HOT PURSUIT

One of my Good Friday traditions leading up to Easter in recent years has become a stop at Trinity Lutheran Church in Owatonna.

For the past 30 years, Trinity has found a visual and powerful way to share the story of Jesus Christ, his suffering on the cross and the hope of Easter. The service features actors, animals and musicians highlighting Jesus’ ministry, death and resurrection.

The service, which is packed with shorter scenes, starts out in Trinity’s fellowship hall and ends in the sanctuary with Jesus rising from the dead.

It takes 70 actors and volunteers to pull off the service every year, according to Kris Oppegard, deacon at Trinity. This year’s service brought together volunteers ranging in ages from 2 to mid-80s. The 2-year-old was used in a scene where Jesus welcomed the children.

And for at least one church staff member this year was an initiation of sorts.

Pastor Chris Meester, who just joined Trinity earlier this year, took on the lead role of Jesus.

“We had a 33-year-old Jesus (with Meester) this year,” said Oppegard, pointing to the significance in which Jesus was 33 when he died on the cross. “We crucified the new pastor two months after he came,” she said jokingly.   

Rest assured, Meester is ready to take on other pastoral duties at Trinity. He is the fourth pastor now serving Trinity.

“That’s the beauty of our community,” Oppegard said referring to the wide cast of volunteers. She added those volunteers help live out Trinity’s hope of Easter for everyone.

Referring to the estimated 530 people who attended this year’s service, Oppegard said: “It’s meaningful for so many to be a part of this. This is the start of their Easter weekend.”

Trinity now reaches an even greater audience as they offer livestreaming of the event.

Oppegard said the service is “intended to be interacting, engaging and meaningful” for people of all ages. “We want this to be something that our community enjoys,” she says. “We want people to have a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and a deeper hope of Easter throughout the year.”

Nails, palm branches and chunks of bread are offered to those in attendance to give them a taste of what Jesus has done for his people.

For Oppegard, who narrated all the scenes, the favorite part was the last portion where Jesus rises from the dead. She said it’s a scene that reveals “the hope of Easter.”

Oppegard has been involved with 16 of the Good Friday programs over the years, first as a director of youth and more recently as a deacon. She has seen the program expand over the years after being outdoors for several years. In the beginning, the program had five scenes and now offers 11.

Because of weather and mobility issues, the service moved into the fellowship hall several years ago.

“It’s more welcoming to have it inside,” Oppegard said.

She is thrilled to see that generations of families keep coming back every year to enjoy the service. “It has touched them somehow,” said Oppegard.

Trinity spends about nine months preparing for this special service. The biggest part is coordinating all the actors, Oppegard said.

People should feel grateful for Trinity’s efforts of going in hot pursuit of revealing the hope of Easter.