DRAMAministry has been in existence since the Spring of 2001. Since the very beginning God has had His hand in making this ministry happen. Tim King, Director of Ministries, was only 17 when the team started and was feeling very inadequate for the job. However, in a step of faith and trust that God would provide for all our shortcomings, DRAMA began!

Although the vision for DRAMA was at that time small, God had other plans for this 8-member group of youth. God’s vision was outside of our capacity to grasp.

During that first session, God began showing us that His vision was bigger than ours. One instance was when we acquired our Bibles. We needed Bibles for some of our mimes, and got in contact with a Gideon who could donate some to us. The request was made for twelve. We would never need more than that on our team. (That was our rationale, anyway). That very next session, our team’s size was fourteen!

That would be the start of many other events showing that our vision was simply too small. God has had bigger plans all throughout our growth! Since that start, we have grown to have four teams here in the area.

Some of the highlights of our history have been:

• Ministry start-up in the spring of 2001
• 2002 DRAMA started partnering with Woodcrest Retreat as a part of their summer camp program.
• Our first mini-tour was taken in the fall of 2002 with the aid of our parent ministry- (http://www.aiminternational.org) ACTION Impact Missions.
• We then took three subsequent mini-tours down south in 2003 and 2004 with stops in Virginia, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
• We officially became an ACTION Impact Team in the summer of 2005. This coincided with becoming a recognized 501-C3 organization.
• Summer 2005 marks the first time DRAMA joined Camp Eder during their summer camp program.
• In the fall of 2005, one of DRAMA’s members, Phil Weaver, stepped up as a director.
• In early 2006, DRAMA’s first foreign missions trip went to the island of Grenada.
• Late in 2006, foreign missions continued with travels to England and Scotland.
• May 2007, DRAMA returned to Grenada, after which Tim stayed as a pastor there for an additional 6 weeks.
• Summer 2008 DRAMA started partnering with Arrowhead Bible Camp as a part of their summer camp program.
• In November of 2008, DRAMA returned to Scotland and worked closely with several churches in Burtisland and Kinghorn in ministry and discipleship.
• In 2009 DRAMA launched Redemption Theatre as a purely acting branch of the ministry.
• 2010 saw DRAMA venture out internationally again, with new ministry in Colombia and a return trip to Scotland where the seeds of a local ministry were beginning to bear fruit.
• Summer 2010 DRAMA started partnering with Buffalo Valley Church of the Brethren (www.bvcob.com) in Mifflinburg, PA for their Teen Week VBS.
• Also in 2010, DRAMA launched Project2, a service project team, as an opportunity for youth not interested in the arts to participate in DRAMA’s distinct approach to discipleship.
• In 2011 DRAMA celebrated our 10 year anniversary.
• Our Project2 team closed after their spring 2011 session.
• Also in 2011, DRAMA’s sister team from Scotland came in for leadership training and to join us on a missions trip to Michigan.
• In 2011, one of DRAMA’s directors, Phil Weaver, married and stepped down from our full-time staff.
• In 2011, DRAMA’s acting branch, Redemption Theatre, teamed up with Woodcrest Retreat to preform “Journey To Bethlehem”. God blessed us with two sold out performances, forcing us to open a third night.
• In 2012, DRAMA returned to Bogota, Colombia.
• In the winter of 2012, Redemption Theatre gave their last production. Afterward, that branch of our ministry merged with another local acting and discipleship ministry, Piercing Word (www.piercingword.org).
• Spring 2013 marked when director Tim King reached a level of support where his job no longer needed to be his primary source of income.
• Summer 2013 DRAMA launched an intern program with Hannah Poch from our sister team in Cheyenne, Wyoming as our first participant.
• After a short hiatus, our Sprouts (younger youth) team relaunched in fall 2013.
• Fall 2013 DRAMA again visited our sister team located in Scotland for a joint missions trip. The result was a more defined team in Kinghorn and the possibility of a new team near by being explored.
• Spring 2014 DRAMA returned to Bogota, Colombia, encouraging and training the team there.
•  Summer 2014 marks the start of DRAMA’s partnership with Clear View Ministry for a VBS in Morrisdale, PA
• In the winter of 2015, three members of DRAMA’s leadership team headed out to San Diego, California to support the San Diego team’s director during his first time leading a missions trip.
• DRAMA’s full-time staff expanded in the spring of 2015 with the addition of Michael Austin as the director of team Beta.
• Fall 2015 DRAMA traveled to Scotland to train and encourage the teams in Burntisland and Saint Andrew’s. We also presented and held mime workshops at local churches and schools.
• DRAMA’s full-time staff expanded in the fall of 2015 with the addition of Alex High as the director of team Alpha.
• Various DRAMA members also served at three summer camps in June 2016. They helped clean bathrooms, washed dishes, served food, and taught Bible times.
• DRAMA’s full-time staff expanded in the fall of 2016 with the addition of Trent Martin as the director of team Delta.
• Drama returned to Colombia in February 2017 with Phil and Hannah Weaver stepping in to help lead the team. The Team helped with various work projects around the facilities and to gave training and encouragement to the team there!
• Alex and Becky High took the spring of 2017 off to get married, and Joseph Queen led team Alpha.
• Summer of 2017 DRAMA when to four camps to teach bible times and helped with service projects.
• In the Fall of 2017, Chris King temporarily stepped in as Director of Team Beta, while Michael and Alisha Austin had their first child.
• Team Beta and delta merged into one team.
• Spring of 2019, Phil and Hannah Weaver started part time as Directors of Ministry.
• Spring of 2020, After planning the session, training camp and one practice, DRAMA went on a hiatus as the Covid-19 pandemic began.
• Fall of 2020, teams Beta and Alpha merged into one team, the “Quarenteam”.

This only presents a small overview of the events in our ministry. The biggest highlight will never change though – God is with us. It has been a growing experience and a blessing to be a part of the ministry work God is bringing about in Lancaster County.
Discipling youth and equipping them with the foundations for the ministry God has in store for them is what we are all about. That highlight is always happening.

To find what is in the future for DRAMA, check out our Calendar and come out to one of the events!