Church pageants testify of Jesus Christ
- posted: 10 July 2007
- scrollarts@byui.edu
As summer comes around, so do family reunions. With all those people to entertain, it can be difficult to find an activity that everyone likes.
But before hope is lost and those expensive tickets to Disneyland are bought, you might consider the pageants presented by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The pageants can be a good summer activity for the family, and they can also help build testimonies.
“The [Arizona Easter Pageant] is a great portrayal of Christ’s life leading up to His resurrection. I loved it. It is a great experience, and it is such a testimony builder of Christ,” said Whitney Skinner, a sophomore from Tempe, Ariz.
The different pageants all testify of Christ and of His love for all of His children. Some pagents show Christ’s life, while others show the history of the Church and the trials the saints encountered as they searched for a place to worship.
The pageant season starts off with the Arizona Easter Pageant at the Mesa Arizona Temple. This is the world’s largest annual outdoor Easter pageant, with a cast of over 400.
It depicts the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and His resurrection. This pagent runs from March 28-31 and April 3-7, 2007, according to www.lds.org.
The Nauvoo Pageant can be another pageant to attemd. It is performed outdoors and celebrates the restored gospel and the mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the early saints.
“This pageant is amazing. It really made the struggle of the early saints more realistic. It shows the trials of the early saints, their journey to settle in Nauvoo and the life and mission of the prophet Joseph Smith,” said Tina Shirley, a sophomore from Corona, Calif.
The pageant is in the historical town of Nauvoo, where some of the original buildings the saints lived in have been preserved. Nauvoo is a place where the past can be relived.
“It really helps you understand the early saints’ surroundings and what they went through. It made it easy to imagine what it was like to live then,” Shirley said.
Located in Okland just across the Bay Bridge is the Okland Temple Pageant.
This pageant reenacts the history of God’s church on earth. It begins with the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and then shows the challenges of Joseph Smith and the early saints.
“It [the Oakland Temple Pageant] is great, too, to introduce your friends to the church. It explains the restoration of the gospel, and it is a great experience,” said Angela Bladh, a junior from San Francisco, Calif.
Another pageant that testifies of Christ is the Hill Cumorah Pageant, in Palmyra, N.Y. This pageant depicts the story of the Book of Mormon, a record left by an ancient civilization.
More information on church pageants can be found at www.pageants.lds.org.
