State

Carver's Creek Methodist Church, located on State Highway «7, sixteen miles below Elizabethtown. Bladen County. Easter Service At Carver’s Creek Folks down there put on a pageant u liicli is extremely interesting. Ap¬ proximately fifty men and women, all attired in llihlieal costumes, par¬ ticipate. ONE of the most unique and interesting Easter services held in North Carolina is that which has taken place during the last six years at Carver’s Creek, sixteen miles below Elizabethtown. Bladen County. Carver's Creek Church was established by the Quakers long before the Revolutionary War. and it was here that the first re¬ ligious service in Bladen County was held. Later it was taken over a’ the Methodists, and it’s a ethodist church today. For six years Mrs. Helen M. Sanderlin, who lives about half a mile from the church, has been putting on an Easter pageant there. It has grown in size and interest, year by year. Mrs Sanderlin wrote the pageant and also directs it. Approximately forty persons, dressed in Biblical costumes, par¬ ticipate. Here’s what happened at Car¬ ver’s Creek this Easter: Folks began to gather at the old church shortly before eleven o’clock, and it was soon apparent that the little structure would not be able to accommodate all those who wanted to get in. Promptly at eleven. Mr. Cowan, pastor of the church, explained the signifi¬ cance of the occasion. There was a brief prayer, and then the pag¬ eant started. Mrs. Sanderlin. who was seated in the gallery, acted the part of the historian. She would read certain passages from the New Testament and would lead up to the parts where the different char¬ acters would speak for themselves. There were three scenes. The first depicted the denial of the Lord by Peter. The church was darkened, and a crowd of people, all of them dressed in Biblical costumes, made their way slowly up the aisle. They were discussing Christ. They called him a man of false pretense, who was trying to tear down their faith. "And Peter followed afar ofT." The crowd halted near the front of the church. One of the women stared at Peter closely and then said: "Aren’t you one of the disciples of Jesus." And Peter answered: "I know him not.” From a little room, at one side of the main auditorium, came the crow of a cock, well impersonated. Again the woman queried Peter, and again he denied all knowledge of Christ. Once more the cock crowed. The same thing happened a third time, and then Peter realized what he had done. Lean¬ ing against one of the pillars of the church, he wept bitterly, while a colored choir in the gallery sang softly. It really was most impres¬ sively carried out. The second scene represented the court of Pontius Pilate, and again the crowd was present, still extremely bitter against Christ. Mrs. Sanderlin read the proper sequence, and then Pilate asked the crowd what they wanted done with Christ. "Crucify him!" was the shout that went up. He of¬ fered to release one of the prison¬ ers — either Christ or Barabas — and the crowd shouted: "Give us Barabas.” Pilate’s wife came upon the scene and pleaded with him in pantomime to allow Christ to go. While this was going on. the Negro choir sang "Almost persuaded.” The music did much in adding to the effectiveness of the scene. But the crowd kept shouting for the blood of Christ. One of the sol- \y 4 » Pontius Pilate, one of the leading characters in the pageant. THE STATE. Мл* 4. 1946