Pastor uses video for intriguing Lenten series

Lenten programs are a long-standing tradition at Bethel Lutheran Church.

By LINDA M. LINONIS

VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR

BOARDMAN — Bret Rizzo, senior pastor at Bethel Lutheran Church, acknowledged the solemnity and reflective nature of Lent, but also said he has realized it takes more than announcing a Lenten program to get people into the pews.

The title, “Living Lent ... The Animals Tell the Story,” intrigued the pastor, and he said he’s hoping church members and community residents also will feel that way. The church, along with others in the Valley, will hold Lenten programs, starting Ash Wednesday and continuing through Lent.

Last year’s Lenten series set in a courtroom, where Jesus was on trial, attracted about 100 people to each session. “I took the role as prosecuting attorney and interviewed Mary Magdalene, Peter and so on,” Pastor Rizzo said. “The dramatic format worked.” He noted the biblical characters wore costumes, which added to the presentations.

Pastor Rizzo said he obtained the program from Creative Communications for Parishes, an ecumenical publishing company based in St. Louis, Mo., which produces materials for Protestant and Catholic denominations. “It helps pastors with ideas. I’ve used them before,” he said.

The pastor said he videotapes the scenes and that format has been well-received. “Lenten programs have been a tradition at the church,” he said, “but you have to take a different tact and get creative. If you don’t offer something that will grab people’s attention and get them through the door, they’ll go somewhere else or not go anywhere at all.”

Pastor Rizzo said the “entertainment” element is part of our culture. But, he countered, the Lenten programs remain based in a serious subject. “Every year, you hope that people grow closer to the Lord. Some want to get straight to Easter because of its meaning and forget Lent. But then Easter wouldn’t have as much meaning to us if that happened,” he said. “Lenten programs help us get closer to the Lord and understand what Christ did for us.

“Easter is God’s exclamation point on Christ’s life,” Pastor Rizzo said.

Lent is a time of reflection and prayer, and also a time of fasting and self-denial. “People don’t realize what they have until they lose it,” he said. “The 40 days of Lent are symbolic of when Christ spent 40 days in the wilderness.”

He said that Fat Tuesday before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday is the party before the time of restraint. But after the time of meditation and fasting during Lent, there’s reason to celebrate.

For this year’s program, “Living Lent ... The Animals Tell the Story,” Pastor Rizzo said he will be videotaping the weekly programs. He is making final arrangements for the project. “This program uses a different animal each week to relate a story,” he said. The programs, he said, involve a professor who has an animal farm and an inquisitive young man who comes to visit. “The animals don’t talk. There’s scripture and story that complement and reinforce the life of Jesus. It’s a unique way to tell the story,” Pastor Rizzo said.

The programs featuring animals focus on different qualities and aspects of Jesus’ life — the fox tells of a homeless Savior, the donkey of a peaceful Savior, the dove of an angry Savior, the camel of a warning Savior, the hen of a grieving Savior, the vulture of a coming Savior, the lamb of a forgiving Savior and fish of a risen Savior. In Scripture, the animals are mentioned before or during the Passion of Christ.

Pastor Rizzo said the multi-media Lenten program, which include the videotaped segment, music and scripture lasts about 45 minutes. “People’s lives are busy,” he said, and noted the time element played a role. The Lenten programs will be presented at noon and 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, starting Ash Wednesday. The evening program will begin with a supper at 5:45.

“Everybody learns differently,” he observed. “I don’t think principles are being compromised,” referring to the use of technology to relay Christ’s story. “We get a good cross-section of people. Older people traditionally come. But we have children with their families.”

The church, located at 425 Crestview Drive, has about 600 families. Pastor Rizzo came to the church as an associate in January 2001 and became senior pastor in September 2003.