By Terry Lane
Judgement House 2010 kicked off for the 7th year with a new script, “Words.”
On Friday, September 12th and Saturday, September 13th, East Dillon Baptist church opened its doors from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. for groups of 15 or 20 to participate in a walk-through drama.
Judgement House will continue on the next two weekends, Saturday and Sunday, September 19 and 20, then again on September 25-26. There are still reservation slots, but walk-ins are welcome.
The story is about a young man, Russ, who never felt “good enough.’ Not for his parents who are incarcerated or even the kids at school. At least that is what he thinks, and for him, perception is reality.
He feels as if he doesn’t have a friend in the world except his Grandma Joyce.
But Grandma Joyce wants Russ to reach out and make some friends so she pushes him to attend camp with students from the local church. However, the youth group clique is too tough to break into and keeps Russ at a distance because of his unusual appearance and weird personality. The whispered insults and cut downs don’t help either.
Jason, a youth pastor, reaches out to Russ but to no avail, and the “church kids” continue ostracizing Russ only adding to his devastation when he receives word that his grandma has suddenly passed away.
Russ is overwhelmed by his loss and loneliness. He wants nothing to do with Jesus Christ. If he had known that he was loved. If only someone had embraced him or told him how much God loved him. Russ makes a choice that will last for an eternity.
Words are powerful and affect the lives of individuals deeply and can easily be a prescription for tragedy.
