Dupont Park School Starts Mime Ministry

Story by LaTasha Hewitt

One recent Wednesday, the seventh-grade class members of the Dupont Park Adventist School in Washington, D.C., decided that they wanted another way to express themselves spiritually. By that Friday, they debuted their nine-member mime group, Unspoken Praise.

Dorian Donovan, mime group member, explains, “When you say ‘spreading the gospel,’ you think of speaking. However, we have chosen to spread the Word of God without words, but with Christ-inspired actions.”

Unspoken Praise, sponsored by Francis Foote,
the fifth- to eighth-grade English teacher, guides the students to meld drama, body movement, sign language and gestures. The group prays before choosing each song they want to mime, each rehearsal and each performance. “I ask the Lord each time we mime to fill us with the Holy Spirit. This ministry has also allowed me to become closer to God,” shares Robert Holloway, group member.

Since their inception in March, the demand for the group has been great. They have performed at numerous churches and programs, including the recent Columbia Union Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries conference in Columbia, Md. “People get to see the love we have for each other and for Christ in our expressions,” says group member Oshea Bego. 

(Photo: Unspoken Praise, the mime group from Dupont Park Adventist School in Washington, D.C., ministers at the Community Praise Center in Alexandria, Va.)