Suffolk News-Herald

Thomas L. Hall, trustee, will be making his sixth appearance in the sixth annual production of a drama, &uot;A Man Named Jesus.&uot; This event will take place at 6 p.m. Easter Sunday in Metropolitan Baptist Church, 125 County St. The church’s Mass Choir is the sponsor.

Last year new scenes that were added brought hundreds of citizens to witness miracles of our Lord through the character of Hall. He was selected to play this starring role because of his resemblance to how people Jesus.

&uot;It is not easy to portray Jesus because he was a person perfect and humble,&uot; Hall said.

The play will be narrated by Margaret M. Higgs, former educator with Suffolk Public Schools. The production is under the direction of Arvis L. Saunders with music by the Mass Choir. The choir is under the direction of Thurman Murphy, the minister of music and organist of the church.

Saunders said that the purpose of producing this play is to reach out and touch the lost lives of those who do not know &uot;A Man Named Jesus.&uot;

&uot;If we can save just one soul that’s lost, this will be a blessing to all of us. Our main goal is to bring people to Christ. This dramatization is not just a play but a re-enactment of how Christ lived, bled and died for the remission of our sins.

&uot;The characters who volunteered for these roles were sent by God and they didn’t hesitate when they were asked to be characters. It was like each of them knew that they were called for their particular parts,&uot; said Saunders.

The cast includes all members of the church. Realistic objects are also included to make the play more real, including the three heavy wooden crosses that Jesus and the thieves were crucified on.

The production will be presented in five acts beginning with &uot;The Miracles of Jesus,&uot; &uot;The Trial of Jesus,&uot; &uot;The Last Supper,&uot; &uot;The Crucifixion of Christ,&uot; and &uot;The Resurrection of Christ.&uot;

Saunders said that the play has been consecrated and that they have had over 20 new cast members to join the production this year. She said that they are also seeking to present it in a larger auditorium because it draws such large crowds. According to Saunders, since 1977 over 4500 people have traveled

from many cities in the Tidewater area and as far as Richmond and Maryland to see it.

She also said that cast members are thrilled and excited every time they portray these characters and that she is really proud of them for the energy that they put into their particular roles.

&uot;Our dream is to one day have this play escalate to the name of &uot;The Metro Production&uot; named after our church under the leadership of our pastor, Dr. Robert Hobbs and Pastor Emeritus Dr. Melvin R. Boone. Our cast works closely together and they are very talented which is the way that Christians should be,&uot; said Saunders.