Community invited to ‘Walk with Christ’ and experience his life in a new way
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POCATELLO – People of all faiths are invited to see a reenactment of the life of Jesus Christ just in time for Holy Week.
On Tuesday evening, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Pocatello-area are holding an annual event called Walk with Christ.
Those who attend walk through a number of scenes in Christ’s life, beginning with the Nativity, and eventually ending with his resurrection. The scenes feature actors playing prominent people in Christ’s life — sometimes with dialogue between different characters and other times narrating for the audience.
It will be held every evening through Friday from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Alameda Stake Center at 930 East Alameda Road.
“We invite and hope that people of all faiths come to see this,” said Revo Williams, who co-directs Walk with Christ with his wife, Pat.
The performance is free to attend, and includes volunteers from “virtually every stake in the city.”
The Idaho Falls North Stake and Idaho Falls YSA Stake is hosting a similar event in Idaho Falls called The Living Christ. It begins on Wednesday at 955 Memorial Drive and will be held nightly until Friday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Revo told EastIdahoNews.com that he and Pat started Walk with Christ 21 years ago. At the time, he was the Bishop and Pat was in the Relief Society presidency of their ward.
“She came to me one day and said, ‘Revo, I’d like to do something special for the sisters for a Christmas program.’” Revo recounted.
But the idea became much more than that once they began the work.
“I did a little research and came up with this – about a two-inch script – for something called Walk with Christ,” Revo said.
Putting the show together took around two years.
“We had to make costumes, we had to build props, etc.,” Revo said.
Once they were finished, it had become an Easter show celebrating and retelling the life of Jesus Christ.
“We’ve had people tell us, more than once, that it was the most spiritual experience they have ever felt,” Revo said.
And not only is it a spiritual experience for the audience, but the actors as well.
“There’s no question about that,” Revo said. “The actors feel the Savior’s influence. They’ve told me that before, and I know that’s true.”
Walking through the entire performance takes around an hour. After people finish, they’re treated to refreshments, including cookies.
Revo estimates that around 3,400 to 3,500 people walk through the performance and that the show has 400 volunteers in total.
The actors, and the people who bake the cookies are only some of the volunteers who take part in the performance. There are also guides who lead the groups through the show, as well as hosts and other workers who welcome attendees and run the waiting rooms.
“There are literally hundreds of people that are involved in this,” Revo said.
Those who attend are asked not to interact with the actors while they’re performing, and instead watch and “listen and let the actors talk to them.”
“We invite everybody to come and feel the Savior’s influence in your life as you go through this,” Revo said.