READY OR NOT

HERE WE COME!

Again and again and again.

Ready or not  -  here we come.  That has been the rallying cry of all the Lord’s faithful throughout Christian history and it is certainly a way of life for Covenant Players.  From day one, Charles M. Tanner had to stand firm against those who advised him not to move forward until he had all his ducks in a row, until everything was ready and secure.  He always stated that if he had to wait until we were ready, we would never do anything. 

It is the Fall of 1970.  We find ourselves in a small office in Encino, California.  There is only one room in this office and is jammed with tables, desks, filing cabinets and shelves.  This is the headquarters of Covenant Players.  Though we called ourselves International, that was based on a few short trips and performances over the border into Canada.  On this particular morning founder and director Charles M. Tanner (Chuck) looked up at the woman who was his secretary at the time and said, “Helen, I think it’s time we went to Europe.  Send a letter to the Chaplain at the Army Retreat Center in Bertchesgaden, Germany and see if we can get something going.”

Chuck was always coming up with new and greater visions of how to expand the ministry of Covenant Players and Helen knew that we were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the mail in hope that there would be a check or two so that we could pay some fairly urgent bills.  She glanced out the window and saw the mail truck draw up to the building and went out to meet it.  Minutes later Helen returned to the office, an open letter in her hands, her mouth open and a stunned look on her face.  She managed a weak, “Chuck” and reached out her hand with the letter in it.  Chuck took the letter to read an invitation to Covenant Players from the Head Chaplain at the Army Religious Retreat Center in Bertchesgaden, Germany.

In less than six months, our first unit of Tim and Bobbi Doty and Jim and Kathy Meyer was serving in Europe.  At first, our tours were primarily serving the U.S. Army in Europe—and then we added the peoples of Great Britain.  For those of you familiar with having Covenant Players drive up in a van, our first vehicles in Europe looked more like the car pictured at right.  That called for some adjustments from our people used to touring throughout the United States. 

For six years this, was how we served in Europe.  As much as we loved serving the people of England and the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, our hearts ached as we passed churches and schools and knew that we had so much to offer them but lacked the language skills or translated plays to make that a reality.  Enter a translator (Eric Wollner) and three amazing and courageous people.  Gail Crabtree had a bit of school German; she volunteered to lead the unit.  She and two others studied hard for many weeks to prepare for our first performances in German.  At the last minute, the other two got cold feet.  Enter Hope Schwier and Walt Bauer.  Armed with a little but very basic familiarity with German and a deep and abiding faith, the three of them learned the plays phonetically and moved forward to minister to and perform for the German speaking peoples.  Ready or not …   here they came.

At first one of the greatest challenges for the three of them was not learning the plays, but trying to follow and enter into conversations aftereach of their programs.  The people were so engrossed and impacted by the performances that it never occurred to them that the performers were not truly fluent in their language.  Our Lord is magnificent.  The plays worked.  They touched and changed lives.  And the faithful missioners were soon becoming conversant in every aspect of their lives.  They may not have been “ready,” but the Lord was and the audiences were.

In our early years in Europe, we coordinated our operations out of the U.S. Military community in and around Nurnberg, Germany.  Fast forward five years to 1982.  Things were getting pretty cramped.  We now had 11 full time units serving in on the continent with two coordinating offices—one in Germany and the other in England.  We had also moved northward to the Scandinavian countries.  We had long outgrown the facilities available to us through our contacts in the U.S. Military community and it was time to take another leap of faith and move our operations into the German economy.  We found a house to rent in the small village of Unterheinriet, about an hour north of Stuttgart. 

The 80’s were an amazing time in Europe and particularly for Covenant Players.  We kept adding languages and new arenas to perform in.  Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Dutch, French, Italian, and Spanish.  

Each new language required new translators and more courageous people to step out in faith.  More learning plays phonetically, then staying in homes where the family dog was more conversant than we were.  These Covenant Players were giants who were willing to humble themselves before man in order to communicate the wonder of our Lord God.

Fittingly, and coinciding with CPs 20th year, the European Retreat in 1983 was held in a real castle.  That was an experience that none of those attending will ever forget.

Some of you may remember 1989.  That is a year that changed the world.  The Soviet Union collapsed and the Berlin Wall came down.  While the hordes of East Germans and Eastern Europeans surged westward to experience a new sense of freedom, the Covenant Players unit in Berlin at the time moved eastwardto minister to the newly free people in East Germany.  They were experiencing new political freedom and we went to show them true freedom.  Ready or not  -  here we came.

With the East opening up, we began going into previously unavailable countries like Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Sloviakia, Lithuania and Estonia.  Because of personnel numbers, we have not been able to serve these peoples consistently since then, but we remain committed to being faithfully ready when the Lord says, “It’s time.”

After 30 years in Unterheinriet, our landlord’s heirs have decided to sell the property—so once again, we are on the move.  We are not yet certain where the Lord will lead us, but we are certain that He willlead.  We’re packed and we’re waiting.  We have said goodbye to our house in Unterheinriet as well as the hearth home in nearby Auenstein.  Our ministry moves into a new era.

Join with us as we celebrate 40 years of ministry in Europe—and we look forward to our next move!  The Lord will lead as He always has.  Through each stage of our life in Europe, there has been great reason for celebration.  The Lord has used us mightily and we have been overwhelmed at His amazing providence.  Ready or not—here we come!

By Mark Johnson-Tanner