People are flocking to a local church in England to experience Narnia.
Cornerstone Church in Nottingham transformed its auditorium into the magical world of Narnia. The church doors look like a wardrobe complete with a passageway of thick coats. Inside the church, the large space has been decorated with characters from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, character cardboard standees and even papier-mâché trees covered with paper snowflakes, reports Premier Christian News.
The world of Narnia is quite broken at the start, it’s quite bleak and that’s a bit like 2020, but then there’s joy and there’s hope because Aslan comes and he brings light and resurrection. —Kathryn Jackson, Cornerstone Church
Usually accommodating 600 worshippers, the church can only accept 100 people due to Covid-19 restrictions. Like other churches in the world, Cornerstone Church shifted to online services and decided to turn its space into the snowy forest from C.S. Lewis classic children’s novel.
Entering the doors of the wardrobe, visitors will be led to a series of stations representing the story of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Each station is an opportunity for visitors to reflect on how Lewis used Christian themes in the story of Narnia.
Kathryn Jackson, who works at Cornerstone Church, said, “The world of Narnia is quite broken at the start, it’s quite bleak and that’s a bit like 2020, but then there’s joy and there’s hope because Aslan comes and he brings light and resurrection. And we just really wanted to tell that story, to tell the biblical narrative – that there is joy and that is hope – in a creative and really Covid-secure way.”
Jackson added that with the health protocols, worshipping may be a challenge to some who are used to participating during church services. “We wanted to do something where children could come and have a quite a creative experience of worship,” she revealed.
She disclosed that with the church’s Narnia experience, people are able to invite others who don’t normally go to church. “The bookings have gone absolutely through the roof! We initially just extended the hours when we realized it had booked like crazy and then we had to put more days on.”
The church hopes that the exhibit will give visitors a chance to think about resurrection and hope especially during this time of pandemic.
“Even if you live somewhere where unfortunately there are Tier 4 restrictions, or your Christmas plans have just been thrown into disarray, there is eternal hope and a glorious future awaits and I think that feels quite tangible when you’re in there,” said Jackson.
