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Religion

Reaching out with a promise

By EBONY WINDOM
Published April 8, 2006

NEW PORT RICHEY - Eleven years ago, Gerald Firlik considered himself a "militant atheist" who refused to set foot in a church.

Then, a play about Jesus at Calvary Chapel Worship Center changed his life, he says.

By curtain call, Firlik had risen to his feet and "prayed the sinner's prayer," he said.

"The Holy Spirit can touch anybody at any time and anywhere. I'm full evidence of that," said Firlik, who now rarely misses Sunday worship at Calvary Chapel.

And that's the whole point, says the Rev. Jill Buyea, who heads the church's performance arts ministry.

"We want to see people get saved," she said.

New Port Richey mega-church, Calvary Chapel Worship Center, hosts three big holiday productions each year. But the annual Easter performance draws the largest crowd. It has become one of the largest Passion plays in Pasco County.

In Hudson, Word of Life Fellowship's Easter drama also attracts huge crowds. This year, the church debuted a new play: Jesus Behold the Man, which wraps up Sunday after a two week run.

But, unlike Word of Life, which charges $22 for general adult admission, Calvary Chapel's Easter drama is free to the public. And Calvary leaders use the play as a way to reach out. Firlik and dozens of others joined Calvary Chapel after attending one of their holiday productions.

Stephanie Cahill, 18, says Calvary's Easter drama helped deepen her faith five years ago.

"You can visualize what Jesus actually did for us," said Cahill. "You realize that (Jesus) was an actual person, not just a story."

Last year's Easter performances in the church's 1,200 seat EpiCentre were jampacked. So, when seating ran out, organizers herded folks to a separate room to watch the drama via closed-circuit TV. And when that filled up, organizers reluctantly turned folks away.

This year, there's a solution: Bleachers and additional seating will be added on the EpiCentre's upper level.

This year's play, The Promise, is the classic story of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. The script is a repeat of last year's. This year features updated the music.

The bulk of The Promise comes straight from the Bible. But it's one thing to read words on a page, Buyea says. It's another to witness blood dripping from the Jesus character's wounds as he's whipped on the cross.

The characters' names are mostly fictional, and dialog is minimal. Organizers liken The Promise to a Broadway-style musical because the story is told through song.

The crew ditched last year's elaborate sets and costumes and opted for simplicity because "the Gospel was simple," Buyea said.

The 44-member cast will don modern garb instead of period costumes. And they'll swap the elaborate set and backdrops for one pared-down set.

The cast, a tightly knit group of volunteers, really has gelled over the past couple of months. Members meet for weekly rehearsals. Sunday will be the big dress rehearsal. They put their hearts and souls into it, Buyea said, because they know it's a play with a purpose. Someone could be moved by it.

"When Jesus walks into somebody's life, they change," Buyea says. "They realize they have a purpose. God brings hope in hopeless situations."

[Last modified April 8, 2006, 10:45:11]