While many people would imagine lectures about the Sermon on the Mount as somewhat boring, Frank Runyeon would tell them otherwise.

“There’s people like, ‘This can’t really be entertaining,’” Runyeon said, but reassures those people, “No, no — this is what I do!”

Runyeon, who travels the nation, translates ancient bible texts and performs one-man narratives from biblical scriptures, will show locals how entertaining and informative the Sermon really is.

“Basically, what I do is take the most famous texts from the New Testament and present them as dramas,” Runyeon said.

He will offer his one-man show at St. Columbanus Catholic Church in Blooming Prairie 6:30 p.m. Sunday, and he has the credentials.

Runyeon was a longtime, daytime TV actor on several shows, including “As the World Turns,” “General Hospital,” “All my Children,” “Santa Barbara,” “Falcon Crest,” “Melrose Place” and “L.A. Law.” He knows acting well, but Runyeon said he wanted to get into something that was more nourishing for his children. Since that decision years ago, Runyeon has toured the country and visited thousands of churches, including some in Minnesota. He said he’s glad to be back in Minnesota.

Runyeon will combine his acting experience, religious education from Princeton University and knowledge of the TV industry to capture his audience. The event informs two groups: the people for which Runyeon is performing, and Runyeon himself.

By acting out scenes and possessing his knowledge of accurate translations, Runyeon said he can bring scenes to life and really get people thinking.

When you hear the words, you go, ‘Oh my gosh, I get it!’” he said.

“I don’t just stand up and recite them,” Runyeon said about the words from the Bible. “I imagine what it was like when people stood up and first spoke them.”

Along with his enthusiasm, Runyeon has several reasons why he keeps doing what he does.

“There’s so many challenges every time I go out,” Runyeon said about delivering his performances, such as getting a seventh-grader “riveted” by the Sermon on the Mount.

Through studying and delivering his own performances, Runyeon continues to be fed through the Bible.

For that reason, it may not have been that hard for St. Columbanus’s secretary to stumble upon Runyeon’s work. She asked Father William Kulas to book the presentation, who wasn’t opposed.

“I said, ‘Sure — we can go for it,’” he said.

Soon after, Runyeon was on the schedule, along with an opportunity for all of Blooming Prairie and surrounding communities, regardless of religious ties.

“It’s really intended to help our community build up faith,” Kulas said.

Runyeon could agree with that statement, as he said the program is especially intended for children, teenagers and doubters who say the topic isn’t interesting. Perhaps on Sunday, Runyeon will even learn a little more or be entertained himself.

“There’s a depth of the Bible you never exhaust,” he said. “I am just endlessly discovering new things.”