wfn.org | [LCMSNews] 'Sensing' Holy Week, Easter

["LCMS e-News" <LCMSENEWS@lcms.org>]

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>1.22.2009		
>	LCMS News	 	
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>THE LUTHERAN CHURCH Missouri Synod  	 	
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	January 22, 2009 .................... LCMSNews -- No. 8

>Journey program involves
>senses in Passion account

How much more would the events of the week leading up to Christ's death
and resurrection mean to you if you could actually taste the vinegar
Christ was given on the cross or hear the crack of the whip that
scourged his back?

That is the premise of a new product from Concordia Publishing House
(CPH) titled Journey to the Cross, a sensory-based program that presents
the biblical account of Passion Week and Easter morning through
experience-focused activities appropriate for ages 3 to adult.

CPH describes itself as "the publisher of The Lutheran Church--Missouri
Synod, dedicated to spreading the Gospel message of Jesus Christ
throughout the world."

Kelly Bailey McCray, creator of the Journey to the Cross program and
director of Christian education at Trinity Lutheran Church, Bend, Ore.,
originally developed the program in 2003 for a special Maundy Thursday
worship event for the church's grade school.

Participants in the program begin at a Customs Station, where they
receive a passport to record what they see and hear.  They then walk in
small groups through 13 stations and experience the Bible accounts of
Holy Week at each stop.

"People remember more of what they experience than what they hear, so
Journey to the Cross was made to use the senses as much as possible,"
McCray said.  "As participants walk from site to site, they meet
individuals dressed as Bible characters who tell the stories of Jesus'
death and resurrection as if they had been witnesses.  Every stop also
has an activity that involves the senses.  For example, they smell
perfume, taste Passover foods, wash their hands, and pet a donkey.  And
the participants collect stickers in their passports at every stop, so
they have a tangible record of their Journey experience."

While the program was designed for children in the school, McCray found
that the parents who acted as chaperones simply walking the children
between stations "came away with a renewed appreciation for all that
Christ had done for them."  About 275 people took part in the first
journey.

In response to her congregation's experience with the program, McCray
made some changes when creating the program for CPH:  She shortened the
actors' scripts and included suggestions for dealing with inclement
weather, "since we had to relocate our stops in the middle of the event
when it began to snow.  I think that writing it for CPH helped me to
create a better planned, more cohesive event," she said.

The "Journey" CD-ROM is a complete planning guide with reproducible
files that give step-by-step instructions on how to create a program at
a church or school.  It includes ideas for decorating, recruiting,
advertising, training, and leading the event.  It also has files for
reproducing bulletin inserts, sign-up sheets, the passport, and scripts.

The program is practical to implement at congregations of all sizes,
according to CPH Marketing Manager Keith Settle.

"This program was developed in a Lutheran congregation, and its content
and planning reflects a practical style. Those who participated in
Journey to the Cross share that it is one of the most meaningful Easter
experiences they've ever had," he said.  "Journey to the Cross is a
family-focused event and also a perfect community outreach."

McCray says the CD offers ideas for making Journey an outreach tool,
including having the pastor be a greeter or to be available for
questions at the end of the experience, and including the church's phone
number and worship times on the passports.

"And it doesn't need to be done at your church," she added.  "The whole
event could be done in a public setting such as a park or parking lot or
empty warehouse.  The key to using the Journey as outreach is to
publicize it well in your community and have a plan for connecting with
visitors after the event."

McCray feels the best part of Journey to the Cross "is the chance for
the events of Holy Week to come alive and not just be words in a story.
Children and adults alike think they know the whole story because they
hear it every spring.  But when you actively participate in something
that is similar to what Jesus experienced, by tasting vinegar or hearing
a whip crack, then the events of Easter become more significant and less
likely to be taken for granted."

The Journey to the Cross CD (item no. 29-0800WEB), $39.99, is available
by calling CPH at 800-325-3040 or through its Web site at
http://www.cph.org .

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If you have questions or comments about this LCMSNews release, contact
Joe Isenhower Jr. at joe.isenhower@lcms.org
<mailto:joe.isenhower@lcms.org>  or (314) 996-1231, or Paula Schlueter
Ross at paula.ross@lcms.org <mailto:paula.ross@lcms.org>  or (314)
996-1230.

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