They will walk with Christ into the Garden of Gethsemane and observe his pain. They will also find themselves part of the crowd who mocks Jesus as he is taken before Pilate, forced to carry the cross and crucified. As SonRise visitors follow Jesus and his disciples from one Biblical scene after another on the campus and church grounds, the program changes Christians and non-Christians alike, said Heather Hilliard, a Southern alumnus who first came up with the idea. She works in Orlando, Fla., as an attorney and spoke with fish recently about SonRise. To me it s the greatest mission outreach you can do, Hilliard said.
Easter crosses all Christian religions.
Everyone can relate to the resurrection of Christ. The resurrection, in fact, is the one place observers do sit. The grand finale to SonRise takes place in the college s darkened gym, where special effects, dramatic lighting and music send chills down the spine of everyone in the room. Though she is the director of SonRise and has witnessed that final scene many times, Ingrid Skantz still finds herself shaking from the experience. The resurrection is her favorite part of the program.