Olivet Nazarene University

 

Liz (Harlan) VonSeggen ’66 caught what she terms “puppet fever.” And her husband, Dale VonSeggen ’65, caught it from her.

Since first catching the fever, it has spread and grown and “afflicted” others all around the world.

It's contagious

It all began at Olivet. Liz was friends with a fellow student who was a ventriloquist. Liz was intrigued, and learned how to be a ventriloquist herself.

Desiring a creative ministry together after they married, the VonSeggens began experimenting with creative methodology in their church’s children’s ministry as volunteers.

They began about the time the Muppet Show and Sesame Street were popular.

“People said, ‘Wouldn’t that be cool if we had that kind of ministry at our church?’” remembers Dale.

The VonSeggens went to a puppet workshop and attended a few conferences. “We were hooked,” shares Dale.

“We began teaching at conferences and people started asking us where we got our scripts and if they could buy them from us.

“We realized this was turning into more than a hobby. It eventually became a small business, which turned into a full-time ministry and the creation of One Way Street Inc,” explains Dale regarding the name of the puppet ministry they co-founded.

Picking up momentum

In the 1980s, while attending their current church in Colorado, they held a puppet festival.

It met with an overwhelming response and what followed were more than 30 festivals held at different churches around the U.S.

“I had the vision — I believe it was from God — that we should have an event that brings all these people together.

"We talked with Olivet and they allowed us to have the International Festival of Christian Puppetry and Ventriloquism on campus, starting in 1996.

“Every year people come in from all over the world, from Japan to South Africa. It’s just an incredible week. God has taken this little hobby and touched people all over the world.

"Puppet ministry is really about discipleship; it’s a unique teaching tool that can be used around the world,” shares Dale.

God-sized possibilities

The couple agrees that the place their ministry has gone is not something they could have planned out.

“Proverbs 3:5-6 has been the guide to this silly, crazy adventure of puppets and training and ministering,” begins Liz.

“It’s not been what we decided to do. We didn’t start out to have a business, we simply cared for our kids in our own church and we wanted to do creative things, and God took it and multiplied it beyond our wildest imaginations.”

The path the ministry has taken has shown them how vital puppets can be within other countries.

One Way Street has had success sharing the Gospel in countries where Christianity is banned.

“In these countries, we can set up a puppet show in the city square and it is allowed. Through this, many people hear the Gospel, and the puppets draw people in,” shares Liz.

Puppets speak every language known to man, as the VonSeggens have discovered.

On a trip to Russia, the duo learned how to move their puppets’ mouths to some Russian songs, instantly creating a way to connect with people in a new language.

The VonSeggens are incredibly interesting, but more than anything, they know it is one interesting God who gives them the creative ideas to share His love with others in such intriguing ways.

And they are very thankful they caught puppet fever.

Liz continues, “God does something with fabric and foam and wiggle eyes. Puppets are so disarming. It draws all kinds of people. We just get to go along for the ride!”