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LDS share Christmas gift of lights, music and drama
While church officials and diplomatic
officials are scheduled to "flip the switch" on the Christmas lights at the
Washington D.C. Temple grounds in Maryland this week, it is only one of
dozens of opportunities Latter-day Saints have an opportunity to share
the spirit and message of Christ in their communities. In some places,
the media has taken notice.
Washington, D.C.
Fox news writes about the Washington Temple lights as do the Philadelphia Inquirer and Washingtonian magazine.
Here's a sample of other ways Latter-day Saints are sharing the Christmas spirit:
Temple Square, Salt Lake City
While there's nothing new being added to this year's LDS Church campus displays, there is one significant change. The centerpiece of a nativity scene that used to be off to the side of the reflecting pool on the east side of the Salt Lake Temple, now sits atop the water.
"It puts the focus where it needs to be," said Eldon Cannon, group manager of ground services for Temple Square and the surrounding church campus.
Centreville, Va.
The Centre View reported:
"The sacred musical drama, 'Savior of the World: His Birth and Resurrection,' is almost ready for presentation by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Centreville. But it's been a long time in the making.
'We started rehearsing in September, but have been planning it for a year -- finding the resources and people we needed,' said Director Devin Toma, who has two decades' experience working in music and theater.
It's a huge production, with 140 people -- ages 8-80 -- in the cast and about 20 in the crew. It's also free to the public, regardless of religious affiliation, 'So it's a gift to the community,' said Toma.
'We hope it'll deepen people's faith; it's for anyone to come and feel the spirit and message of what it's all about.'"
Jefferson City, Mo.
The News Tribune reported:
"Come to the Manger," hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, invites the community to take in the spirit of Christmas with more than 200 mangers on display.
The event brings people of all Christian denominations together to celebrate mini-re-creations of the birth of Jesus Christ more than 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem. The nativity scenes are on loan to the church for the week and belong to both members of the church as well as friends from the community. Last year's event brought together more than 300 nativity sets not only from around town, but from across the globe.
'We always welcome new nativity scenes each year because our many visitors return year after year and enjoy viewing the different kinds,' said chairwoman Sherri Downs."
Bartsow, Calif.
The Desert Dispatch reported:
"The LDS Church will host the 11th year of Sights and Sounds of Christmas ... Chairwoman Beth Simpson says, 'The Sights and Sounds of Christmas is a wonderful way to begin the holidays.' It is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a gift to the community to foster a spirit of love and service as we focus on the birth of Christ. This event is only made possible with many talented and selfless volunteers, and enriches the lives of all those who attend.'"
Ogden, Utah
The Standard-Examiner wrote:
"The Ogden Stake celebrated its 100-year anniversary and created a float for the annual Christmas parade. The float depicts a scene of horses and a trolley passing by Lester Park, a scene reminiscent of Ogden in 1908. The float was created with plenty of paint, glitter, lights and 'hours and hours and many hours' of work from about 20 members of the stake, said Jan Lawrence of Ogden, a stake member."
Littleton, Colo.
YourHub.com:
"In an interfaith event hosted by the LDS Church, a 30-minute theatre-in-the-round musical production portrays the story of Mary, Joseph and the birth of their precious son, based on biblical scripture. In addition, local artwork, performances from community musicians, and a select display of 50 international crèches were exhibited. The event has been hosted the last six years."
Howell, Mich.
According to the Livingston Daily, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints featured more than 400 displays during an annual Nativity Exhibit.
"It's hard to believe the Nativity Exhibit that began 16 years ago with just a 'small' exhibit of 116 nativities has grown to substantially," said organizer Karen Murdock. "We've had as many as 700 exhibits but we seem to average about 400, which can be an exciting challenge with only a four-day time frame to prepare. The question most asked of our volunteers is where we get all the nativities for the exhibit. Most come from our church members but several come from fellow exhibitors who may belong to other religious denominations."
Noblesville, Ind.
