10 Mar 2024 Artists of the Month: First Pentecostal Church of North Little Rock

By Kelli Reep

For a decade, the congregants at First Pentecostal Church of North Little Rock have endeavored to tell the Easter story in such a compelling way as to attract visitors from all over the state and region. This year is no different, and Zack Ward, director of “I AM” and the Communications Director of the church, said the new twists are worth a first and repeat visit.

“Telling our neighbors about the love of Jesus Christ is our reason for doing this performance,” Ward said. “But we also think it’s great to celebrate Easter, to remember the life of Christ and his whole purpose of coming here to give his life for us. We can be forgiven.”

According to the church, “I AM 2024” is a dramatic portrayal seen primarily through the lens of the Gospel of John that depicts the life, passion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Great I Am. “I AM 2024” follows the biblical account so those in attendance can experience the greatest story ever told with an immersive digital experience, featuring a cast of more than 400, a 50-voice choir, live musicians, animals and special effects.

“I AM” is a great outreach to the community and provides a way for the community to come together, Ward said. The performance takes place every other year. 

“We have a wonderful time, you know,” he said. “You see people coming in, and they’re smiling during the performance, then there’s smiling again on their way out, so why not give your community a smile and tell them the story of Jesus at the same time? The wonderful thing about it is you may have seen it two years ago or five years ago, but it’s different this year than it was the last time you attended.”

What started as a small production has grown in scope and audience numbers each performance. This year, attendees can expect a completely new ending compared to prior productions, some new miracles and a new seating option. Ward said the genesis of the play happened when he and Nathan Holmes, pastor at First Pentecostal Church in North Little Rock, sat down and talked about their mutual desire to tell an Easter story through drama. They discussed the best way to tell this story “from the greatest-selling book in the world, the Bible,” Ward explained.

 “We didn’t think we could improve on that, so we went straight to the Book of John. We realized the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke told the story in a similar fashion, but John tells it in such a unique way. John is really concerned with the identity of Jesus, and he has multiple ‘I AM’ statements in his Gospel. Whatever changes we may do from year to year, the story is always told from John’s perspective.”

Ward and Holmes wrote most of the play together, and it has always been a completely in-house production. As they add new characters and bring in live animals and set pieces, the show is always evolving. “It’s not the same old thing,” Ward said. “There’s continuity, but it’s also something new to keep everybody excited.”

Ward, who works for the church full-time, said everyone at the church pitches in to make the Easter production a success. “I think that’s pretty standard for any church member to wear three or four or five hats,” he said. “It’s not unusual to see the same guy in the video suite also sit down and build the graphics. Another guy builds a set, then turns around to be one of the speaking characters. Pastor Holmes will preach on Sunday night, then direct the play in rehearsals. Everybody works, and it’s all volunteer.”

This year, the cast, which includes children as well as adults, numbers right at 500. “That doesn’t include the people supporting the production, like those working backstage, working in the costume house, preparing meals,” Ward said. “Coordinating so many people and moving parts can be challenging, but it really is interesting to do. The longer we do this performance, the more practice we get, the more seamless it all becomes. The people just know, ‘Hey, we’re supposed to be here at this point. We’ve got to get out of here from this point. We’re supposed to stay here.’ It really works.”

The goal of the performance is to tell about Jesus in a first-century community, and that community included families. Honoring this, First Pentecostal Church of North Little Rock includes entire families in its Easter production. The entire production–from cast, crew and support–is from the church.

“My little girl is 21 months old, and she’s obsessed with being in this play. There’s a song called ‘Hosanna’ in it, and she sings it around the house all the time. When the characters raise their hands, she raises hers. She told us last night the whole story about Jesus giving the blind man his vision,” Ward said. “So, there’s palpable excitement in every performance and in every practice among the children and the adults. We have everyone from newborns to those 77 years old and everyone in between. Everyone’s excited to be there.”

He said the attendance across the 10 shows has been about 15,000 people a year in the past. This year, they will open with 20,000 seats as they have expanded to add more seating.

“More seating is new this year in addition to more lights and better audiovisuals,” he said. “The Roman soldiers who walk outside among those waiting to get into the church will still be there. They seem to be everybody’s favorite characters besides Jesus.

“This Easter production is a massive undertaking, but it’s not the only thing that happens at First Pentecostal Church,” Ward continued. “We literally have events week in and week out, and we want the community to know the whole purpose is so we can reach out to them and say, ‘Hey, we’re here. We love you. We want you to be a part of us. Our church is vibrant, alive, growing, and it’s fun.’ Our pastor often says, ‘Welcome to the party.’ We’re having a great time, and we want people to come experience that.”

For the first time, VIP seating will be available for “I AM 2024.” The premier package comes with a designated parking spot, a backstage tour and the opportunity to meet the cast members.

This year’s schedule includes performances over two weekends, March 22-23 and March 27-31. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening performances begin at 7 p.m., Saturday matinees are at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and Easter Sunday’s show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are ^$10 for general seating, ^$20 for gold seating and ^$50 for premier seating. All seating is reserved, and everyone (including children) must have a ticket to enter. Parking is at a premium, so the church advises attendees to arrive early. Shuttles are available to transport attendees to and from parking.