Photo special to the Marietta Daily Journal
Click to enlarge photos.By Amanda Crissup
Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer
MARIETTA - The Rev. Joseph Morris of Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Flowery Branch presents the unabridged Gospel of St. Mark to benefit MUST Ministries Feb. 1 at First United Methodist Church Marietta.
Formerly a priest at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Marietta, this will be Morris' 166th performance where he acts out the second book of the New Testament in its entirety.
"I love the Gospel of Mark and I love what it teaches," Morris said. "The hero of the story sees a problem and immediately does something about it."
Morris, who does all of the voices for the characters, said since Sunday sermons normally consist of only parts of the Bible, the lively narrative started out as an experiment to bring it back together.
"Churches normally read only sections of the Gospel in little pieces. I wondered what it would be like to put the entire thing in two hours," Morris said.
What he's found is that the live performance is more like how the Bible would have been shared in the early days of Christianity when very few people could read.
"To go to a performance like this is to go back to the first and second century when the stories would be told," Morris said.
Although many attendees may be familiar with Jesus' miracles described in the Gospel of Mark, Forrest Cate, director of programs at First United Methodist Church Marietta, said hearing it from the beginning to end gives a better context for understanding the full meaning of the text.
"You say a lot by how you say it," he said. "I think we'll get a lot from the scripture by this dramatic telling."
Brooke Cowen, MUST special events coordinator, said Morris previously performed Mark'S Gospel LIVE for MUST two years ago. She estimates that they raised $7,000 for Cobb's only homeless shelter.
"It's a wonderful event to tell the story of St. Mark and it's also a great fundraiser for MUST," Ms. Cowen said.
The event is free but a goodwill offering will be taken for MUST Ministries. Ms. Cowen said proceeds from the event support their housing, clothing and food pantry programs.
Morris also presented his Mark's Gospel LIVE at Mt. Paran North Church of God on Friday night. For more information, visit Morris online at http://gospelofmark.us.
acrissup@mdjonline.com
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As a member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Marietta I can tell you that our loss was Prince of Peace Catholic Church's huge gain. A terrific priest whose sermon's were always relevant and thought out. His memorization of the entire gospel of Mark for his one man dramatization is well worth seeing.