Central Reformed Church To Host ‘Stations Of The Cross’

April 12th and 13th Central Reformed Church in Oskaloosa will be hosting Stations of The Cross, an event depicting six scenes from the final week of Jesus’ life. A team of over 40 actors will present six different scenes, all using set pieces, period costumes and props, voiceovers, and theatrical lighting. Scenes will be set-up throughout the church building, and it will take approximately 40 minutes to tour all six scenes.

Andy Baker, Director of Outreach at Central Reformed, shared that there is a lot of excitement building for this year’s event because of the results of last year. “A year ago our youth leader’s suggested doing a Stations type event for their students, and they were gracious enough to open it to the general public. We thought maybe 200 people would attend, so imagine our surprise when over 500 showed up!” Baker says many steps have been taken to prepare for larger crowds this year, including moving to two nights and involving a larger volunteer team. There will also be two fully redesigned scenes this year, both of which the planning team is very excited about.

Not only was the event well attended last year, but it also proved to be very moving to those in attendance. Makayla Scanlon, 19 of Oskaloosa, attended last year and was deeply affected by her experience. “The week before Stations of the Cross I was very stressed out about the things happening in my life. Going to Stations I realized all those problems can be gone just with a prayer.” Scanlon continues to see the positive impact of Stations on her life, and encourages others to attend this year, regardless of their current relationship to God or church.

Outreach Director Andy also sees Stations of the Cross as a terrific way for people to prepare themselves for Easter. “I think a lot of us treat Easter as this fun day where we dress up, get together with family, eat a ton of food, and hopefully enjoy some nice spring weather. But what is Easter really all about, and what does it mean to us personally? That’s what Stations of the Cross sets out to answer. It presents the story of what Jesus of Nazareth went through over the course of a week 2,000 years ago on behalf of our world. For those of us that are visual learners Stations is a great way to gain a deeper understanding of why we should really be celebrating a week later on Easter Sunday.”

Stations of the Cross will be held at Central Reformed Church, 815 2nd Ave E. in Oskaloosa, from 6-8pm on Saturday, April 12th and from 4:30-6:30pm on Sunday, April 13th. There is no cost to attend, no reservations are required, and complimentary childcare is provided. It takes approximately 40 minutes to go through all six stations, with tour groups departing every five minutes. More information can be found by visiting the church’s website, www.centralosky.com, or by calling the church office at 673-3843.