropriate costumes, although it’s not really necessary, and play the following roles:

1 Christian
2 Hindus
3 Moslems
1 Confucian
I Buddhist
1 Communist (or atheist)
2 Worship the Spirit of the River
2 Worship the Sun
2 Worship the Spirits of their Ancestors

(When the speakers on the platform have finished, the “missionaries” who have been circulating in the congregation come to the front and introduce themselves.)

Ancestor, Sun, and River Worshipers: We are animists. We worship many different spirits in nature.
Communist: I am a Communist. I do not believe in any God.
Buddhist: I follow the teachings of Confucius.
Moslems: We are Moslems. Our god is Allah.
Hindus: We are Hindus. We worship many gods.
Christian: I am a Christian. I follow Jesus Christ. God does not want anyone to perish, but many in the world are lost because they do not know Jesus.
Please, help me to tell them.

After the skit, explain to the congregation that the people in the line are proportioned by religion in approximately the ratio as the world population. Christians are outnumbered fourteen to one.