A Walk with Christ — Stake Easter Event Planning Guide

Executive Summary

Our primary goal with this event is to invite our members and community friends to come closer to Jesus Christ.

This guide provides a complete 12-month plan to organize "A Walk with Christ," an immersive Easter walk-through event inspired by a successful California stake event that drew over 2,700 visitors across two nights in 2025.

The experience transforms a church building into scenes from the last week of Jesus Christ's life, guiding visitors through eight rooms from the Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem to the Resurrection.

The primary goal is community outreach: inviting friends, neighbors, and community members to experience the story of Easter in a powerful, personal way. The event is designed to be welcoming, nondenominational in tone, and deeply Christ-centered.

2027 Goals

400+

Visitors

200+

Community Friends

Immersive Rooms

Months to Prepare

12-Month Planning Timeline

Month-by-month milestones designed to avoid last-minute scrambles while keeping momentum steady.

March 2026

Vision & Approvals

Present concept to stake presidency for approval. Identify event chair and co-chair. Walk through the building and map rooms to scenes. Set preliminary budget.

April 2026

Core Committee

Recruit committee leads: Set Design, Music/Narration, Costumes, Promotion/Outreach, Logistics, Youth Coordination, and Hospitality. Hold kickoff meeting.

May 2026

Creative Planning

Finalize scene list and room assignments. Begin script/narration drafts for each room. Research materials and cost estimates. Identify music selections.

June 2026

Design & Budgeting

Two team captains assigned per room begin design concepts. Finalize budget and identify funding sources. Begin sourcing props, fabrics, and building materials.

Jul–Aug 2026

Build & Create

Construction of major set pieces begins (tomb, Christus backdrop, marketplace stalls). Costume sourcing and fitting. Narration scripts finalized and recorded if using audio.

September 2026

Promotion Prep

Launch event website or landing page. Create social media accounts and content calendar. Design banners, flyers, and yard signs. Reach out to community organizations.

October 2026

Partnerships

Contact local churches, schools, and civic groups for cross-promotion. Pitch story to local newspapers and community calendars. Begin posting teaser content on social media.

November 2026

Rehearsals Begin

Youth tour guide recruitment and training. Actor rehearsals for speaking roles (Pilate, Mary Magdalene, etc.). Walk-through of scene transitions and timing.

December 2026

Refinement

Full dress rehearsal with all rooms partially staged. Test lighting (battery-operated lamps, candles). Refine timing for group flow (12–20 per group, ~3 min per room).

January 2027

Promotion Blitz

Ramp up social media posting. Distribute flyers to neighborhoods, libraries, and businesses. Members begin personally inviting friends and neighbors. Media outreach push.

February 2027

Final Prep

Complete all set builds and install in rooms. Final dress rehearsals with full staging. Confirm volunteer schedule for both nights. Print programs or handout cards.

March 2027

Final Promotion Push & Event Week

Final staging and walk-through Monday–Wednesday. Event nights Thursday and Friday (or Fri/Sat). Capture photos and video for future use. Debrief and celebrate with volunteers.

Committee Structure

A clear committee structure distributes the workload and keeps the event on track. Assign two team captains to each room, reporting to the Set Design Lead.

Event Chair + Co-Chair

Overall vision, coordination, and stake leadership liaison.

Stake presidency appoints; start March 2026

Set Design Lead

Oversee room transformation; manage 2 captains per room.

Recruit members with theater, carpentry, or art background

Music & Narration Lead

Select music, write/record narration scripts, manage AV.

Coordinate with local musicians; pre-record narration as backup

Costume Coordinator

Source and fit biblical costumes for actors and youth guides.

Check stake/ward drama closets; budget for fabric and rentals

Promotion & Outreach Lead

All external marketing, social media, and media relations.

Communications council members; start social media by September

Youth Coordination Lead

Recruit, train, and schedule youth tour guides and actors.

Partner with Young Men/Young Women presidencies

Logistics & Safety Lead

Parking, crowd flow, line management, first aid, building care.

Critical for managing 1,000+ visitors across two nights

Hospitality Lead

Greeting, refreshments, follow-up cards, visitor experience.

Warm welcome area at entrance and exit; comment cards for guests

Recommended cadence: Monthly committee-wide meetings March–December, biweekly in January, weekly in February and March.

The Eight Rooms

Each room should be transformed so completely that visitors cannot tell they are in a church classroom. Use only battery-operated lamplight and candlelight, and keep each scene to approximately three minutes.

Click images for full screen view

Triumphant Entry

Marketplace with palm leaves, youth welcoming visitors, Bible video clip of Christ's entry into Jerusalem.

Burlap Wooden crates Baskets Fruit props Palm branches

The Last Supper

Long table with Apostles silently re-enacting the sacrament; Judas revealed through narration.

Long table Goblets Bread Robes (13 actors)

Garden of Gethsemane

Contemplative space with tree, rock, chairs for sitting; narration only, no actors.

