Members of Lawndale Baptist Church in Greensboro want to make Christmas look a little different this year. They hope to give it away by giving to someone else in need, instead of emphasizing the presents on their wish lists. Lawndale’s annual Greensboro Christmas Spectacular Dec. 12-13 will feature a 100-voice choir, 75-voice children’s choir, full orchestra and a 100-member cast, including about 60 students.
Contributed photo Lawndale Baptist Church performs a production that highlights favorite songs as well as points to the gospel. |
Another 150 people work behind the scenes in construction, technology operation and costume design. Terry Adams, associate pastor of worship and music at Lawndale, said while the music ministry plans the event, the entire church works together to reach the community through it.
Three acts make up the Christmas production. The first is a collection of favorite holiday songs; the second is an original drama written by Lawndale staff; the last is a nativity presentation, complete with live animals and costumes from biblical times.
This year’s drama is titled “Give This Christmas Away” and is based on the true story of Edna Olgan. When she was a child in the 1940s, Olgan’s mother taught her family how to “give Christmas away.” They earned and saved money to contribute to a special offering designated to a family in need. They ended up giving more than any other family did, only to discover that they were actually the recipients of the offering. Adams’ wife personally contacted Olgan and wrote the script for the drama. The story is a “wonderful challenge to each of us to give Christmas away to someone in need,” Adams said.
In the spirit of generosity, volunteers from the church distributed vouchers for free tickets to a thousand families on Nov. 24 as part of Lawndale’s Feeding the 5,000 outreach event. The event is not funded by the church budget; rather, members donate food and money to provide 1,000 families a box full of all the necessities of a Thanksgiving dinner. Volunteers distributed 1,000 bags of groceries in addition to the dinner boxes. Families can return the accompanying voucher to receive free admission to the Greensboro Christmas Spectacular. Adams said offering the vouchers makes the Christmas Spectacular available to those who may not otherwise have an opportunity to attend.
Some Lawndale members purchased tickets in bulk and gave them away to encourage people to see the performance. Adams has seen people reserve rows of seats and bring friends.
“The membership really embraces the event because the gospel is presented in a beautiful way,” he said.
Lawndale’s senior pastor, Joe Giaritelli, delivers a brief message after each production and offers an invitation for people to give their lives to Christ. Adams said many of the approximately 5,000 visitors respond positively to the event every year.
Performances are scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 13 at 4 p.m. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit lawndalebaptist.org. General seating is $5, and reserved seating is $10.