By Dan Zigler and Elton Smith

Staging: This scene is staged inside Rev. Rolland's office. A simple desk, 2 chairs and file cabinet are the only set properties needed for this scene. Rev. Rolland is sitting behind the desk, facing the audience.

Weatherly: (Entering from stage right) "Reverend, do you have the bulletin ready for me to copy off?" (approaching his desk) "You know how I like to have this done on time!"

Rolland: (shuffling through some papers) "Thank you, Wilma. You are so faithful about helping me with the work around the office. Would you mind filing these papers for me?" (handing her a stack of papers)

Weatherly: (taking the papers, and walking to the filing cabinet) "Is that new Pastor Thomas moving in today?" (opens the file cabinet draw and begins to file the papers)

Rolland: (standing up and stretching) "Yes, Wilma and I want you to be especially nice and courteous to our young Pastor Thomas. He has a lot of learning to do and we don't want to discourage him."

Weatherly: (continuing to file) "I promise."

Rolland: (sitting back down) "Wilma, you have a heart of gold, although sometimes you act like a guard dog and growl a lot!" (with a laugh)

Weatherly: (mocking Rev. Rolland) "grrrrrrrrr......" (laughs)

Juanitta: (enters, with her baby in her arms) "Reverend?"

Rolland: (standing surprised) "Juanitta!" (motioning) "Come in, come in! Please have a seat."

Weatherly: (looks up at Juanitta, and goes back to filing again)

Juanitta: (looking over at Mrs. Weatherly) "Could I have a moment of your time...... huh, in private?"

Rolland: (looking over at Mrs. Weatherly) "Oh...... Oh! yes. Mrs. Weatherly, would you excuse us?" (And to Juanitta's surprise and Mrs. Weatherly's, he picks up Juanitta's baby) "And would you watch Juanitta's baby while we talk?"

Weatherly: (totally surprised) "uh, uh, uh......."

Rolland: (Pushing the baby into her arms) "Oh, please! It will give us a chance to talk .... and I know you are a very good mother after raising 6 children of your own!" (cocking his head) "Please?"

Juanitta: "Mrs. Weatherly, you raised 6 children of your own?"

Weatherly: (still shocked) "uh, uh, uh....."

Rolland: (kind of ushering her out the door) "And all on her own, too .... Wilma is a remarkable woman, aren't you Wilma? (now she's out of sight) "Thank you, Wilma -- I'll call you when we're done." (turning back to Juanitta) "Wilma raised 6 children all by herself after her husband died."

Juanitta: "She raised 6 children without a husband? How did she do that?"

Rolland: "Why don't you ask her that question yourself? Wilma is really a very dear soul, you really should get to know her better. Now, what can I do for you Juanitta?"

Juanitta: "Reverend, I've been thinkin' and thinkin' since I heard that young preacher in the alley yesterday talkin' about Jesus, and about asking and seeking and knocking."

Rolland: (sitting back and folding his hands behind his head) "He did pretty good didn't he?"

Juanitta: "Reverend, I guess he did -- he made it sound so easy."

Rolland: (unfolding his hands and leaning towards Juanitta) "It is easy, Juanitta -- look at what you're doing now, you're seeking"

Juanitta: "I thought you had t'do the "asking" first?"

Rolland: "Juanitta, I'll bet that last night while you were doing all that "thinkin' and thinkin'", you asked a lot of questions, right? And after you did all that "thinkin' and thinkin'", what kind of direction did you receive?"

Juanitta: (quizzically) "I guess you're right -- I was startin' to think I should come talk to you."

Rolland: (sitting back again) "You've done the "asking" -- isn't that simple! Now, you're doing the "seeking" part"

Juanitta: (standing and walking a few steps away) "Reverend, I've done a lot of things in my life, some I'm pretty ashamed about, most of them illegal too. I guess I just don't know how to change my life. That young preacher made it sound so easy." (turning around to face Rev. Rolland) "I'm just going to say it, Reverend. I'm a prostitute! I sell my body to men. It's the only way I know to make money to feed my baby!" (starting to cry) "How can Jesus save me?"

