Where Are They Now?
Larissa Simpkins
Where are they now? Larissa Simpkins
Larissa is now a performer and trainer at Quiz Worx (www.quizworx.com), a ministry that use puppets to communicate the good news about Jesus to kids, especially in schools.
Before ministry she studied musical theatre at university and was auditioning for parts in plays and performances. But she didn’t think there was “enough” to continue. She thought to herself, “I feel something is missing; I don’t have the motivation.”
“Then a couple of people said to me, ‘You should consider ministry and MTS (Ministry Training Scheme).’ I never wanted to be in ministry. But God changed my heart.”
Because of her love of performing, Larissa considered becoming an intern with Quiz Worx. “They do performing; they teach kids about Jesus. That’s awesome! Quiz Worx was a perfect fit for me.”
Larissa also studied at Youthworks while she was an intern. The team at Quiz Worx explained that if you want to become permanent, you should have at least a year of theology under your belt. Larissa was excited, “I had always wanted to study the Bible for myself, even when I didn't want to go into ministry. The other thing that attracted me to Youthworks was that it was specifically targeted to youth and kids, I thought that would be really helpful. I did three days at Quiz Worx and then two days of lectures at Youthworks College and an extra day for reading and assessments, that was my general week.”
Larissa knew that this schedule would be busy and take a lot of time and energy, but it was worth it. “It was awesome, best experience ever. Even through COVID!”. One thing that was helpful was that there was an overlap in assessments and writing kids talks and practical skills. Larissa remembers, “I even got to do one or two assignments for both things. Which was cool.”
Larissa loved the classes and remembers, “I especially loved having Peter Jensen teach Theology. He had a school teaching background and I think that was helpful. He had the skills to get down to the real basics: what do we know and what don't we know? And how do we know what we don't know?”
Larissa found supervision one of the best things about college and her internship. “They helped me to have a ministry mindset and think about what's going on, why it's happening, and how you can make it better for the ministry and for God. I was also challenged to think about systems. Not just what we do, but how do we create good systems for the future of the ministry?”.
Now in her permanent position at Quiz Worx, Larissa is primarily a performer and does a lot of live puppet shows. Quiz Worx partners with teachers of Special Religious Education (SRE) and Religious Instruction (RI) and visits schools, mainly in Greater Sydney. But they also go on rural tours that are up to two weeks long, generally in New South Wales and Queensland. Easter and Christmas are their busiest times!
Larissa is still passionate about this unique ministry. “We get to use puppets, which connects with kids in a different way to other teaching styles. It's a real joy to be able to partner with so many scripture teachers who are doing the hard groundwork, to be an encouragement to them and be encouraged by them.”
She also loves the interaction with the kids. She says, “Being face to face is so good because it means the kids really remember because it's an interactive thing. If someone is coming into a school, doing a fun performance, the kids are just going to love it, and they're going to remember it. Hearing them laugh and interact is just so special. It’s heart-warming.”
Larissa would love to see more Christians get involved in Quiz Worx and recommends the Christmas traineeships. The volunteers are trained in puppetry, culminating in three intensive days and don’t have to do the main teaching part. Larissa says, “It doesn’t take long to get the hang of manoeuvring a puppet, they are skills that are learnt relatively quickly. You don’t have to be a performer, even people who are a bit shy can be comfortable behind the box!”.
Larissa says that there are challenges in managing your time and energy at Quiz Worx, like any other ministry, but she has found the responsiveness and pastoral care at Quiz Worx wonderful. “You have to figure out what your capacity is. I need to think about how many shows I can do and how much driving, because I do find driving exhausting. I've had to learn what my boundaries are and what I think I can say no to and what I think I can say yes to.”
What really motivates Larissa is that she wants kids to know Jesus. “I love Jesus’ words: ‘Let the little children come to me’, that is why I do this ministry. I did some shows at a school at Port Macquarie and there were 450 kids across the three shows! After one show a boy came up to me and said, ‘That was a great show, thank-you.’ I asked, ‘What did you like about it?’ and he said, ‘I think I’ve changed my mind about God. I didn’t think he was real before but now I do.’”
Please pray for Larissa and Quiz Worx.
That SRE and Religious Instruction might continue in schools.
For energy and health for performers when they do tours.
Praise for the scripture teachers in schools and that God would raise up more.