Mount Pleasant Christian Church

A Christmas Celebration: A Baby Changes Everything

Behind the Scenes

The program is exceptional,” Center Grove resident Katie Rogers said. “The quality is comparable to the Indianapolis Yuletide. The talent last year blew us away. It brings the Christmas spirit to people’s hearts just before the holidays.”

Few celebrations herald this festive time quite like the sweet serenade of choirs and musicians spreading good cheer through classic holiday music. Seeking a way to share the miracle of the Christmas story with the community, Mount Pleasant Christian Church (MPCC) presents the fifth annual Joy to the World from December 7-9.

The service is an hour and a half chock-full of Christmas joy, complemented by orchestra and band arrangements, choirs, solos, and the pastor’s message of the birth of Christ. With an annual attendance of close to 6,000 people, I have always questioned what happens behind the scenes to make a service such as this one. I invite you to join with me in finding out.

The Genesis

In 2008 pastor Chris Philbeck heeded the church to follow the gospel in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. Individuals, small groups, and entire ministries began thinking out of the box on how to be good disciples. According to Brian Tabor, MPCC’s worship and arts pastor, the genesis of Joy to the World started out of this call. “It’s our gift to the community.”

With such a large production as this special Christmas service, planning and preparation are essential. Tabor explains by the time the special Christmas services arrives over 500 volunteers will have helped with its production.

Beginning in May, Tabor listens and critiques the message of various types of Christmas music. By elimination he determines the theme for the five services. This year’s selected theme will be Faith Hill’s song called “A Baby Changes Everything.” This beautiful Christmas song recounts the scriptural story of Jesus’ birth. The title itself reaffirms the power of Emmanuel (Christ with us) and the power of a newborn child.

Using the theme as the catalyst, Tabor builds other songs around it. Solos, instrumental pieces, and music for the choirs are all chosen with the meaning and flow of the service in mind. When asked what keeps him going in this time-consuming process, Tabor smiled and said, “Preparation. With healthy preparation, whether for a small service or a big one, I know the end product will be spiritually moving and technologically sound.”

Worship Programming

Next on his list, Tabor meets with MPCC’s worship programming and communications pastor Joey Santos. They discuss the background setting and mood needed to accentuate each number. With the utilization of an environmental projection system, Santos and his team are able to project videos, images, and graphics off a 150 foot by 20 foot screen.

Breaking the service down by seconds, Santos draws from each song’s desired mood and setting to synchronize the music, the projectors, and the lights. For instance, if the song is “White Christmas,” he may use as a backdrop an outdoor scene with snowflakes lightly falling. He also incorporates lighting into the scene to create the mood of the music. Using the same example, Santos might synchronize the music and the snowy scene with a splash of blue to represent the feeling of a cold, snowy night.

After determining the setting and mood for each song, he searches the computer for videos and graphics that might fit each type of music selection. Once this is accomplished, Santos sends the detailed information to engineers, who reconfigure the environmental projection system through a computer program.

“We want the special Christmas service to welcome people in. We want them to embrace the moment, feel a part of it. The synchronization of the lighting, music, and the environmental projection system allows us to do that,” said Santos.

Choirs

Children, ranging from age four years old to sixth grade, bound through the doorway of Mount Pleasant’s chapel. These children make up one of the two groups that form the 150-person children’s choir. Under the direction of Heidi Wright, along with volunteer assistants Deb Dillman, Debbie Tostin, and Donna Vaught, they gather the children together to rehearse three Christmas favorites. In addition to rehearsals, each child is given a CD and a sheet with the words on it for practice at home.

The second group of children practices Monday through Thursday in MPCC’s PreK and Kindergarten classes. One day a week they meet in the Worship Center to practice with Pre-K teacher Heather Trammell. Under her leadership, the children are learning the words and all the motions to the songs. “I love seeing Christmas through the eyes of these children. Their energy is contagious,” Tabor said with a grin.

High energy is not only in the children this season, but it is in the musical pieces of the adult worship team as well. This talented group of people consists of 70 MPCC choir volunteers and 30 paid or MPCC volunteer instrumentalists. By popular demand, the adult worship team will be bringing back some of the favorite tunes from the past, such as “Joy to the World.” Audience members will be amazed at the energy of “Sound of the Round.” Noted as another energetic and gripping tune, the orchestra will claim the spotlight with the song, “A Mad Russian’s Christmas.”

The Finishing Touches

The days leading up to the services seem crazy and chaotic. Santos and his team have received the environmental projection system’s programs. The next 48 hours are crucial. The team, along with Santos, work through the night installing the necessary lights, cameras, and system programs. The finishing touches are applied with painstaking precision.

Opening night excitement will fill the air. People will be greeted by 200 MPCC volunteers, first in the parking lot and then at the door. Mount Pleasant will invite parents with children kindergarten age and under to take advantage of the children’s ministry, a safe alternative for small children available during all five services.

Before the service, the children’s choir will gather downstairs separated in different rooms by age and height. With each service, preschool director Rea Gray, along with 14 teacher and parent volunteers from the preschool, will lead the children’s choir, one room at a time and in single file, up to the Worship Center.

While the children file into the Worship Center, Tabor will bow his head in prayer: “…May You help this audience leave this Worship Center with their hearts ready for Christmas.” cg

Tonja Talley has called Center Grove home since 1993. An 11-year bi-lateral lung transplant survivor, Tonja enjoys speaking on behalf of the Indiana Organ Procurement Organization. She also volunteers for the CF Foundation, byTavi, and her church.

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