Two 30-foot Christmas trees hold the choir during the Living Christmas Trees concert.In 1974, then-Pastor Jim Custer invited recent Grace College graduate Randy Kettering to become the Worship and Music Director for the growing Grace Brethren Church of Columbus, Ohio. At that time, Pastor Jim proposed three goals for the church’s ongoing
ministries: reach as many people as possible with the gospel of Jesus Christ, involve as many people as possible in that mission, and strive to do everything with excellence because we serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
With those goals in mind, in 1986 the north Columbus congregation set out to tell the story of Jesus through a clear, memorable, live experience featuring music, drama, media, as well as any other creative element that could be employed. They built two towering, 30-foot tall, steel “Christmas trees” to hold the choir, constructed huge sets to transform the auditorium into biblical-times Bethlehem, and appealed to the congregation’s giftedness to help make Living Christmas Trees a reality.
They’ve taken the production from their own facilities in the suburbs to downtown venues and back. The productions have featured a variety of animals (from camels, donkeys, and sheep to horses, birds, and boa constrictors) along with angels that come to life as Christ’s birth is announced. Each year a new script tells the neverchanging story of why Jesus came as a babe in the manger – moving through His life from birth to death on the cross for the sins of the world.
Each year 600 to 800 volunteers spend more than a combined 20,000 hours to write new scripts and music; build and paint sets; coordinate and feed volunteers; learn lines, lyrics, and notes; decorate facilities; organize props and people; direct traffi c; and pray for the hearts of both those witnessing and those participating in the concerts. More than half a million people from around the Midwest and across the country have attended the event.
In 2011 the church, now known as Grace Polaris (Mike Yoder, lead pastor), celebrates 25 years of helping to make the story of Christ’s birth, life, and ultimate sacrifice more real to those who attend.
In this 25th anniversary season, the storyline introduces Cody, who’s been asked to bring cookies to his second grade holiday party to celebrate winter; and he’s left wondering who took the CHRISTMAS out of Christmas! Later that night he has a bad dream that Christmas might go away forever. Under the cloud of this being his last Christmas, Cody travels back to witness the fi rst Christmas
first hand.
Though it was all just a dream, Cody realizes that Christmas isn’t just here to stay. It’s for yesterday, today, and forever!
The Living Christmas Trees, which is still under the direction of Kettering, opens December 3 and continues through December 18 at Polaris Grace, which is located at 8225 Worthington-Galena Road, Westerville, Ohio, 43081.
Tickets may be ordered online at gracelct.org or by calling 614-431-8222 (toll-free 1-888-477-8573).
