By Anna Skinner
Holidays are full of busy times for families, so Union Friends Church, 533 S. Union St., is implementing a new Christmas program with hopes of still attracting those busy families.
“It’s a busy time of year, and we wanted to do something that people could do quickly and conveniently but also portray the message of Christmas, so we put together a story line that talks about peace,” Kenny Stetler, youth pastor, said.
The program takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 12 and 13. It won’t even require visitors to get out of their cars, as it will be in a drive-thru fashion.
There will be greeters at the entrance providing cookies, milk and a five track CD to place in car stereos. The tracks are each three to five minutes and visitors will proceed through the program, where actors at each station will pantomime what the visitors are hearing on their CDs.
The story follows a man in the military who is away from his family on Christmas trying to keep peace for others.
“He’s doing everything he knows to do to help others, but he doesn’t have peace in his own heart,” Stetler said. “He realizes the reason for peace on Earth happened 2,000 years ago. You see him get to come home, and at the very end is a manger scene.”
The program takes approximately 20 minutes per car.
“We’ve never done this before at this location, so we don’t really know what kind of traffic to expect,” Stetler said. “We would love to have as many as we can fit through, and we’ve got a system worked out if there is higher traffic.”
The program is kid-friendly, and ushers will be outside between the scenes to help direct traffic.
“I would encourage a family to come because it is a wonderful, very convenient way to teach your children about the true meaning and the true reason why we celebrate Christmas. Christmas in many households is very ‘me focused,’ and this play is about thanking the people who allow us to live in peace at Christmas time like our service men and women,” Stetler said. “It points people outward and gives them a reason to be thankful about living in a society without fear.”
