The public can catch a glimpse of heaven and hell in this year’s Judgement House, which opens Friday at the First Church of the Nazarene, 4811 Broadway. The title for this year’s Halloween drama is “Revenge! When Rage Takes Control.”
The eight-scene walkthrough drama centers on four teens. Simon’s life at home is rough, and he’s bullied at school. Mitch, Simon’s chief tormenter, is a partier and narcissistic boyfriend of Alexis, who is pregnant with his baby but trying to make right of her past. Toby, a Christian, reaches out to his classmates with mixed success. Eventually Simon’s rage boils over and he comes to school with a gun.
At the end of Simon’s rampage some characters lie dead on earth and awaken to find their eternal destination.
Judgement House will be open from 6-10 p.m. Friday, 5-10 p.m. Saturday and 12:30-6 p.m. Sunday. A $3 donation is suggested. Two scenes in particular are not intended for children under 10 years old, although the actual violence takes place off-stage. The program lasts about an hour, and groups go up and down some stairs as they walk through the scenes. The show has been inspected for fire safety, church member Dale Pruter said.
“Guides will lead us through each scene,” Pruter said.
At Wednesday’s dress rehearsal, Cindy Judd was the guide for a group comprised of some of the many volunteers involved in the production. Pruter estimates more than 150 people from approximately 16 area churches help with Judgement House productions each year. The scripts come from a Florida-based Christian ministry (www.JudgementHouse.org) designed to “equip the local church and other ministries with the ability to create a walk-through gospel presentation concerning the truth of people’s choices versus the earthly and eternal consequences.”
This is the sixth year a Judgement House has been produced at the Church of the Nazarene. Attendance has averaged 1,000 people each year. This year’s script seems to reflect headlines of school bullying and shootings. On Monday a 12-year-old boy in Sparks, Nev., shot and killed Michael Landsberry, a math teacher at Sparks Middle School. The student then shot himself in front of other students.
“It’s a pretty common theme around America, which is sad,” Pruter said.
After Simon’s revenge scene, the guide tells the audience, “The scene you just witnessed has become all too real in schools across the nation.”
After the characters face their judgment, those watching are told their time has not yet come. “One day you will stand in judgment,” all are reminded. As they head to the scene depicting hell and its new arrivals, participants can stop at a prayer room if needed.
The heat is cranked up for the hell scene, intentionally designed to be physically uncomfortable, but Judd told the audience Wednesday, “The purpose of Judgement House is to remind us that hell doesn’t have to be our final destination.”
In the next scene, participants move into a cooler environment where they are greeted by angels who hug them and clothe them in white robes (actually scarves, which helps keep the program moving along) and the words, “Welcome to heaven – what could be your eternal home.” Soon the audience sees Jesus, who greets them and heaven’s newest arrivals.
At the last stop, Associate Pastor Amy Foster (wife of the Rev. Josh Foster, pastor of the First Church of the Nazarene) gives an altar call. “In this room, you join the story,” Foster said. “You have the opportunity to respond to what you’ve seen.” Guests are invited to accept Jesus as their savior or to rededicate their lives if they are already Christians.