- In 2015, Road to Resurrection started with a VBS kit from Group publishers. A road was set up throughout the church where travelers stopped at 5 different rooms to discover the events of Easter. Guests traveled to the Triumphal Entry Room with palms and a miniature horse named Ferg, who traveled to the church in a minivan. Next was the Passover Room which was a small room full of pillows and rugs we could possibly borrow from parishioners. Then you climbed the steps to see Barabbas in his jail cell, shrouded in darkness and literally at the top of the steps. Next you moved on to see Peter at the foot of the cross. Our current Youth Pastor, Josh Hawley, has played Peter all 10 years! As they traveled the road, they also passed the empty tomb. The final destination was a spot on a “grassy field” where you met a man on the Emmaus Road. Our very own, Brenda Halbmaier, who now plays Mary, portrayed the man with a beard and all. The actors performed their parts 5 times in one night. Each destination had 10-12 travelers. It was an immense success.
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Each year the attendance grew, and the number of performances went up to seven times in one evening with 15 people in each group. This led us to try 2 nights. We did this for 1 year only. The wear on the actors to perform so many times each night was exhausting! Each year our production evolved. Goats were added, along with shepherds. More men became involved so we were able to let Brenda play Jesus’ mother, Mary. We wrote and added another stop along the road with Mary at the cross. The Emmaus Road scene was cut and the empty tomb scene with Peter, John, and Mary Magdalene replaced it.
In 2020, Covid hit and we took a year off and prayed about whether to keep doing the R2R. During the process of praying, we really felt that God’s hand was on our congregation presenting the true meaning of Easter to our community and we needed to continue. So, a few of us gathered to start to brainstorm what we could do with the restrictions of Covid. The idea came to use the sanctuary space. We wanted to keep the interaction component and the kid’s involvement. So, a decision was made for an interactive drama to take place in the sanctuary as a Jerusalem marketplace. With that decision in place, came all kinds of opportunities. We could now have music, lighting, microphones, a balcony, and stage. We got busy and revamped some of the old scenes as well as adding a praetorium scene, soldiers’ interaction, and the way of sorrows. Our first production as an interactive drama took place in 2021 and became a huge success! Over the next 5 years, we have added components such as a garden scene, live chickens, a beggar and many other elements.
During our ten years, the production which took twelve people now became a cast and crew of forty plus people; ranging in ages from adults in their seventies to toddlers. Approximately 1,500 people have traveled the road! It is our commitment to keep bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to you in drama form every Easter. We give all the Glory to God for our ten years of His faithfulness amongst us!