Artificial tree Large rock / foam sculpt Greenery Dim lighting

Pontius Pilate's Court

Pilate acts out the judgment scene; youth planted as crowd shouting for Barabbas.

Throne / chair Roman costume Basin for hand-washing

The Crucifixion

Roman soldier beside scripture display, crown of thorns, whip; scripture narration.

Scripture display backdrop Crown of thorns Roman armor

Body Preparation

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus explain preparation; oil diffuser for immersive scent.

Linen cloths Oil diffuser Frankincense / myrrh Table

The Tomb

Life-size tomb with rolled-away boulder (foam/plaster); Mary Magdalene testifies He lives.

Foam / plaster boulder Flagstone bed Folded linens

The Resurrection

Images of Christ, life-size statue at front; youth guides may share testimonies.

Christ statue / large image Flowers Warm lighting

Between the Rooms

Consider adding small connecting scenes in hallways: a Roman soldier standing guard, a merchant selling wares, or ambient sounds of a bustling city. An oil diffuser with frankincense or myrrh in the body preparation room was specifically called out as a memorable sensory detail.

Community Outreach & Promotion

Your main goal is to draw community members who are not part of your church. Think like a community event organizer, not just a church activity planner.

Lead with the Experience

All external-facing materials should emphasize the event itself: "A Walk with Christ — A Free Immersive Easter Experience." This meets people where they are and removes barriers to attendance.

Personal Invitations Are Everything

Give every member a stack of professionally printed invite cards. Encourage families to invite neighbors, coworkers, and school friends. Set a stake-wide goal: every family invites at least 3 non-member households.

Partner with Other Churches

Reach out to local pastors and congregations of other faiths. Frame the event as a community Easter celebration. Many churches will appreciate the invitation and promote it to their members.

Leverage Local Media

Community newspapers, local radio stations, and neighborhood blogs are often hungry for positive stories. Send a press release in January and invite a reporter for a preview visit.

Social Media Strategy

Start accounts early (September) and post consistently. Behind-the-scenes content performs best: time-lapse videos, volunteer spotlights, costume fittings, and sneak peeks. Use local hashtags and geo-tags.

Physical Signage

Banners on the church building, yard signs in member homes along main roads, and flyers in community spaces. Get these up 4–6 weeks before the event for passive visibility that compounds over time.

Budget Estimates

Actual costs can be significantly reduced through member donations of materials, volunteer labor, and creative problem-solving.

Category	Est. Cost	Notes
Set construction materials	$1,500	Tomb and Christus backdrop are the biggest builds. Recruit members with construction skills.
Lighting (LED candles, string lights)	$500	Dollar stores and bulk online orders. Avoid real flames per safety policy.
Costumes & fabrics	$500	Check existing ward drama supplies. Thrift stores and fabric remnants.
Props & décor	$500	Baskets, goblets, greenery, palm branches. Many items can be borrowed.
Scent & atmosphere	$60	One or two diffusers with frankincense/myrrh for the body preparation room.
Printing (flyers, banners, cards)	$350	Banners are the biggest print cost. Yard signs and invite cards are high-impact.
Social media advertising	$150	Geo-targeted Facebook/Instagram ads for your ZIP code area.
Website hosting	$0	Free options like Google Sites work well. A simple one-page site is enough.
Refreshments / hospitality	$200	Light refreshments at exit. Can also be potluck-donated by members.
Contingency (10–15%)	$400	Always plan for unexpected needs.
Estimated Total	$4,160

Event Night Logistics

With 500+ visitors possible each night, logistics planning is critical for a positive experience.

Crowd Flow & Timing

Groups of 12–20 visitors guided through 8 rooms, ~3 minutes per room. Full tour takes 30–40 minutes. Stagger departures every 4–5 minutes for roughly 200–300 people per hour.

For two nights with 3–4 hours of operation each, capacity is approximately 1,200–2,400 visitors total. If demand exceeds this, consider adding a third night.

Line Management

Set up an outdoor waiting area with clear signage, rope or stanchion lines, and volunteers to greet visitors. Provide chairs for elderly visitors and families with young children. A welcome video or music playing in the waiting area reduces perceived wait time.

Parking

Coordinate with nearby businesses or churches for overflow parking. Consider volunteer shuttle drivers or clearly marked walking paths. Place directional signs at nearby intersections.

Volunteer Needs

Estimate 80–120 volunteers per night:

16+ room captains and actors across 8 rooms
8–12 youth tour guides rotating in shifts
6–8 line management and outdoor greeters
4–6 parking attendants
4–6 hospitality/refreshment volunteers
2–4 photographers and social media documenters
2–3 first aid and building safety monitors

Follow-Up

Place comment cards or a QR code at the exit for visitors to share their experience and contact information. Have a hospitality table with light refreshments. Within one week, reach out personally to any visitors who expressed interest in learning more.

Final Thoughts

The key ingredients are not expensive sets or professional production — they are the sincerity of the volunteers, the power of the story being told, and the Spirit that fills the building. Start with a clear vision, delegate generously, and keep the focus on Jesus Christ.