Indianapolis Star columnist Betsy Reason writes: "Darla Kinney Scoles says the more than 200 Nativity scenes displayed at her church the first weekend in December offer her a gentle reminder of how the birth of a baby changed the world forever. 'We invite our neighbors and the community to come and feel the spirit that exists in a room filled with visual reminders of the holy family and the miracle that was the birth of the savior,' said Scoles. She will display her collection of more than two dozen Nativities at The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints' third Community Creche exhibit."
Evansville, Ind.
tristatehomepage.com:
More than 400 nativity scenes from various countries are displayed, including a live indoor nativity. This is a non-denominational event; people with no religious affiliation and non-LDS religious affiliation are welcome. Other activities include continuous live Christmas music involving choirs.
Springfield, Mo.
OzarksFirst reports:
The Springfield LDS Church is into its the 10th year of the nativity celebration, featuring Branson entertainers. See a video of the display.
Gainesville, Ga.
www.accessnorthga.com:
"The multicultural event, in its 12th year, united Christian performers of all stripes, including the Sugar Hill Latter-day Saints Choir, St. Michael Catholic Church altar servers, Angelic Voices of St. John Baptist Church and the Adult Handbell Choir of Gainesville First United Methodist Church."
Foxborough, Mass.
www.wickedlocal.com
Latter-day Saints will join other faiths in "The Joy of Christmas Celebration" including vocalists and instrumentalists including Saint Mary's Catholic Church, Saint Mark's Episcopal Church, Union Church of South Foxboro, Foxboro Foursquare Gospel Church and the Serenading Seniors.
Midland, Mich.
According to mlive.com, a display of more than 500 nativities from around the world and a Christmas concert are being hosted by the LDS Church.
Simi Valley, Calif.
The Simi Valley Acorn reported:
The Simi Community Christmas event featuring the international créche exhibit and musical performances by the Simi Stake Choir.
Orange County, Calif.
www.ocpac.org:
Five choirs and a 60-piece orchestra with the Orange County (Calif.) Mormon Choral Organization will present "All the Bells on Earth Shall Ring," a Christmas concert.
St. George, Utah
The Spectrum said: The St. George Temple continued its 20-year tradition of illuminating thousands of lights on the temple grounds Friday.
North Bend, Wash.
The SnoValley Star wrote:
Choirs from the Snoqualmie Methodist Church, Mount Si High School and three Mormon congregations will team up for a free holiday musical.
Washington, D.C.
Fox news writes about the Washington Temple lights as do the Philadelphia Inquirer and Washingtonian magazine.
Here's a sample of other ways Latter-day Saints are sharing the Christmas spirit:
Temple Square, Salt Lake City
While there's nothing new being added to this year's LDS Church campus displays, there is one significant change. The centerpiece of a nativity scene that used to be off to the side of the reflecting pool on the east side of the Salt Lake Temple, now sits atop the water.
"It puts the focus where it needs to be," said Eldon Cannon, group manager of ground services for Temple Square and the surrounding church campus.
Centreville, Va.
The Centre View reported:
"The sacred musical drama, 'Savior of the World: His Birth and Resurrection,' is almost ready for presentation by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Centreville. But it's been a long time in the making.
'We started rehearsing in September, but have been planning it for a year -- finding the resources and people we needed,' said Director Devin Toma, who has two decades' experience working in music and theater.
It's a huge production, with 140 people -- ages 8-80 -- in the cast and about 20 in the crew. It's also free to the public, regardless of religious affiliation, 'So it's a gift to the community,' said Toma.
'We hope it'll deepen people's faith; it's for anyone to come and feel the spirit and message of what it's all about.'"
Jefferson City, Mo.
The News Tribune reported:
"Come to the Manger," hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, invites the community to take in the spirit of Christmas with more than 200 mangers on display.
The event brings people of all Christian denominations together to celebrate mini-re-creations of the birth of Jesus Christ more than 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem. The nativity scenes are on loan to the church for the week and belong to both members of the church as well as friends from the community. Last year's event brought together more than 300 nativity sets not only from around town, but from across the globe.
'We always welcome new nativity scenes each year because our many visitors return year after year and enjoy viewing the different kinds,' said chairwoman Sherri Downs."
Bartsow, Calif.
