In 1991 at the age of 16, Michael Walters was struggling. Did God want him to go into the ministry?
In the midst of trying to figure out what God had for him, Walters went with some friends to a Judgment House at Shiloh Church, Somerville. As he participated in the walk-through gospel presentation concerning the truth of people’s choices versus the earthly and eternal consequences, he thought, “Man, it would be awesome to be involved with something like that,” Walters said.
Changing lives
Now, 25 years later, Walters is the associate pastor at Shiloh and has been one of the directors of Judgment House, now called The Judgment Seat, for the past nine years.
“God’s got a funny sense of humor,” he said. “As a 16-year-old it was a joy to come experience [the event] and see the way it changed lives and it touched my life as well. … Now it has been my joy to lead this production.”
In the past 24 years of its production, nearly 45,000 people have experienced The Judgment Seat — which was recently revamped to be a multistage production for which the participant remains seated — and more than 2,100 have made professions of faith.
“The thing that impacts me more than anything is when I am walking around the community and … people will stop me and say [The Judgment Seat] changed their life. That’s the cool thing,” Walters said.
And while it’s an outreach ministry, it also has been a unifying force within the church.
“It really brings the church together because it takes a vast majority of the church to make it work,” Walters said, noting that about 165 volunteers are helping with the production this year.
In its 25th year, The Judgment Seat will be Oct. 24–27 and have two shows at 6:15 and 8:15 nightly.
This year’s production will address how God expects His followers to be real, not perfect. After all, “we’re all broken individuals,” Walters said.
Registration is not required but it is recommended for large groups.
For more information, visit www.thejudgmentseat.net. (Maggie Walsh)
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