LIFE of CHRIST PAGEANT

When: March 14 (6:30pm), 15 (6:30pm),16 (6:30pm),17 (4:00pm & 7:30pm) 2002

Where: First Baptist Church-Batesburg, 436 W. Church St., Batesburg-Leesville,  S. C. 803-532-0619

Link: [none yet]

The Story Behind this Annual Event: Sometime around 1990-91, church music director, Robert "Bobby" Boutwell had a vision for a dramatic series that their church body could produce in order to have the Easter Story come alive for the surrounding community. The inaugural event was Easter of 1992. I went to the one in March 25-28, 1993, "Behold the Lamb". We had heard that "live animals come into the church and Jesus is put up on a cross in the church!" I had never seen a live depiction of the Easter story before; and I'll never forget the awful, shocking, heavy & large metallic sound of the hammer pounding the nails into the cross. And there was a cast, and live animals, and coals burning...all in the congregational area of this not-so-large church. I ordered a video of the event and saved the brochure listing all of the participants and help organizations. It was/is amazing to me what God can do through a small-town body of believers who are willing and obedient!

The title of the event for 2002 is "Crowned With Thorns".

The 2004 production is 24th-27th March..."Pageant". One key figure commented to me something that I think is typical of all local-church-body efforts: "There is so much to say about Pageant I really would not  know where to begin.   We have been tested every year.   By tested I   mean that one or several of us have had issues arise that challenge our commitment to this ministry and our faith. Every year so far there has been something. This year we are doing Pageant on faith, because Bobby Boutwell left us in October to go to Tennessee. He felt God was calling him to fill needs in another church. So, it is a true test of our level of commitment this year to be able to carry on without the founder of this production."

[Northside's Drama].....[Lake Murray Baptist's Drama]
[370 year old Drama]

(posted March 2002; latest update 16 March 2004)