DROPS is a pioneering initiative using the performing arts to develop discipleship communities across the Southwest Peninsula District, with Sherwell United Church, Plymouth, as its hub. Rooted in storytelling, music, drama, and visual arts, the project reaches beyond traditional worship to engage people on spiritual journeys who might not connect with conventional church structures. Performing arts become a tool for authentic conversation, transformation, and community building, allowing the church to speak the language of today’s society in creative and compelling ways.
Discerned from an initiative started by Anne Middleton in 2020, the project emerged from the challenges of COVID-19, prompting new, creative expressions of faith. Anne’s original production Bloomin’ Church!, performed professionally in 2023, illustrated the power of the performing arts to connect with diverse audiences and sparked the vision for DROPS. Other initiatives—such as the immersive 360° film dome, the Hope Theatre Café, and involvement in the Edinburgh Fringe—demonstrated how art can foster deep spiritual engagement and build inclusive spaces for all, including individuals from disadvantaged communities and those hurt by the church.
DROPS responds to a spiritual hunger among people identifying as spiritual but not religious. By offering safe, non-judgmental environments where faith can be explored creatively, the project enables connection, growth, and transformation. Its theology is grounded in reaching the margins—echoing the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus—and creating new forms of discipleship that are collaborative, reflective, and evolving.
The project has three core aims:
- Establish a performing arts-based discipleship community in Plymouth.
- Support and expand similar projects across the District.
- Tour Bloomin’ Church! to other circuits, integrating the play into local mission strategies.
A steering group of church leaders, creatives, and advisers oversees the work, ensuring diversity and inclusion are central. DROPS will collaborate with local practitioners, explore new expressions like “The Fringe” (an emerging community space), and foster forms of “Theatre Church,” focused on shared creativity rather than traditional preaching.
DROPS seeks not to build another institution, but to allow the Holy Spirit to guide individuals and communities into deeper engagement. Transformation is anticipated not just spiritually, but in personal growth, social awareness (e.g. homelessness via the Let’s Face It installation), and community impact. The vision is for many "drops" to ripple outwards, creating waves of hope, faith, and love across the District.