Michael Yaeger plays Jesus in this Passover scene at Temple Baptist Church's production of "Two Crowns." Church pastor Bret Yaeger is at left and Adam Tank- ersley, minister of youth and education, is on his right.If You Go
"Messiah in the Passover Experience" * Where: First Baptist Church of Fort Oglethorpe, 2645 LaFayette Road, Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. * When: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday. * Admission: $5 for the meal, love offering will also be collected. * The program: Reginald Lisemby of Christian Ministry to Israel will lead guests in a Passover meal, teaching what the food symbolizes. Guests will be served a chicken dinner along with samples of Hebrew foods. * Reservations: Required by 5 p.m. Monday. * Information/reservations: 706-866-0232. "SonRise" * Where: Begins at Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists and loops campus of Southern Adventist University, 4829 College Drive East, Collegedale, Tenn. * When: 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 4. * Admission: Sold out; 9,700 free tickets have been distributed. * The program: Walk-through tour of six stations depicting Jesus's triumphal entry to Jerusalem, the Last Supper, Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, the judgment of Jesus, Crucifixion and Resurrection. Presented by students of SAU, Collegedale SDA and some community residents; includes 500 cast members, about 500 volunteers managing parking and other logistics. * Information: collegedalechurch.com. "Two Crowns" * Where: Temple Baptist Church, 2310 S. Dixie Highway, Dalton, Ga. * When: 7 p.m. tonight, Sunday and April 3. Admission: Free. * The Program: Cast of 60 presents passion play with music, which begins with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and finishes with the Resurrection. * Information: 706-226-6785. Other Holy Week Programs * What: "Colors of Grace" presented by The Roueche Chorale. * Where: Brainerd United Methodist Church, 4315 Brainerd Road. * When: 7 p.m. Tuesday. * Admission: Free. * The program: Scripture from Gospel of Matthew interspersed with anthems describing lessons to be learned from the example of Christ. Lessons are visually represented by colored cloths and appropriate symbols. * Information: therouechechorale.org. * What: "The Story" * Where: North Cleveland Church of God, 335 11th St. NE, Cleveland, Tenn. * When: 7 p.m. Friday-Saturday, April 3-4; 9 and 11 a.m. Sunday, April 5. * Admission: Free. * The program: Presents God's plan for his people from Genesis to Revelation, based on the best-selling book by Max Lucado. Musical with video presentations. * Information: nccog.org. *What: Stations of the Cross *Where: St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 968 Haig Mill Lake Road, Dalton, Ga. *When: Noon Friday (English); 2 p.m. Friday (Bilingual). *Admission: Free. *The program: Live, two-hour journey through the 14 Stations of the Cross -- where Jesus was condemned, where he met his mother, where his face was wiped by Veronica and where he was nailed to the cross, among others. *Information: sjccdalton.com
For 364 days of each year, Jesse Rademacher is a professor of character animation at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale.
On the remaining day he's called Jesus.
For 10 years, Rademacher has taken up his cross to portray the emotional last days of Jesus Christ in "SonRise," the huge outdoor drama presented by Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists and Southern Adventist University. The event is designed to celebrate the resurrection of Christ with believers while reaching non-Christians with the story of God's love for mankind.
More than 10,000 visitors came to the Holy Week drama last year; the same amount is expected on Saturday, April 4.
"It is unlike any other acting experience," says Rademacher. "The audience is being open with their emotions -- people will reach out from the audience to hug me as I walk in the crowd. It's very interactive; you feel connected with them. It's very emotional, which is surprising because people are pretty guarded with their emotions. What moves somebody to make a change in their lives is a gift of the spirit. I hope I'm used in a way God can reach people."
That sense of first-person observation, that interactivity, is what area pastors and music ministers say make passion plays a popular way to witness to nonbelievers and inspire recommitment within the church body. With the commencement of Holy Week tomorrow on Palm Sunday, several such events have been scheduled around the region.
"The advantage of a drama is that it adds more visualization to help you understand the reality of things that happened then," says Michael Yaeger, music minister at Temple Baptist Church in Dalton, Ga. He will portray Jesus in three performances of "Two Crowns," which opens tonight at the church.
"The two crowns are the crown of thorns and the heavenly crown," he says. "We start with the entry of Jesus in Jerusalem and finish up just after the Resurrection. We try to do it as accurately as possible, but there is no way to really portray what Jesus went through on the cross. However, just to see a small portion of that really touches your heart, especially for us as actors."
SonRise includes a cast of 500 actors. Costumes for sol- diers, Pontius Pilate and the central cast are provided. The several hundred extras in the market scene are responsible for their own wardrobe.Yaeger says the effect of the performance is profound.
"We usually have close to 20 people who accept Jesus as their savior over the course of three performances and probably 40 to 60 who are already believers but recommit their lives to serving Jesus," he says.
A new experience to mark Maundy Thursday is being launched in Fort Oglethorpe by First Baptist Church. Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples as well as Jesus' establishment of Holy Communion.
"We have traditionally done a Thursday night service with the Lord's Supper, but this week we are holding a dinner called 'Messiah in the Passover Experience,' led by Reggie Lisemby of Christian Ministry to Israel," says the Rev. Jason Thomas, lead pastor at the church. "He will walk us through the Passover and how it connects to the Lord's Supper. Participants will discover a deeper connection between the original Exodus Passover and the Last Supper that Jesus celebrated with the disciples."
Gabriel Mejia, left, playing the role of Jesus, carries the cross as Fernando Sanchez watches during St. Joesph's Catholic Church's 2011 production of "Stations of the Cross," in Dalton. The event's actors and attendees walk around the church's campus for the 14 stations.The program includes a chicken dinner for guests, along with traditional Hebrew foods. Lisemby will share what the food symbolizes, explain the elements of Passover and give a scriptural interpretation of the Last Supper.
Collegedale's "SonRise" drama has already sold out. Thirteen performances will be presented on April 4, with each ticket imprinted with a specific showtime. Participants in each group begin the walking tour in Southern Adventist's gymnasium, where they meet one of six actors portraying Jesus. They then follow him through the Last Supper, Garden of Gethsemane, his judgment by Pontius Pilate, the Crucifixion and Resurrection.
"We started doing six performances of SonRise in 1996. Our attendance has grown from 3,700 to just over 10,000," says Brian Henning, SonRise executive director.
Since there is not a waiting list for tickets to this year's performance, church officials suggest anyone wishing to attend the 2016 event begin checking the website two months prior to Easter to learn dates for ticket distribution. The website is comeseejesus.com.
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.
The Resurrection finale at "SonRise."