‘Salt and Light’

PARSIPPANY  An ocean of hands go up, after actor Frank Runyeon asks an audience of students, k-6, in the gym of All Saints Academy here, “What do we sprinkle on our French fries to make them taste better?” He called on a boy, who raised his hand to answer.

“Salt!” the boy exclaims into a microphone held by Runyeon, who looked like he stepped out of biblical times, wearing a flowing white robe and full beard — like in Jesus’ time on earth. The Hollywood actor captivated the audience, which included All Saints faculty and staff, by running around the gym and speaking in a loud voice in his March 11 presentation, “Salt and Light.” He brought Jesus’ teaching to his disciples as part of the Beatitudes — “You are the salt of the earth and light of the world” — into a modern context, utilizing references — such as French fries — that the children understand.

“In Jesus’ day, they didn’t have refrigeration, so you would put salt on your food to keep it from going bad. Also, salt brings out the taste in food like French fries. Yum!” said Runyeon, as the audience repeated his “yum” sound. “What does it mean for us to be salt of the earth? It means that we should bring out the good in people. If your friends want to play with matches, say, ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ ” he said.

Runyeon brought up a little girl wearing a tan All Saints uniform and asked her to stand on a piano bench in front of the rapt audience. At his request, first­-grader Lyla Khan pretended that she was a lamp, putting out her left arm and moving it up and down like the arm of a lamp that switches on and off the light — represented by her head.

“Jesus tells us, ‘You are the light of the world.’ Let it shine for other people — the entire household — to see — like a lamp. Don’t hide your light under a basket,” said Runyeon, who has performed his one-man plays about Scripture in more than 2,000 churches of all denominations in 47 states with his Runyeon Productions. “If it were dark, you could run into things. It’s scary but not if you have the light on. When it’s dark, turn to God or to people, who are listening to God, when you don’t know where to go. But sometimes, we forget to be ‘salt and light’ and follow other people’s ways,” he said.

The “Salt and Light” presentation at 12:30 p.m. on March 11 was part of Runyeon’s three-day Lenten Mission from March 9-11— a combined effort by St. Peter the Apostle and St. Ann parishes, both in Parsippany. Those two faith communities — along with St. Christopher Parish in Parsippany and St. Pius X Parish in Montville — support All Saints, a pre-k-8 school. In his nightly presentations at St. Peter’s, Runyeon acted out biblical scenes in period clothing for his talks on “Signs: the Gospel According to John,” and “Sermon on the Mount.” On the final evening, he spoke on “Hollywood vs. Faith: the Struggle to Live in an Age of Media Values.”

For that last night, Runyeon drew on his extensive acting experience, which included roles on daytime dramas, such as “As the World Turns” and “General Hospital.” He also guest-starred on many prime-time TV shows, such as “LA Law” and “Melrose Place,” and played in the movie, “Sudden Death.” He took a break from acting and earned a master’s degree from General Theological Seminary in New York City in 1994.

“With this mission, Frank invited our parishioners into a deeper meditation or reflection on their Lenten journeys. He brought the Scriptures to life with drama and humor in his spellbinding presentations,” said Father David Pickens, St. Peter’s pastor.

In turn, Father Edgar Rivera, St. Ann’s pastor, added, “The mission led us on a journey to joy [in Christ].”

During “Salt and Light,” Runyeon told students, “I came from Hollywood. In my dressing room, they would sometimes give me a new script, where they changed my lines [for his part]. The Bible is a script,” holding up the Word of God. “There is a part in the story that God is writing for each of us,” he said.

At the end of “Salt and Light,” Runyeon played a keyboard and again in his manic style, led students in singing a funny song to reinforce his message: “I’ll be salt for you. Not pepper. A-Choo!!”

Afterward, Father Pickens told students, “Don’t forget what you learned here today — to be salt and light.”

After returning to his classroom, fifth­grader Carlos Ahuatzin called Runyeon’s performance “a funny way of telling the stories in the Bible.”

“Everyone was smiling and laughing. I learned that we need to become salt and light. God made the world and we are here to make it better and last longer,” Ahuatzin said.

Judy Berg, All Saints’ principal, said, “The kids loved it. It was good for them to hear lessons from the Bible in a different form.”