European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 02, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse Agazine stent from heaven bound a pageant performed annually Jince 1930 at the Bethel african methodist episcopal Church in Allan religious pageant celebrates Black tradition by William new York times f rom the Back of the Church Cornea la Wayvard woman in a Green ,.dripping cheap Jewery. A bottle of whiskey sin one hand a cigarette dangles from theother. As a celestial choir sings she weaves up the aisle. Bound or the altar of he Bethel african methodist episcopal Church where St. Peter stands waiting. Ranked by Angels guarding the Pearly Gates. But the audience knows As they have every year since the religious pageant heaven bound was first performed in Atlanta ga., in 1930, that she is not going to make it. Satan himself is tight beside her grinning and whirling in his red Satin Cape waiting to take her straight to hell. Every year hundreds of Afla tans crowd Bethel to watch the annual presentations of heaven bound a Celebration of Black spirituals biblical Virtues and Folk tradition performed by members of the Church. Gregory Coteman a lawyer who is producing this year s pageant estimates that Over the last 55 years More than a million people have seen the pageant which marked its 774th and 775lh performances in mid november. Over the years it has become one of Atlanta s most enduring traditions drawing not Only Blacks from the City and nearby Rural communities but Whites As Well. This was Irue even when racial segregation was at its height Here. John h. Calhoun a former Atlanta City councilman who has been a member o Bethel for 51 years recalls How Whites were seated in the higher priced reserved seats in the pews at the front the Church the pageant is in important Pirt of Hoblack tradition because of captures the Art form in Mir in and in Mckoley Young the pastor o Trie congregation. It taker the no Togo Pilgrim s Progress and tells it in a y Trie Rev Ioil theme of Wayt a i j a of a i -. I. R i ,. i a f i he l u Al t. I .k-1. Fly \ i 1 in to Trune tic i to i i tvs to a Dov a in n to c h. Tent t amount a him ,5 he cd
