wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

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Note #8019 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

Beginning to look a lot like Christmas
03502
November 20, 2003

Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Tonight's the night for Salem church's Christmas TV taping

by Elmer "Bud Frimoth
and Hal Fischer

SALEM, OR - "Ok, so you've got over a thousand members and there's only room
for 350 for the video taping of the service. How did you make the decision of
who could come?" we asked Pastor Rob Elder of First Presbyterian Church here.

"We offered to do a lottery type drawing among our members early this fall -
only immediate family members were to be involved" he replied.	"What we
discovered was that many people were a little shy about wanting to be the
ones 'chosen.'

"Since we are a diverse congregation, it became rather easy to find the ones
interested to share in this special service - just over a month before
Christmas Eve itself."

CBS-TV will air the program on Christmas Eve, but how do some of the folk in
the congregation feel about being a part of it.

"In late summer we knew that we were the church chosen from many other
congregations around the country who were also willing to be a part of this
venture.  Right away in August, committees were organized to handle such
things as 'decorating the church' - no easy task because we have two large
trees with hand-tied ornaments - the total music program and
selections...even the task of providing meals for the crew producing the
program," Elder continued.

"All of our committee people were excited and have been going out of their
way to make sure the	  experience is a great one - not just for our
congregation, but that it might let the nation know a little more about us as
a denomination."

How did it change what will normally happen at Advent and Christmas ?

"Normally we have a very full season of special events and especially on
Christmas Eve" Elder noted.  "From the Session, Deacons and others they all
said, let's stick to our four regularly scheduled Christmas Eve services --
but not have the choir have a special musical program. They've had to work
really hard getting ready musically for Christmas in November.

"Since all of our choir members are volunteers we didn't want to lay even
more work upon them. For the television service we'll also have our youth and
children choirs along with the bell choir for music. We've broadened it out
to the community by having three choirs from Willamette University as well.
There'll be over 42 minutes of music out of the hour program, so there's a
lot to do."

How will you share your congregation's diversity in this service of worship ?

"We have men and women members of different ages from Laos, the Philippines,
Central America and African Americans who will be taking part with readings
or participating musically as well," Elder said.

The congregation had to "clear the deck" of all other activities for this
week in order to make the service happen.  Last year the CBS service reached
more than 2 million viewers - even at the midnight hour."

Elder said the church "wanted to make sure that we represented all of the
Presbyterian churches, not just First Church, Salem, Oregon. Here are
Presbyterians at worship to give glory to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our
Savior."

It seems quite appropriate that the church is in Salem (Shalom, Salaam,
Peace) and sits across from the Oregon state capitol building. What a great
place for the witness to Christmas' true meaning - the proclamation of the
coming to this blue mud-ball in space of the Prince of Peace.

Bud Frimoth is an audio-visual producer and professional clown in Portland.
Hal Fischer is a retired journalist and journalism professor living in Salem.
Both are Presbyterians.

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