For Christianity...and beyond

When Robert T. Schlipp walks through the airport he looks like any other man traveling to his destination. No one would ever know that there is an action figure in his likeness.But, when the former Sunset Christian Center children?s pastor dons his spandex, sword and cape, he takes on super powers as Bibleman.Schlipp, a Roseville resident, took on action hero status when actor Willie Aames of television show "Eight is Enough" fame passed the Bibleman mantle to him. ?I have always maintained that as long as every member of my family prayerfully agrees that the Bibleman ministry is God?s will in our lives, I would do it. The time has come however for me to acknowledge the greater need of my family, and return to my first ministry as husband and father,? wrote Aames, executive vice president of Pamplin Entertainment, in a letter introducing Schlipp, Before they knew about Aame?s resignation Schlipp, who has served as children?s pastor at Sunset in Rocklin since 1998, told his wife Anayansi he felt they were supposed to leave their positions at Sunset. ?They were a tremendous blessing to our church and will be missed a great deal. Bibleman, who is a Bible action hero, is a great evangelistic tool to reach the children in our community and around the country,? said Greg Fairrington The couple gave a five-month notice when they resigned. ?We kept waiting for a door to open to embark on a new ministry,? Schlipp said.That door opened about three weeks before the couple?s last Sunday as pastors at Sunset.Aames, who spent nearly 10 years filming a dozen videos and appearing in hundreds of international festivals or events as Bibleman, felt it was time to hang up the cape.?I met Willie almost six years earlier when we hosted Bibleman Live, and we've become very good friends since then,? Schlipp said. ?Willie asked if I'd be interested in taking over the role. It wasn't a difficult decision. Five minutes into the first performance of Bibleman Live that I ever saw I thought, ?That's what God created me to do.? I am not a talented singer, musician, athlete, or anything that the world usually associates with greatness. But, I could run around in spandex and tell kids about Jesus."Aames called the Schlipps ?dear friends? with ?an incredible amount of dedication and energy.??I have known Pastor T and his wife for many years now, have been personally encouraged by them,? Aames said. But Anayansi Schlipp wasn?t sure she wanted to be in the spotlight as the first Biblegirl to tour.?I am a sidekick,? she said. ?Sometimes it?s hard not to just crack up and ask ?are we really wearing this? Unlike my husband, I was a bit more reluctant when Willie asked me to take the role of Biblegirl. This isn't something I would naturally choose to do. I enjoy being behind the scenes. Along with playing the role of Biblegirl, I will oversee the day to day operations and administration of the tour as well as overseeing the merchandise we will take with us.?And there is merchandise. From a board game, videos, action figures, accessories and a Bibleman Bible, kids can follow the super hero and his sidekick through adversity and victory.Roseville resident Michele Wagner, said her daughter Brooke, 7, wasn?t sure how to react when she heard that her friends had become the super heroes she loved to watch.?The look on her face was priceless,? Wagner said. ?I think it took about two weeks for it to sink in.?And the girl said she was almost in shock. ?I had never thought of one of my friends as being a super hero on TV,? Brooke said. ?I felt like it was something big that was going to happen.? In April the couple will begin the ?Light In the Darkness? tour, which concludes in November. Jon Barger, of Vallejo will play the role of "The Wacky Protestor" in Bibleman Live. Barger played the villain "Two Face" in the Batman Water Thrill Spectacular at Six Flags Marine World. ?Our goal is to perform between 60 and 100 times during the 2004 tour,? Schlipp said. ?We are keenly aware that we?re not celebrities. We are role models. Most role models today have issues in their lives and they aren?t worthy of being followed. We tell the kids we too are imperfect and people will let them down but Jesus Christ won?t.?Ames will remain ?behind the scenes? of Pamplin Entertainment in Portland, the ministry he created, and will act as advisor to the Schlipps.?Bibleman is different from other superheroes. He doesn't have any special powers of his own,? Schlipp said. ?He is simply a regular man (in spandex) who uses the truth in the Bible to fight evil in the name of God. All of Bibleman's powers come from God.?The Schlipps have started a non-profit corporation called Thunder Media Ministries. They can be reached at thundermedia.org.