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Julisa Rowe spreads the gospel through drama


Julisa Rowe collects hippopotamuses in memory of a childhood nickname.

Multnomah students might know Julisa Rowe for her drama, "Gathering Lotus Buds," the story of missionary Amy Carmichael. At the 1999 missionary conference, Mrs. Rowe used Carmichael's voice to exhort viewers to share Jesus' love with people in other countries.

Julisa Rowe is soft-spoken when she is off stage. Her voice lilts and sways with a soothing accent. In her living room amidst her collection of hippopotamuses, she sat with one leg tucked under her. Her cat, Pepper, sashayed in from the kitchen; Mrs. Rowe leaned over to pet her.

Mrs. Rowe participates full time in Artists in Christian Testimony. The organization allows artists with a heart for missions to use their artistic talents for the mission field. Mrs. Rowe's focus is different from most of the few Christian drama organizations. Groups that combine drama and missions are few and far between, she said.

Christian churches have neglected the arts, Mrs. Rowe said. According to Mrs. Rowe, the arts are vital for expressing Christianity's rich heritage and presenting the fullness of human nature. She thinks the more traditional ministries such as pastoral or women's ministry are good, but Mrs. Rowe also thinks that humans are artistic by nature, created by a creative God. She said that if Christians deny that creativity, they deny themselves a powerful means of communication.

Judy Straalsund, who is working with Mrs. Rowe on a drama conference, said that Mrs. Rowe inhabits the characters she portrays and makes them real people. Straalsund said people leave the performances feeling as if they learned a lot about the characters Mrs. Rowe presented. What type of people do viewers meet? Mrs. Rowe portrays Mary Slessor, a Scottish missionary; and Amy Carmichael, an Indian missionary. She also presents a devotional piece inspired by a song written by Francis Ridley Havergal.

Mrs. Rowe is in the process of writing both a Christmas piece and a drama for a women's tea. Mrs. Rowe performs at churches, conferences and retreats.

When Mrs. Rowe presents a character to an audience, she tries to enter into that person's world. Yet her acting depends in part on the audience's response. Sometimes she hears the crowd rustling and knows that she has lost them. Other times she hears nothing and knows that she has hooked them.

When the lights beat down and the audience waits in anticipation, Mrs. Rowe reminds herself that she is there to "share the kingdom of God." This protects her from pride when so many eyes look up at her on a stage. She tells herself, "I'm not a star. I'm a servant."

People sometimes react to her ministry in surprising ways, Mrs. Rowe said. One time, while at a meeting after a performance, she introduced herself. A girl in the group became excited and said such things as, "Oh my goodness, I can't believe she's sitting next to me!" She finds the star adulation funny, flattering and bemusing, she said.

Mrs. Rowe was born to missionaries Dr. Donald K. Smith and Faye Smith in Zimbabwe. They lived in Zimbabwe for eight years before moving to Kenya, where they lived for the following eight years. Mr. Smith involved himself in cross-cultural communication, and Mrs. Smith was an ethnomusicologist, a person who studies music of different cultures. Through them, Mrs. Rowe learned the importance of communication, she said.

During high school, Mrs. Rowe involved herself in drama. She received positive comments for her efforts and realized that she possessed the talent to go on in a drama career. She also viewed a Christian film with a friend. The film, poorly done, added to Mrs. Rowe's motivation to receive training for a career in live theater. At Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Mrs. Rowe studied to receive her bachelor's degree with majors in English and theater. She went to Western Seminary for her master's in intercultural studies and now works up to 10 hours a day for her doctorate in enthnodramatology at Western Seminary.

Mrs. Rowe intends to write a handbook on cross-cultural drama. In the United States, drama needs psychological realism to touch people. Another country might need melodramatic dance for the drama's content to move the audience, she said.

Mrs. Rowe sometimes performs with her husband, William Rowe. They met while she interned as a drama and worship leader at a church in Santa Barbara. Mr. Rowe works full-time and leads worship at their church.

Mrs. Rowe faces many struggles in her chosen ministry. Besides difficulty with raising funds, lack of time proves to be one of the most challenging aspects of her full-time ministry. For a two-hour piece, Mrs. Rowe might spend a month memorizing the script at two pages a day.

She spent six months writing her script "God Plus One" about Mary Slessor. She read every biography she found, outlined their contents and figured out what highlights could fit into the one-hour piece. She brought the script to friends; they discussed details such as how things would work on the stage. After she perfected the script, she searched for props and costumes. She developed promotional materials such as posters. She also rehearsed.

Because drama ministry consumes so much time, few people can participate in such a ministry full-time. So Mrs. Rowe does many pieces solo or with her husband. Mrs. Rowe works to the best of her ability. She said that God deserves the best, and the hard work is worth it in the end. "I enjoy the feeling of being in front of an audience and communicating," she said. "Communication is what I'm all about."

"She does everything for a purpose," Mr. Rowe said. When Mr. Rowe sees his wife perform, even though it might be for the 50th time, he said he always finds his wife changing little nuances of the play. He said that Mrs. Rowe tries to keep every performance fresh.

Mrs. Rowe said the real joy of drama is when she touches someone's heart. When people cry over her performance, she knows she moved past the defenses that cover their hearts. Telling people about the kingdom of God is the focal point of Mrs. Rowe's ministry. She always tries to move people toward God. Before every performance, she prays for the Holy Spirit to move people's hearts. She also tries to focus on what every piece says and puts her entire heart into her acting. She wants to make the words her own. Straalsund said that Mrs. Rowe has a "gentle spirit but also a very strong faith. Her deep faith is integral to who she is. It infuses whatever she does," she said.