Jesus: A Musical
This musical is about the life of Jesus according to the Gospel of John. It was organized by the Adventist Hispanic Church of Geneva in three performances on March 12 and 13, 2016. Each time, the room was packed with 400 people. It must have been so exciting for the artists, from the youngest (less than one-year old) to the oldest!
It was a real success: The audience really appreciated the simplicity, sincerity and joy that emanated from this musical. Even though the actors and singers were amateurs, it was a high-level production. The costumes, the lighting, the sound, the video, the eloquence, gestures and performance ... everything was skillfully and perfectly orchestrated. Three performances delighted not only the skeptics right from the beginning but also the long-time believers.
After two months, what remains of Jesus: just a musical? We asked this question to Elsa Cozzi (EC) from the Children's Department and DHS children at WCG, Roland Meyer (RM), professor of Systematic Theology at FAT and interim pastor at the campus Church, and Gabriel Monet (GM), Practical Theology professor at FAT and Director of the José Figols Centre.
An Excellent Tool for Church Evangelism
GM: "There is no greater thing to strengthen the faith of the actors than to join forces and engage in such a project, to unite the bond between God and those taking part in this program."
EC: "This is a project that was put forth promoting the talents and abilities of each and every generation for a common project. All have found a part and contributed to the achievement and success of this musical."
RM: "The enthusiasm of more than eighty young and old was evident throughout the months of preparation for this show."
A Fresh and Contemporary Inter-generational Evangelism
EC: "The actors and extras ... really made the gospel message come alive. I consider this experience a great example of a fresh and modern inter-generational evangelism. We all know the story of Jesus but we still enjoyed the special touch presented in this musical. There is also an excellent intention to follow-up these presentations by getting together to study and increase knowledge."
GM: "To organize a high quality program and keep in line with the modes of communication and contemporary expression allows to initiate, encourage, support and reinforce ... relational evangelism. This opens up discussions and opportunities for testimony with neighbours, friends and colleagues that we invite. [...] Furthermore, this kind of evangelism struck me as relevant in the message, staging and music from the life of Jesus and equally as important was what happened within the group of participants, clearly a group of committed people, united, with all generations including young people who have a genuine faith in Jesus. This is beautiful and impressive, and therefore a wonderful testimony.”
An Experience to Replicate
Vega Saray, the coordinator of this event with the actors and the whole team of the pre and post-production are encouraged to continue in this path, as this "will affect many people who do not know or know little about Jesus" (EC) . Three performances have been held ... "yes, but it is not enough! It would take many more, here and elsewhere. Thank you to the artists for making us laugh and cry at the same time and continue to do so in the future."(RM).
A big thank you to Him who made it possible for this project to become reality, to the whole team for the excellent testimony and work, and to all those who can and will want to extend the project.