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A UMNS Feature
By Aaron Cross*

1:00 P.M. EST June 30, 2010

In a scene from the play Shadowlands, C.S. Lewis (left, played by Jonathan Wilson) meets Douglas Gresham (Max Nichols), son of Joy Gresham (Lisha Brock). Photos courtesy of New World United Methodist Church.

In our hearts and minds exists a place filled with magic, wonder and talking lions. But it’s not Narnia; it’s Texas. Who knew?

The folks at New World United Methodist Church in Arlington, Texas, that’s who. Throughout May and June, C.S. Lewis fever, also known as "Narniosis,” captivated the entire church.

Led by the Rev. Michael Dawson, New World is dedicating much of its summer to sermons, Bible studies and Sunday school activities focusing on C.S. Lewis, and a two-week run of the play "Shadowlands," by William Nicholson, which deals with some of the interesting aspects of Lewis’ life.

So, why C.S. Lewis? After all, when one thinks of The United Methodist Church, the image that comes to mind is one of grape juice and John Wesley rather than fantasy and talking animals. The pastor must be a big fan.

“I'm not a big fan of C.S. Lewis; I prefer Bonhoeffer,” Dawson declares. OK, there’s goes that theory.

“However, Lewis is popular with the masses, thanks to the movie 'Shadowlands' and the Narnia books and films,” he adds. “This was something I wanted to do when the first Narnia film came out. I thought the "Shadowlands" play would draw people from outside the church. In addition, I wanted to preach a series of sermons on ideas raised by Lewis in his books.”

A sermon based on the existence of wardrobes that lead to a world where lions talk to you rather than attack your car? Well, not exactly.

C.S. Lewis (Jonathan Wilson) gives a talk on pain and suffering.

“The overall message would be that God is always with us — in our questions and in our sufferings — and that we can ‘give an accounting for the hope that is within us.’ Lewis’ life and teachings provide a modern example of that,” Dawson explains.

The play, cast almost entirely with professional community actors, complements the sermons, according to New World children’s ministry director Kim George.

"Shadowlands," George says, “deals with the struggle of suffering. When people suffer, oftentimes we ask ‘why?’ This play seeks to explore that question and to see how we can stay strong in the face of suffering.”

George incorporated the first Narnia book, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," into the Sunday school program.

The six-week series followed the journey of the children going into Narnia and ended with the closing battle.

“This was a combination of stories about the children, along with activities and games to re-emphasize the lessons. We also did some talk backs with the kids with prayer time to see what they had learned,” George says. “The children really seemed to enjoy the series and got a lot out of it, even those who had not actually seen the movie beforehand.”

The children’s program was supposed to incorporate the giant wardrobe used in the Shadowlands production, but someone forgot to notify the set builder.

“It ended up being too tall for our Sunday school room,” George recalls. “Instead, we used a tall light as a (Narnian) lamppost. It worked rather well to set our scene, and the children got to go see the wardrobe.”

*Cross is a freelance writer in Nashville, Tenn.

News media contact: Joey Butler, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.