Local actors help Heaven's Gate and Hell's Flames take intense look at the afterlife
Are you living a life worthy of Christ?That’s the question a number of local community members and the Reality Outreach Ministries will be asking Oct. 18-20, at The Pier at Lighthouse of Hope near Mt. Eaton.
The show, titled Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames, is a high impact drama choreographed together with elaborate sound, lighting and dynamic multi-screen video support, and begins with the portrayal of Jesus going to the cross, His crucifixion and resurrection. This is followed by a series of vignettes depicting a cross-section of life and thought in terms of spiritual and eternal values.
The audience is challenged to consider where they will spend eternity based on the Biblical reality of life after death and beyond the grave.
And while Reality Outreach Ministries (ROM) is in charge of the technical aspect of the program, all of the acting is done with local actors, who will take a crash course on their roles on Saturday and Sunday before opening night.
“This is all about getting people to examine where they are at in their walk with Christ, and to examine their own lives, and search if they are living a life worthy of Christ,” said Glenn Coblentz, pastor at Longenecker Church, one of four sponsoring churches. “Having local people do the acting makes an even greater impact.”
While four churches, including Hope Community Church in Mt. Eaton, Pleasant View Mennonite in Berlin, Longenecker Mennonite in Winesburg, and True Hope Community Fellowship in Navarre, are hosting the event, Paul Mullet, director at The Pier, said they welcome anyone from other area churches who would like to participate by either acting, providing food or child care.
“One of the things we’d love to do is get people from other churches involved,” said Mullet. “This is an incredibly moving experience, which will really make people stop and think about what is really important to them, and having as many churches involved with it gives it an even broader appeal throughout the community.”
Two years ago, the show sold out on all three nights, prompting a fourth night, which was also a sellout. Mullet said that more than 2,000 people saw the show during the four-night run, and the impact it made was incredible. “I’ve had numerous people asking me over the past two years when we were going to do it again,” he said.
“It’s been one of the most successful shows we have ever done here at The Pier. It’s simply a high-impact show that truly makes you think long and hard about where you’re at in your faith, by using everyday lives and everyday situations.”
ROM will come in on Friday to set up the stage and sound system, then work with the locals on Saturday and Sunday, preparing for the presentations on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday evenings. All three shows will begin at 7 p.m., with praise and worship music at 6:30 p.m., and will include local favorites Jeff Polen from Mennonite Christian Assembly and Lena Mullet from Gospel Haven. The shows are free to the public. Since some of the vignettes may be too intense for younger children, child care will be provided.
If you would like to become involved in the event, either as an actor, child care provider or to help provide food, call Mullet at The Pier at 330-359-2071.