On Sunday, June 23, the Northview Christian Church of Coldwater, Mich., held a dedication ceremony for their newly constructed empty tomb on a hill. The empty tomb accompanies the previously erected gazebo, bridge, three crosses, and outdoor amphitheater that are located on the church’s property.
Over two decades ago, the church added 21 acres to the 5 acres they already owned. At that time, according to Jeffrey Bream, the congregation’s minister since 2002, people began to ask how the new property would be used. “We had no grand plan for the property,” Bream recalled, “but what developed took on a life of its own.”
With a desire “to use what God had given us and make it available to the community for quiet times with God,” the church initially began with a simple prayer walk. In the two decades that followed, Bream recounts, “God provided the people and the resources” for the congregation of roughly one-hundred members to expand their vision for the property. A gazebo was erected “to remind us of the manger in Bethlehem,” Bream said, and a “bridge to remind us of the life of Christ.” Three crosses were also set up, according to Bream. “The center cross reminds us of Jesus’ crucifixion,” he explained, while “the left and right crosses represent all sinners—those who refuse to accept Jesus as the Christ and those who gratefully accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.”
The prayer-walk site has been effectively used by the church for their annual live nativity scene and for numerous concerts. A “natural bowl” on the property, Bream explains, has been utilized as an amphitheater where over a thousand people can easily assemble in lawn chairs and on blankets. The church has used the amphitheater to host several summer concerts over the years to raise support for pro-life causes.
Nearly two years ago, Bream said, plans for constructing an empty tomb began to take shape. When a severe storm knocked down several trees on the property, revealing a viable location that is clearly visible from the nearby road, the church’s members envisioned the area as the site for an empty tomb. “The empty tomb,” Bream said, “represents the grave where Jesus’ dead body was laid to rest, and just as Jesus promised, on the third day, God raised Jesus back to life.”
Joining the dedication ceremony for the empty tomb were area ministers Jim Erwin of Bethel Gilead Community Church, Rob Lewis of Coldwater Church of the Nazarene, Dan Erwin of First Baptist Church of Coldwater, and Harold Jewell of the Oasis of Love Family Church. Each spoke about the importance of the empty tomb and how it stands as a reminder that Jesus has truly risen from the dead and invites all to come to him in repentance. Christian music artist and Indiana native Billy Ballenger also participated in the dedication ceremony, where three attendees responded to the invitation and were baptized into Christ.
In addition to serving as a place of prayer and meditation for the larger Christian community, Bream notes that the prayer walk provides an open door for both sharing and illustrating the gospel message. “We frequently have people stopping by the empty tomb to simply look inside,” Bream said, “but there’s really nothing there except a flag that says, ‘He is not here, he has risen.’” Bream recounts how he has seen grandparents bring their grandkids to the tomb, how a group of construction workers noticed it from the roadway and stopped to look inside, and how he had a chance to share the gospel with a visitor who came to the site to walk his dog. One of the prayer-walk visitors recently told Bream, “I have always found this to be a place of peace.”
Future plans for the prayer walk include the addition of signage to provide information to those visiting the site and an audio broadcast that can be accessed on cell phones and car radios at any time of the day or night with an explanation of the gospel and how each aspect of the prayer walk relates to the life of Christ.
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