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 OVER 50 SALVATIONISTS participated in the staging of “Spirit” recently in Sacramento, CA. A total of over 800 people viewed the play’s two performances. |
BY CAPTAIN STACEY BIRKS
In a relevant and vibrant expression of Christianity, uncompromising in the basics of faith, the Sacramento Citadel Corps adopted a method and style of ministry that touched the lives of more than 800 in their Sacramento, CA, community through their production of Spirit.
Last October, over 50 Salvationists in the Del Oro Division began planning and rehearsing for a spirit-filled evangelistic outreach. On the 22nd and 25th of May 2001 their vision came alive on a high school stage.
It was the prayer of Majors David and Olive Drake, Sacramento Citadel’s corps officers, that those in attendance would “experience the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church and its members.” No one involved in the production wanted it to be an “in-house” event. Cast and crew were encouraged to invite friends, co-workers and strangers. Prayers were answered when over 800 people filled the auditorium to view the power of the Pentecost.
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A Relevant and Vibrant Expression of Christianity While being uncompromising in the basics of our faith, we will seek to be attuned to the time, to the place and to the people. |
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The production was a labor of love for producers Laura Kerr and Gordon Damant. They made it clear to everyone that “this musical is not a kind of memorial service around the embers of an ancient church. It is rather a celebration of the fact that the Holy Spirit is as active in the world today as ever. His power is ours for the asking.”
Spirit was an inspiration to those who worked on it and those who witnessed it. General John Gowans summed it up in a pre-production e-mail to the cast, “We don’t need ‘another’ Pentecost. We need to learn how to plug in to the power of the first one. Then today’s apostles, (that’s us!!) will more than match the achievements of yesterday’s Christians.”
The Gowans and Larsson musical Spirit is based on the first 12 chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, bringing to life the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. The closing song of Spirit asks “What does the spirit say to the churches? What does the spirit say to you?”