“To actually be in Palmyra, visit the Sacred Grove, walk on the Hill Cumorah — it almost seemed a dream,” Elder Christofferson, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, remembered during the Hill Cumorah Pageant Commemorative Devotional broadcast on July 9, 2021
Around 60 years ago as a teenager, Elder Christofferson heard about something called “the spirit of Pageant” from a pair of young women in his ward in New Jersey.
Although young Todd had no clue what they were talking about, the Daines sisters enthusiastically told him about the Hill Cumorah Pageant, and Todd and his brother Greg were accepted to be in the cast for the 1962 performances!
Elder Christofferson spoke about the “powerful, moving” musical score as well as the Spirit-filled devotionals, testimony meetings, study groups and rehearsals. Mingling with multiple attendees at the pageant became a highpoint as he tried to share a bit about the gospel or his testimony.
“That experience, and a second opportunity the next year, burned into my heart and memory what Marilyn and Anna Vee Daines called ‘the spirit of Pageant,’” —Elder Christofferson
In his speech before the broadcast of the 2019 production, Elder Christofferson spoke about the faith-building experiences provided by the pageant and expressed gratitude to all of those who contributed to the pageant in its 84-year run.
WHY DID IT END?
With all the support and volunteers for the Hill Cumorah, many people might ask why end it all?
The First Presidency declared that in an increasingly worldwide Church, they could not justify the cost of current and future maintenance, security, as well as safety upgrades. The pageant quickly turns into a cost of several millions of dollars when only a few handful of members and visitors would benefit from the experience.
“Times are changing; the world is changing, and quite rapidly. The future is challenging but glorious,” Elder Christofferson said.
You can for two weeks see the last patent on the churches website: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts?lang=eng&video=16202426866090455634&mode=watch&ab=V02
After these two weeks, you will be able to view the 2019 pageant in the Gospel Media section of the churches website. However, the Hill Cumorah Devotional will unfortunately no longer be available for viewing.
The last pageant featured its largest cast ever with 770 participants, whose ages ranged from 6 months to 82 years old, filling 1,200 roles. The cast, 150-person staff and crew volunteered an estimated 230,000 hours! – http://Lds.org/
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