Every member a missionary," was the objective - stated during the April 1959 general conference - that President David O. McKay implored all Latter-day Saints to embrace as part of their life-long gospel responsibilities.

And Church pageants provide a way for many Church members to be involved in missionary work, explained A. Jay Blair, manager of pageants for the Church's Missionary Department."One of the most joyful means of performing missionary work is by sharing the delightful experiences of an LDS pageant with someone who is desirous of knowing more about the gospel," he said.

Brother Blair observed that 1992 promises to be a good year for pageant-supported missionary efforts.

The Oakland, Calif., pageant, "And It Came to Pass," has been described by director Ed Wakefield as "a major faith-promoting missionary activity." He said that among the nine LDS pageants to be performed in 1992, the Oakland Pageant is unique in that it is only produced every third year. (Please see accompanying story on page 11.) It was first presented in 1964 to commemorate the dedication of the Oakland Temple.

Held in the Interstake Center on the grounds of the Oakland Temple, "And It Came to Pass" is the only LDS pageant conducted indoors. Producer Clair Joseph Wright said the pageant also holds the distinction of being the only Church pageant featuring a live orchestra - Oakland Temple Pageant orchestra - to provide musical accompaniment to the on-stage performance. And nearly all the lyrics and musical numbers used during the approximately two-hour song and dance extravaganza is written and performed by local artists, he added.

In addition, he related the cast is backed up by two 500-voice balcony choruses - performing on alternate weeks - which closes the pageant by singing, "The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning."

California Oakland Mission Pres. Robert A. Madsen surmised that the story of the Savior and the "Mormon Miracle" is never more reverently told than it is by the interpretive songs and dances performed by the members of the pageant cast.

"For the less-active and non-members," he continued, "LDS pageants are the ideal activity for kindling the gospel spirit."

Such was the case in 1965 for Robert Haws, a non-LDS student at California State University at San Jose, located 36 miles south of Oakland. The young man was asked by his university dance instructor, herself a Mormon, to fill in for a pageant dancer who had become ill. He accepted the invitation.

In a voice tinged with remorse, Brother Haws recounted how as a prideful non-member, he fended off attempts by pageant cast members to share the gospel with him.

So articulate was his rebuttal of LDS doctrine that even he was taken by surprise when he felt tears flowing down his cheeks during the re-enactment of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith. He related how at first, unconvinced of his spiritual promptings, he made a point to watch the dramatization of the prophet's death a second and a third time. Each occasion produced the same contrite and tearful response. It was at this point that the young man - who just a few weeks before had disavowed the Mormon Miracle - decided to inquire about the gospel.

He later was baptized and served a mission to Argentina. He subsequently graduated from BYU and went on to receive a law degree from the University of Utah. Today, he and his wife, Hawley, who served a mission to France, live in San Jose, Calif., along with their 14 children, and continue to be supporters of pageant activities.

For people like Brother Haws, the pageant is a incomparable vessel for gospel enlightenment, said John Cutt, president of the Concord California Stake, this year's host for the 20 San Francisco Bay area stakes involved in the production.

Pres. Cutt, who has been a cast member for the last five productions, observed, "The pageant presents gospel doctrines in a fullness of joyful reverence that enlivens the spirit of even the least spiritually active individual."