Young Life Reenacts Last Supper
Young Life, a non-profit Christian ministry to youth, will celebrate Holy Thursday, Jesus and his disciples gathered for The Last Supper by reenacting the scene in a play.
Teens from Young Life McAlester will re-enact The Last Supper but will do it differently than most people would think. During The Last Supper as described in the Bible, all 12 disciples were present while Jesus invited the disciples to eat the bread and wine laid before them. However, in the Young Life play, which will be viewed by committee members and donors, the scene only includes 11 disciples.
"The scene is that the disciples are holding the supper in heaven," said Jane Ann Auld, who is a co-chair of the Young Life Committee, along with her husband, Larry. "They're all there, minus Judas."
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Just like the breaking of the bread and pouring of the wine was spiritually symbolic of Jesus’ sacrifice for the disciples, the actors in the play will also have a traditional meal where they explain the symbolism of each item on the menu, according to Auld.
The re-enactment will be Thursday night, 7:30 p.m., at Auld's home, 608 Nelson Lane.
Meeting on occasions such as Holy Thursday is only one of the few activities the donation-supported organization engages in. Young Life also holds meetings every week where teens can listen to Bible study or worship together.
"They have a band, sing secular songs and a few praise and worship songs, then had about 10 minutes of a message," Auld said. The ministry also holds a second meeting during the week where teens can develop further in their faith through more in-depth Bible studies and discussion about Christ.
"There's a great need for this kind of organization in McAlester," said McAlester Director Matt Bates.
According to Bates, Young Life, founded in 1941, was started in McAlester in the 1990s. The non-denominational group serves to provide a positive example for kids. Through activities sponsored by the organization, Young Life members are able to establish good relationships with the children and reach out to non-Christian teens.
"It's really designed to reach out to the non-churched kids," Auld said. "We have a lot of kids that go to church, but we also have a lot who don't."
Kids as young as seventh and eighth graders can also join participate in programs the organizations offers through WyldLife, designed for students in seventh and eighth grades.
Even though the member don’t directly proselytize to the children, over time opportunities to share about their faith do present themselves and make Young Life an organization that is a true positive role model to the teens.
"If we get the chance to talk to them about Jesus, it's great," said Bates.
