Jennifer Towers of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church presents a monologue as Mary the mother of Jesus at the Community Good Friday Service at The Commons in 2022.
Republic file photo
Somewhere amid the emotions of six biblical characters, Kelly Daugherty believes nearly every Christian can find common ground amid the drama and trauma of Scripture’s Good Friday.
The day is the most somber one of the Christian calendar, marking the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth.
The executive director of the local Love Chapel outreach said as much at the Ecumenical Assembly of Bartholomew County Churches’ Good Friday Service at The Commons in 2022. That 45-minute event, with an original script written by the assembly’s worship committee, was titled “Were You There?” and highlighted those aforementioned six people’s monologue recollections of the executed Jesus.
“I think we can all relate to some of those individuals, and the root causes of why they acted and reacted the way they did,” Daugherty said at the gathering’s opening then.
That presentation, with some tweaks to the script, will be reprised at noon Friday at The Commons, 300 Washington St. in downtown Columbus. The six characters are: Mary, Jesus’ mother; a Roman soldier who beat Jesus; Pontius Pilate; Simon, Judas and one of the thieves crucified with Jesus. A narrator also will be part of the monologue segment.
In recent years, these services have attracted 200 or more people, and sometimes included believers from as many as 20 different area churches.
“People told us at the time that it was the best we’d ever done,” Daugherty said.
Daniel Kane, worship pastor at Columbus’ First Baptist Church, has been assembling the costumed monologue presenters, with each speaking for two to five minutes. An experienced community theater performer, he will recreate his role as Simon Peter. He mentioned that most of his preparation should be simple enough to shine a light on the disciple.
“It should come back to me pretty quickly,” Kane said.
He added that presenters will work not only to know well their material without holding a script, but will aim “to capture the emotion of the day.” He and others are aware that these Holy Week services frequently have left some attendees with tear-filled eyes.
“We realize that so many people know this story so very well,” Kane said. “But we always hope with this that that familiarity doesn’t detract from its significance. And it can be really easy for leaders to fall into the trap of ‘How are we going to tell this story differently?’ instead of ‘Wait — how are we going to continue to tell this story with integrity?’”
Two years ago, local actor and worship singer Nick Hogan portrayed a Roman soldier who beat Jesus — and, looking back, felt remorse.
“God help me, I participated in it,” he said as the soldier.
In between the monologues will be music. David Maurey, worship leader at New Hope Christian Church, will be on keyboards and vocals with what expects will be more traditional hymns. He loves the idea of Christian unity among people whose overall theology may differ a bit.
“It’s such a neat time to get people together from different congregations,” Maurey said. “This is such a unifying thing. There are currently so many things in this world that are divisive, with people focusing on differences.
“So I especially love these opportunities where we can focus on the positives, and what brings us all together.”
About the event
What: Interdenominational Community Good Friday Service presented by the Ecumenical Assembly of Bartholomew County Churches.
When: noon Friday.
Where: The Commons, 300 Washington St. in downtown Columbus.
Information: Facebook page for Love Chapel — Ecumenical Assembly of Bartholomew County Churches.