The Desert Dispatch reported:
"The LDS Church will host the 11th year of Sights and Sounds of Christmas ... Chairwoman Beth Simpson says, 'The Sights and Sounds of Christmas is a wonderful way to begin the holidays.' It is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a gift to the community to foster a spirit of love and service as we focus on the birth of Christ. This event is only made possible with many talented and selfless volunteers, and enriches the lives of all those who attend.'"
Ogden, Utah
The Standard-Examiner wrote:
"The Ogden Stake celebrated its 100-year anniversary and created a float for the annual Christmas parade. The float depicts a scene of horses and a trolley passing by Lester Park, a scene reminiscent of Ogden in 1908. The float was created with plenty of paint, glitter, lights and 'hours and hours and many hours' of work from about 20 members of the stake, said Jan Lawrence of Ogden, a stake member."
Littleton, Colo.
YourHub.com:
"In an interfaith event hosted by the LDS Church, a 30-minute theatre-in-the-round musical production portrays the story of Mary, Joseph and the birth of their precious son, based on biblical scripture. In addition, local artwork, performances from community musicians, and a select display of 50 international crèches were exhibited. The event has been hosted the last six years."
Howell, Mich.
According to the Livingston Daily, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints featured more than 400 displays during an annual Nativity Exhibit.
"It's hard to believe the Nativity Exhibit that began 16 years ago with just a 'small' exhibit of 116 nativities has grown to substantially," said organizer Karen Murdock. "We've had as many as 700 exhibits but we seem to average about 400, which can be an exciting challenge with only a four-day time frame to prepare. The question most asked of our volunteers is where we get all the nativities for the exhibit. Most come from our church members but several come from fellow exhibitors who may belong to other religious denominations."
Noblesville, Ind.
Indianapolis Star columnist Betsy Reason writes: "Darla Kinney Scoles says the more than 200 Nativity scenes displayed at her church the first weekend in December offer her a gentle reminder of how the birth of a baby changed the world forever. 'We invite our neighbors and the community to come and feel the spirit that exists in a room filled with visual reminders of the holy family and the miracle that was the birth of the savior,' said Scoles. She will display her collection of more than two dozen Nativities at The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints' third Community Creche exhibit."
Evansville, Ind.
tristatehomepage.com:
More than 400 nativity scenes from various countries are displayed, including a live indoor nativity. This is a non-denominational event; people with no religious affiliation and non-LDS religious affiliation are welcome. Other activities include continuous live Christmas music involving choirs.
Springfield, Mo.
OzarksFirst reports:
The Springfield LDS Church is into its the 10th year of the nativity celebration, featuring Branson entertainers. See a video of the display.
Gainesville, Ga.
www.accessnorthga.com:
"The multicultural event, in its 12th year, united Christian performers of all stripes, including the Sugar Hill Latter-day Saints Choir, St. Michael Catholic Church altar servers, Angelic Voices of St. John Baptist Church and the Adult Handbell Choir of Gainesville First United Methodist Church."
Foxborough, Mass.
www.wickedlocal.com
Latter-day Saints will join other faiths in "The Joy of Christmas Celebration" including vocalists and instrumentalists including Saint Mary's Catholic Church, Saint Mark's Episcopal Church, Union Church of South Foxboro, Foxboro Foursquare Gospel Church and the Serenading Seniors.
Midland, Mich.
According to mlive.com, a display of more than 500 nativities from around the world and a Christmas concert are being hosted by the LDS Church.
Simi Valley, Calif.
The Simi Valley Acorn reported:
The Simi Community Christmas event featuring the international créche exhibit and musical performances by the Simi Stake Choir.
Orange County, Calif.
www.ocpac.org:
Five choirs and a 60-piece orchestra with the Orange County (Calif.) Mormon Choral Organization will present "All the Bells on Earth Shall Ring," a Christmas concert.
St. George, Utah
The Spectrum said: The St. George Temple continued its 20-year tradition of illuminating thousands of lights on the temple grounds Friday.
North Bend, Wash.
The SnoValley Star wrote:
Choirs from the Snoqualmie Methodist Church, Mount Si High School and three Mormon congregations will team up for a free holiday musical.
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