Easter is a time when churches come alive with plays, pageants, dramas and musicals as a way to help young churchgoers understand the story of Jesus Christ.
It’s an effective way to engage young people, said area ministers, youth pastors and lay people involved in such activities.
Karlene Suite and her husband Sydney, of the Cooper City Church of God, directed a musical drama titled “The Resurrection and the Life,” about the life of Jesus over the weekend. About 30 teens and children participated in the 100-member cast.
“We have been doing this for 14 years and we have found that the young people who participate really benefit,” said Karlene Suite. “It brings them out of themselves more and gives them a greater sense of responsibility. The young people can feel more a part of our ministry. We have teenagers who dance, play in the orchestra and act.”
The real benefit for the young participants is the chance to increase their faith, said Suite. It’s also an opportunity to do outreach. “There are many people who don’t know much about the Bible and this play helps them learn more,” she said.
Cristina Syms, 17, of Cooper City enjoyed dancing in the drama. “I could be dancing anywhere else, but dancing in the drama means more because I’m doing it for God.”
Young people at Flamingo Road Church in Cooper City enjoyed a special service on Saturday night. They listened to the band Crimson Vera play contemporary Christian songs and heard a presentation from youth speaker David Baruch.
“We wanted to give our youth their own Easter service,” said Holly Farver, student ministry assistant.
On Friday, youth at Community Christian Church in Plantation played characters from the last few hours of Jesus’ life. “Students were able to see Christ from a perspective they hadn’t had before,” said youth minister Nathan Bush. “They were living it.”
Jordan Jones, 16, played the soldier whose job was to nail Christ to the cross. Jones, a sophomore at Cypress Bay High and a resident of Weston, said the role helped him to understand how Christ’s death affected everyday people. “You got to experience it firsthand, not just read about it,” he said.
Still searching for meaning? That’s the message that Pastor Bob Coy will share at a 9 a.m. service for Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale. The service is at Dolphin Stadium.
“I’m convinced that a lot of people, especially youth, are looking for peace, looking for joy, looking for love,” Coy said. “They are looking for meaning. Jesus gives us the reason for life. If you find your reason now, you won’t have to still keep looking for it.”
A portion of services at All Saint’s Lutheran Church in Tamarac today will be geared toward explaining Easter to the smaller children.
“We’re going to focus on the basic story. That’s the best example of God’s love for us,” said the Rev. Diane Loberger, pastor. Each child will receive a God Loves You coloring book. All Saint’s held an egg hunt on Saturday.
The children at Faithway Family Community Church transformed classrooms at their place of worship, Hawkes Bluff Elementary School in Davie, into ancient Jerusalem. The program, “Live the Adventure,” included one classroom as a Jerusalem marketplace.
“We’ve also re-created a synagogue school. Another room has been made into a gathering place,” said John Merlino, pastor. “These were common areas where people back then hung out.” The children sang songs in Hebrew and performed traditional Jewish dances. Then they went outside and reenacted Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.
“We do this so kids can learn about God and know they can have a relationship with Jesus Christ,” Merlino said. Not an ancient ritual, but the children will also create a huge Easter sundae,” Merlino said. “It usually takes at least 10 gallons of ice cream to make the sundae.”
Teens at St. Paul Lutheran in Weston did a presentation of the stations of the cross on Friday at Peace Mound Park.
Such youth programs at Easter are about cultivating memories, said Bush, of Community Christian. “They’re precious memories, blessed memories that our youth will want their own kids to have.”
