MILWAUKEE (BP) – For Easter weekend 1972 Pastor Paul Becker decided to take advantage of Northwest Baptist Church’s location, adjacent to a main thoroughfare in the suburb of Wauwatosa. The result became a long-running witness to the community now spanning generations.
“The observance of Holy Week prior to Easter is particularly significant in Milwaukee, where liturgical churches predominate,” says an excerpt of “From a Small Stream: A Forty Year History of Minnesota-Wisconsin Southern Baptists 1953-1993.” Published by that state convention, it goes on to describe the tomb replica as consisting of plywood, paper mâché and canvas. A small campfire officially sanctioned by city leaders as a “barbecue pit” provided warmth for early spring nights that typically include chilly temperatures and even snow.
“It was the only sacred cow I was told the church had when I came here,” said the church’s current pastor, Paul Springer, Jr., on his arrival three weeks before Easter in 2017.
As the drama celebrates 50 years this weekend, Springer’s reasons for not changing it have nothing to do with keeping feathers unruffled.
“We’re known for it in the community,” he said. “I met folks last year who brought their grandkids to it and told me how they had attended when they were children.”
During the weekend the church also hosts an Eggstravaganza for children, where members in biblical dress tell the Easter account. Another outdoor drama Sunday morning depicting the Resurrection serves as the completion of the one that began on Good Friday. Afterward, a community pancake breakfast is held in the fellowship hall followed by another Easter service, this one indoors.
The staging and two Roman guards standing sentry draw attention throughout the weekend. Church members sign up for three-hour shifts in teams of three for breaks from the cold. A fire pit provides some warmth, but overnight temperatures this weekend are forecast to go below freezing, with wind gusts up to 20 mph.
“We might make it a group of four in each shift,” said Springer, which would allow more breaks.
