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 In
January of
1980 my
first
Sunday
back at
church
after my
mother had
just died,
I received
a vision
of the
crucifixion
and
resurrection
seen
together.
The image
was very
bright and
glowing as
if it were
being
projected
on the
altar
cushion
100 feet
away from
where my
family and
I were
seated on
the front
row of the
balcony.
I saw off to
the right
floating above
the altar edges
of huge
canvases. In
that split
second that you
receive
something like
this, I knew it
was for the
year 2000, that
it was to be a
traveling
exhibit on the
life of Christ
and it was to
serve as the
designs for
needlepoint
kneelers for
our church
sanctuary. I
looked back at
the image on
the altar
cushion because
if it was still
there, I wanted
to draw it on
one of those
little
Methodist
scrawl
sheets.
It
was still
there! It was
very bright and
glowing! The
way light oozes
it spread off
the altar
cushion onto
the slate
floor. I felt
my mother’s
presence so
strongly. I
mentally
described it as
the word
“interplay”
between this
life and the
next. As I
looked at the
vision to get
it really
logged in, I
was thinking, I
have never seen
it depicted
this way, the
crucifixion/resurrection
seen together,
and as I’m
thinking this,
I heard the
words as if
over a loud
speaker: “They
need to see
this!” Of
course, I cried
silently, said,
“Thank you and
I’ll do
it!”
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The Crucifixion
and
Ressurection As
Seen
Together
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At that point I
didn’t have a
clue how but I
figured I was
an artist and I
would learn. I
also figured
God gives us
assignments and
then He will
show us how to
do them. That
has been the
story of the
last 23 years
of my life.
From rising at
3:30am to work
on God’s Work
before my day
began with
family duties
and
commissioned
work to
discovering in
my Mother’s
books, Leslie
Weatherhead’s
book, A Private
House of Prayer
from which I
learned how to
write my own
affirmation, I
have felt God’s
guiding
presence. The
affirmation
which has kept
me focused over
the last 23
years and
continues to
open God’s
ongoing
direction for
this project
goes like
this:
"Dear Most
Gracious
Heavenly
Father,
through the
inpouring of
Thy Love, my
spirit is
cleansed,
my skills are
sharp and I am
empowered to do
Thy
Work!"
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This has
led to what I believe the real
message of this project, “God
Speaks, So Listen!” If He
speaks to me, He will speak to
anyone who will listen.
The two
years of historical research,
design and 18 years of painting
were the easier parts of this
project because I am an artist.
I felt as if I just had to hold
my arm up at the canvas with
paintbrush in hand and God was
guiding it. When at Radio City
Music Hall in 1997 He revealed
that the paintings were only
the seed and a CELEBRATION of
Christ’s life was the real key.
I again had no clue how but
figured God would show me this
time how to put together a
performance.
Forming an
Advisory Council is how we got
the first performance together
in Greensboro. At Radio City
Music Hall, they have also had
experience with successful
religious performances built
with the help of an Advisory
Council.
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After a mailing to
all the local
churches, we hosted
a meeting to start
on the performance.
From our first
meeting Jane
Wellford Dance
professor at Elon
University and
Director of Moving
Liturgy Dance
Ensemble and I
formed a scout
committee to
research locations.
Jane came out of
retirement with
Moving Liturgy
Dance ensemble and
is now writing a
book on liturgical
dance. |
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I found our music director
through an article in the
newspaper about him, which
began, “ I am a religious man.”
When he heard about the project
he exclaimed he had been saving
music for 10 years to use for
God’s Work and this was it. The
Chaplain at Greensboro College,
The Reverend Debra Paulsen,
arranged the script into a
staged performance.
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Our director
Pauline Cobrda
transformed
children into
gifted vehicles
for God’s Word
reciting
scriptures.
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The first year
we performed “The Life of
Christ Celebration!” it was a
sell-out! We had no idea when
we began what the response
would be. The word of mouth
advertising, radio, and church
visitation got the word out and
people were hungry for NEW
MATERIAL presenting the life of
Jesus through art, music,
history, drama and dance! The
performance drew individuals
from all walks of life, all
ethnicity’s and all ages. From
the performers to the audience
the response was truly
multicultural and
multigenerational, a phenomenal
experience of God’s message
through Jesus in action!
During the
formation of the performance
the paintings were fulfilling
their calling as a traveling
exhibit. They opened on
December 31, 1999 with a
Millenium New Year’s Eve
service of music, scripture and
poetry written for the scenes
in the paintings and the
kneelers around the altar at
Christ United Methodist Church,
Greensboro, North Carolina
where the vision and calling
for this project presented
itself 20 years earlier. The
exhibit was so well received it
was extended for an additional
two weeks.
From Greensboro
the 25, 4x5-foot oil on canvas
paintings traveled to Dallas
Texas, Mansfield, Ohio, back to
Greensboro College and on to
the Cannon House Office Rotunda
in Washington, DC the week
before Christmas 2000. The
exhibit was the focal point of
a Vision Quest series in
Greenville, Kentucky January
2001. It was back in Greensboro
for the world debut of the
“Life of Christ Celebration!”
at the historic downtown
Carolina Theatre March 2001.
Then it traveled to Hiddenite,
North Carolina and on to
Sacramento, New Mexico.
It
is currently on exhibit on the
third floor of Main Building,
Greensboro College, Greensboro,
North Carolina.
The
non-profit organization
established to assist in
raising
and distributing funds for this
traveling exhibit and
performance.
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