”
Mission
”
is a key concept in Christianity: The propagation of the
Christian faith among non-Christian peoples. It has been one of the
main tasks of the Church from its very beginning. Over the
centuries this concept has taken on many forms.
“Mission” is a key concept in Christianity: The propagation of the Christian faith among non-Christian peoples. It has been one of the main tasks of the Church from its very beginning. Over the centuries this concept has taken on many forms.
Morgan Hill resident Jill Zintsmaster left last month on a most unusual and exciting mission. The Live Oak High School graduate (class of 2002) is journeying to South Africa for training; then she will travel throughout the United States for eight months with the Christian touring company “13th Floor.”
Zintsmaster graduated earlier this year from the University of Arizona with a degree in Elementary Education. But instead of immediately embarking on her teaching career, she has decided to devote a year to spreading the Gospel. She will be part of a troupe of entertainers whose ministry is to present the Christian message to youth through the arts.Â
Dance has been her passion. In the fourth grade she began attending the Morgan Hill Dance Center; in high school she trained with Ballet San Jose, and she continued studying and performing in Tucson while attending college. In April Zintsmaster auditioned for “13th Floor” while it was appearing in Dallas, Texas.
” ’13th Floor’ wants to occupy ‘the 13th floor,’ that place in ministry where people are afraid to go, to connect where people are afraid to connect, in ways that people are not used to,” according to the group’s Web site. The cast of about 40 members is a collaboration between C-Kruis (an international ministry based in South Africa) and Adventures in Missions (a Gainesville, Ga.-based interdenominational organization that cooperates with local churches to provide youth ministry through the arts.
The performers visit a community for one to five days. Mornings are spent visiting middle schools and high schools in small teams; evenings feature performances held at off-campus venues.
These performances enact stories about real people, drawing the young audiences emotionally into them. Actors, dancers and musicians use scenery props, and costumes to present scenarios which youth can relate to; they deal with relevant situations and themes such as peer pressure, gangs, drugs, alcohol and show how Christ can offer solutions to such problems.
Shows end with an “altar call” or other means to facilitate conversation between the audience and performers, talking about the realities of the show and their youthful audiences’ lives.
For the past few months the young missionary has been engaged in raising money to support her ministry. Of the $10,000 required, she has pledges for all but $2,000. Anyone who would like to contribute to this ministry can contact her by logging on to her blog at www.jill.13floor.org. She will post frequent updates about her experiences, as well as the group’s 2008 travel schedule (which has not yet been finalized).
Jill Zintsmaster is a member of St. Stephen’s in the Field Episcopal Church in South San Jose. As she sets off on this adventure, she no longer feels that she is “a lone follower of Christ,” but is rather “a tool to take out to the world the message and love of an entire faith community.”
