Special Report

Church of the Brethren creates Christmas Eve service for CBS.

On the evening of Nov. 23, Nicarry Chapel at Bethany Theological Seminary was lit up within and without for the taping of the Church of the Brethren Christmas Eve service, to be aired by CBS. Through the stop-and-go action of three days of rehearsals and four hours of taping, a Brethren worship service was created to glorify God and extend an invitation to millions of viewers.

"It feels like this is a gift that the church has been given," said preacher Chris Bowman, pastor of Oakton Church of the Brethren in Vienna, Va. "It's in turn a gift that we can give back to other people." Admitting to some nervousness before the taping, Bowman said wryly, "I'm a good Brethren preacher, so I second-guess my sermon all the time. My goals in writing it were first just to tell the story again, second to bring a bit of a challenge to folks to respond with their lives, and third to try to be authentically Brethren."

The seminary campus in Richmond, Ind., was taken over by the event for several days. The film crew from Lyon Video and the crew from SaboStudios, the lighting firm, numbered close to 30. They surrounded the school with trucks full of equipment and monitors, parked a generator on the front walkway, placed lights on the chapel roof to illuminate its high windows, and snaked cables through the hallways. Evergreens were propped outside the chapel windows and votive candles festooned areas of the lawn visible from inside. Musicians and choirs held hours of rehearsals. A planning committee of Bethany staff had help from area congregations, seminary students, and volunteers to provide onsite coordination, hospitality, and food for the 200-some people who took part.

Only participants, crew, and a by-invitation audience were in the chapel for the taping. Families and friends of the participants watched a live feed in the school's gathering room. Inside the chapel, Bowman preached about living out Christmas; 51 students from Juniata College, in Huntingdon, Pa., blended their voices with an 11-member children's choir from the Manchester, Eel River Community, Columbia City, and Beacon Heights congregations in Indiana; soloists and instrumentalists gathered new energy for the "real thing"; readers took advantage of coaching by Bethany professor Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm--who wrote most of the spoken worship resources--to share the gospel message. A candlelighting ended the service, as it does at many Brethren congregations on Christmas Eve, and then came something most Brethren do not experience: "Go Tell It on the Mountain" to the rhythm of congas and steel drum.

Playing the steel drums was Glenn McClure, who composed a piece sung by the Juniata choir, "Santo," the first movement of "St. Francis in the Americas: A Caribbean Mass." The composer from Geneseo, N.Y., is not Brethren but offered to play for the taping after music coordinator Shawn Kirchner asked permission to rewrite the piece for a smaller drum section. "Santo" has been performed at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center.

The taping represented a lot of work by many people, as organizers had only two months to pull the service together. Brethren Press publisher Wendy McFadden served as executive producer. For the technical side of creating a network-quality program, she worked with producers from the Presbyterian Church (USA), which created last year's Christmas Eve service for CBS.

The content of the service was planned by McFadden, Kirchner, Bowman, Wilhelm, and Stan Noffsinger, general secretary, and Del Keeney, Congregational Life Ministries executive, of the General Board. Many other individuals worked on tasks such as decor, communications, copyright permissions, translation, and logistics.

The Bethany committee working on onsite arrangements "considered ourselves the support crew," said Bethany treasurer Brenda Reish. She sat in on the technical rehearsal the evening before the taping, along with parents of the children's choir and many who helped with coordination for the service. It brought "chills...and tears," she said. "It was a really emotional experience."

Those involved with the service could not find enough superlatives to express their feelings. "We're giddy," said Jodi Schwartz, whose children Erin and Ben were in the children's choir. "I think it's a marvelous opportunity," said Russ Shelley, director of the Juniata choir. "It was a celebration," said Michael Hodson, a reader for the service. "I'll remember it for a very long time," said Thomas Dowdy, who played the saxophone.

Audience members agreed. "I thought it was a wonderful blend of traditional and modern. I enjoyed it immensely," said Donna Hollenberg of Richmond Church of the Brethren. Asked if she would watch it again on Christmas Eve, she did not pause: "Oh yes!"

In many areas of the country, the service will air at 11:35 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. In other areas the service may air at a different time--check with CBS affiliates for local air time. For more information see www.brethren.org or www.enterchristmas.org.

Brethren Press is taking orders for two resources related to the service: a four-color card to be used as an evangelism tool, bulletin insert, or invitation to be mailed out by congregations; and a DVD/video of the service including a "behind-the-scenes" documentary by Brethren videographer David Sollenberger. A sample of the card has been mailed to each congregation, quantities can be ordered for the cost of shipping and handling. The DVD (item #1122) costs $14.95 and the video (item #1123) costs $19.95 plus shipping and handling--orders will be shipped beginning Dec. 27. A version will be dubbed in Spanish and Spanish translation of the service will be posted on the website. Call Brethren Press at 800-441-3712.

Source: Newsline Special Report 12/03/2004