Rolland: (getting up and walking over to comfort Juanitta) "Juanitta, I know what you do for a living and that doesn't matter to Jesus nor to me. Jesus died for sinners, He's already died for your sins. You just have to believe in Him and your sins will be washed away with the blood He shed on the cross." (opening his Bible) "I want to share something with you -- it's called the Roman Road."

Juanitta: (sitting back down in the chair) "A road?"

Rolland: (Showing Juanitta his bible) "There's a book in the Bible called "Romans" and we're going to travel through some of its verses like walking down a road, it talks about salvation and sometimes pastors, like me, call it the Roman Road. It's a Road that leads to the saving grace and mercy of Jesus."

Juanitta: "But I'm a sinner -- Jesus doesn't want sinners."

Rolland: (Opening his bible) "That's our first stop on the Roman Road. Jesus knows that men and women are sinners! In Romans 3:10 it says: "As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one." And in Romans 3:23: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Juanitta, before Jesus, I was a sinner -- everyone who believes in Jesus was a sinner. None of us were righteous - simply put, none of us were right with God. Not one."

Juanitta: "So how do you get "right" with God, Reverend?"

Rolland: "Juanitta, you've already begun your journey. To get right with God, you need to recognize that you are a sinner. You've already admitted that today, just a few minutes ago!"

Juanitta: "Just because I admit I'm a sinner, what difference does that make?"

Rolland: (Putting his hand on her shoulder) "Juanitta, understanding yourself is important. It tells me that you're ready to hear about the consequences of your sins."

Juanitta: "Boy, I know that! There's always a price to pay for something!"

Rolland: "In the case of sin -- it is a dear, dear price." Romans 6:23 says: "For the wages of sin is death" and in Romans 5:12 "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned-- " (Looking intently at Juanitta) "Death is the price we're going to pay. Because of sin, our eternal spirit will suffer a horrible, eternal death. Death is hard to understand sometimes, but it means separation from God for eternity."

Juanitta: "You keep saying "eternal" -- I thought when you died, you just died."

Rolland: "Yeah, that's one of Satan's greatest deceptions. Deceiving us to think that death is the same as never existing. God created Man in His own image -- eternal. We have an eternal spirit. That will either live in eternal death or in eternal life. Let's read Romans 5:8 together."

Together: (Juanitta read haltingly. Rolland helps her with some words.) "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Rolland: "Do you understand what that means?"

Juanitta: "I think it means that Jesus died for me."

Rolland: "Exactly!! Good news!! You don't need to die. All you need to do is believe that Jesus died for you. Instead of you dying for your own sins, Jesus died for your sins. And He did it while you were still a sinner. And here's the best part. To claim that gift is simple. Let's turn over to Romans 10:13" (finds the passage in the Bible)

Juanitta: (Reading slowly) "For, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Rolland: "Juanitta, can I ask you some questions?"

Juanitta: "Sure, Reverend."

Rolland: "Do you admit that you are a sinner?"

Juanitta: "Yes"

Rolland: "Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?"

Juanitta: "Yes"

Rolland: "Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins?"

Juanitta: "Yes"

Rolland: "Do you want to call on Jesus to save you?"

Juanitta: "Yes, I do!"

Rolland: (getting down on his knees beside Juanitta) "Pray with me then. Dear Jesus, I am a sinner and ask you to forgive me of my sins."

Juanitta: (repeats)

Rolland: "I believe that you are the Son of God"

Juanitta: (repeats)

Rolland: "I trust in You, I put my faith in You and only You."

Juanitta: (repeats)

Rolland: "I believe that you paid the price for my sins, and died for me on the cross."

Juanitta: (repeats)

Rolland: "I call on You to save me as you have promised."

Juanitta: (repeats)

Rolland: "Come fill my heart" (music starts, and Rev. Rolland begins to sing)

Staging: (it is not necessary for Rev. Rolland to sing the entire 1st verse, and would suggest that Juanitta begins to sing as her soul is overcome with the Holy Spirit -- Rev. Rolland stops and watches the wonderful transformation of Juanitta as she sings)

Rolland: "Well, Juanitta, you're life has just changed! Now we need to help you change your life! And we're going to start by getting you into some kind of job training program. (spotting Wilma beginning to enter) "Ah! Here's Wilma with the baby. Excuse me while I make a few phone calls to see what I can line up for you. Meanwhile, you talk to Wilma." (he passes Wilma as he exits)