In this article by David Steeves, read all about the exciting events that occurred during Christmas at Grace.

Christmas at Grace

By David Steeves

Christmas at Grace was a community open house that was held at Grace Memorial Baptist Church on December 17^th and 18^th from 4-8 pm each day. The idea for this event was first shared at our July church staff planning session after evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of past music and children/family programs that have been held in our church. From those discussions was born the idea of combining what worked best in the programs into one large event.

How do you start to plan for such an event? Prayer!! After initial brainstorming sessions with Debbie Hapeman and Kate Thompson, a number of people were asked to be on a planning committee and the event began to take shape. Several planning meetings were held throughout the fall months and many volunteers from the church were enlisted to help with this new endeavour. That was followed by more prayer as we entrusted the event to God’s hands and trusted him to accomplish his will for it.

Upon arriving at the church, the guests were greeted and given a program. There were four venues for people to visit. The Bethlehem Inn (Family Center) was beautifully decorated with silhouettes of the manger scene and white lights. Festive tables were placed throughout the room and delicious gingerbread cookies were served with apple cider, tea, coffee and punch. Our guests enjoyed these treats as they visited with others from the community. A display was set up in this area with Bibles of various languages for people to take if they wished.

The Stable was the centerpiece of the Bethlehem Square located in the gym. Live animals were a featured attraction for young and old alike. They added a realistic touch to the live drama that portrayed the story of Christ’s birth. The drama was written and directed by Kate Thompson and acted out by young adults from our church. Seeing the baby’s hands reaching up from the manger and the animals looking on was a touching moment as we think about how the Son of God entered our world in such humble surroundings. In this area, the junior church children gave an enthusiastic presentation of songs of praise. Three beautiful Christmas Crafts were offered for children to make.

A Festival of Trees adorned the Welcome Center. There was a Victorian Tree, Korean Tree, Chrismon Tree, Bird Tree, Angel Tree, Charlie Brown Tree, Mirror Tree and Cross Tree. Each of these magnificent trees offered a unique message and sparked much conversation among our visitors. Those who were dressed in traditional costumes added greatly to the experience. The centerpiece of the room was the stunning Poinsettia Tree, designed and built by Roger Crisp that held over 70 poinsettia plants in a tree shape which reached from floor to ceiling.

In the Sanctuary, four music concerts were offered at various times throughout the evening. The Junior Singers and Harding Smith Memorial Handbell Choir presented a lovely program of songs centered on the theme “Happy Birthday, Jesus”. The Celebration Orchestra, under the direction of Erma Hawkes, performed a lively set of carol arrangements. Selections from the cantata Kingdom Song were beautifully sung by the Senior Choir. The final concert of each evening was performed by Nathan Sergeant, piano and Jason Hwang, clarinet, two very talented young men from our congregation.

Thank-you to the many, many volunteers who made this open house such a success, we could not have done it without you! I am grateful to the Lord for the many that attended this Open House and have shared how much it meant to them personally.