Faith Leaders Unite at Mesa Easter Pageant

One of the fruits of the Mesa Easter pageant is that it helps answer the prayer of Jesus two millennia ago that His followers “may be one.”

This spirit of unity was palpable on a warm Wednesday evening of April 9, 2025, near the Mesa Arizona Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, some 100 leaders of various faith traditions mingled before joining nearly 10,000 others to watch this year’s production about the life of Jesus Christ.

Downloadable B-roll and SOTs

Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares of the Diocese of Phoenix said the interfaith reception was a vision of heaven.

“I met brothers and sisters from so many different faith communities,” said Bishop Nevares, who offered the pageant’s opening prayer. “I just thought, ‘This is heaven.’ There will be no divisions in heaven. In heaven, we will all be united in Jesus Christ as brother and sister.”

Adding to this sentiment of unity, Reverend Gerald Richard, president of the Arizona Faith Network, said, “At this time in our country, it’s extremely important [to gather like this] because we have to realize that we are one — one under God, not only as far as our nation is concerned, but under God. And no matter what your background may be, this event tonight touched lives.”

Pastor John Stanton of Camelback Seventh-day Adventist Church in Phoenix, who attended Wednesday for the first time, emphasized the shared purpose among followers of Christ.

“I think we all have the same goal to share Christ with the world, that people would accept him as their Savior and prepare for His return,” he said. “It’s nice to see how others in their expressions of faith are doing the same thing. We all have different nuances and different beliefs within Christianity, but the goal is the same. We want people to be in heaven with Christ forever.”

The Rev. Dr. Toni Hawkins, minister in the Southwest Conference United Church of Christ, who was attending the pageant for the second time, shared her powerful experience.

“I was awestruck when I first came here,” the Rev. Hawkins said. “It was my very first time here in Arizona, so I’d never experienced anything like this. And I heard how wonderful it was — but it was beyond whatever I could have imagined. It was just awesome. The storytelling, the scriptures coming alive. It was just powerful. And I would encourage anyone who has not experienced this to definitely come.”

In addition to Wednesday’s gathering of interfaith leaders, the pageant is hosting other groups on other nights. These include leaders from the Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American communities.

The pageant goes through April 19 (except Sunday and Monday). This Easter production is one of many ways the Church of Jesus Christ is celebrating the “greater love” of the Savior of the world.

Visit MesaEasterPageant.org for more information.

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