Rodney Potts’ original play, “The Cross” will be presented on Good Friday, April 18 at 7 p.m., at Atherton Baptist Church in Hawthorne. Potts, who has served as the church’s minister of music for 19 years, hopes the audience will receive the play’s message of “the focus on resurrection versus Easter.”
“The world celebrates Easter [with] traditions [such as] the Easter Bunny, Easter parades, Easter baskets,” he says. “To look at this from a Christian versus secular perspective… the real story is centered around Christ and what His sacrifice was, to redeem man back to God. We draw that dichotomy in the show to [illustrate] that this is … what we should be commemorating.”
Potts wrote “The Cross” in 2010 and has presented it several times at Atherton, as well as his other two plays, “Revelation” and “Genesis,” with cast members drawn from his fellow parishioners. He says that this year’s production of “The Cross” will be enhanced by the church’s new technology, including a digital wall for incorporating filmic elements with the drama onstage, and three new monitors – two in the sanctuary and one in the foyer – so that the congregation can view the stage easily from any seat.
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“Our church is continuing to grow … so this was a perfect opportunity to expose new members of the church [and] anyone else that was interested in coming, to experience the show,” says Potts. “There are [parts] of the show that used to be done live, but … incorporating film … gives added depth. I’ve revamped a lot of the themes, so people that have seen it before won’t feel like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s the same show.’
“I’m always looking to improve the production value and just … up my game. My ultimate goal is for people that come to anything I’m writing [or] producing, to leave and say, ‘We could have seen that at the Pantages.’”
Potts, who also serves as Atherton’s musical director, oversees its praise team and a paid staff of musicians, singers, and choir directors. He notes that since COVID, participation in the music ministry has fallen at Atherton and at churches across the city,
“Prior to COVID, we had five choirs and four directors,” says Potts. “It’s [happening at] a lot of different churches, as I communicate with other musicians and ministers of music. They’re all saying the same thing: it’s just difficult to get people back to the level of engagement that they were prior to COVID. Before, you might have a different choir every Sunday and now, in most Black churches, it’s a praise team and … a choir that sings one, maybe two Sundays a month.”
Despite the downward trend in its musical participation, Potts takes heart at Atherton’s growth.
“We’re pretty blessed in that the church is being added to, pretty much every week,” he says. “There is anywhere from one to … seven people that join the church per week.”
Potts, who was hired in 2006 by Pastor Larry D. Weaver, says that although he had two job interviews that day, he knew that he wanted to share his talents at Atherton Baptist Church.
“One of the things that [Pastor Weaver] said was that they do a lot of things for family,” recalls Potts. “They had family movie nights and that kind of thing. That was something that I appreciated because I was looking for something that was more than being associated with a church for pay.
“My wife is a “PK” – a preacher’s kid; her father was the pastor of the church that I was playing for. We met and ended up marrying, and then I had the opportunity to play at other churches. As a result of my coming to this church … we transferred our membership and we’ve been here ever since.”
Along with Potts’ music ministry, Atherton has a praise dance group and a drama ministry that presents Sunday morning skits that he says are “very impactful.” He says that being able to lend one’s talents at church should be complemented by faith.
“Having first, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, is the most important thing,” says Potts. “Secondly, having a sound doctrinal, theological understanding of the Word and using the talents you have and that platform to continue to grow, is where all those things intersect. Then you try to give your best… because what you’re offering up is to God.”
The April 18 performance of “The Cross” is currently sold out. However, overflow seats will be made available on the night of the performance. For pricing on overflow seats and for more information, call 323-757-3113, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or email welcome@athertonbc.org.
