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December 10th, 2010
All out for Christmas
Tony Lambert hopes several thousand guests will check into the Grand Hotel this weekend.
The hotel isn't real, but a glance in the sanctuary at First Southern Baptist Church, 6400 S. Sooner Road, reveals a two-story lobby that would rival any of the finest hotels in the state. It is the backdrop for the church's production of "Christmas at the Grand," an original play, which will be presented Dec. 11-12.
More than 400 people from the church have been involved in the planning, production, acting and behind-the-scenes work to make the show a reality. Lambert, senior pastor, said this is the first time in about six years the church has gone all out for a Christmas production.
"We are blessed to have the people with the experience to put this together," he said.
The play is about a character named Bruce Duncan and his staff at the fictional Grand Hotel. The staff is in the midst of putting on their annual Christmas production, but this year, nothing seems to go right. A group of mysterious guests arrive and Bruce and his staff begin to explore the true meaning of Christmas. The play includes silly characters, dancers, singers, high-energy music and live animals.
The show was penned by Mitch Rayborn, worship pastor. He has been writing all his life, including a youth drama with accompanying music he wrote when he was 16 for a church performance. In his 10 years in concert ministry, he has written many songs and sketches, but "Grand" was his largest project yet.
"My goal is to have real-life characters so that everyone in the room will find themselves relating to one of these characters," he said.
MISSING MEANING
Rayborn said the play's theme is that it's easy to be surrounded by Christmas celebrations and decorations, and still miss the true meaning of the holiday.
"Our main character, Bruce Duncan, has heard the Christmas story of the birth of Christ all of his life, but never realized the truth of the story," he said. "Our goal is that people will connect with the truth of Christmas, not just the story of Christmas. We want to present that Christmas, and all of life as well, is because God so loved the world that he sent his only son, Jesus."
Church members auditioned for parts; Lambert said there are about 75 characters. The show runs just under two hours.
Admission is free, but those who want to attend must get tickets online or by calling the church. A week before the show, he said requests were already pouring in.
"We're seeing a lot of local groups requesting blocks of tickets," Lambert said. "We anticipate a lot of groups."
The sanctuary can seat up to 5,000, and he hopes it will be full. For those who dawdle, he cannot guarantee seats.
"We hope that we will have some tickets available at the door," he said. "As large as our building is, it's hard for us to imagine turning anyone away."
NOT JUST ONE
Rayborn hopes this won't be a one-shot deal. He is already looking ahead to future shows through the church.
"Along with that, as we build a catalog of presentations and dramas, I would love to see them being used by other churches and ministries that desire to present the gospel of Christ in a way that relates to people where they are," he said.
For Lambert, the show has taken many man-hours and church resources, but he said when the lights dim for the first show, it will be all worthwhile.
"We really want this to be a gift for the region," he said.
Tickets are available online at firstsouthern.tv/christmas, or by calling the church at 732-1300 and asking for the Worship Ministry Office. The doors open at 6 p.m. both nights and the show begins at 7 p.m.
photo Mitch Rayborn. Photo/Kelley Chambers
The hotel isn't real, but a glance in the sanctuary at First Southern Baptist Church, 6400 S. Sooner Road, reveals a two-story lobby that would rival any of the finest hotels in the state. It is the backdrop for the church's production of "Christmas at the Grand," an original play, which will be presented Dec. 11-12.
More than 400 people from the church have been involved in the planning, production, acting and behind-the-scenes work to make the show a reality. Lambert, senior pastor, said this is the first time in about six years the church has gone all out for a Christmas production.
"We are blessed to have the people with the experience to put this together," he said.
The play is about a character named Bruce Duncan and his staff at the fictional Grand Hotel. The staff is in the midst of putting on their annual Christmas production, but this year, nothing seems to go right. A group of mysterious guests arrive and Bruce and his staff begin to explore the true meaning of Christmas. The play includes silly characters, dancers, singers, high-energy music and live animals.
The show was penned by Mitch Rayborn, worship pastor. He has been writing all his life, including a youth drama with accompanying music he wrote when he was 16 for a church performance. In his 10 years in concert ministry, he has written many songs and sketches, but "Grand" was his largest project yet.
"My goal is to have real-life characters so that everyone in the room will find themselves relating to one of these characters," he said.
MISSING MEANING
Rayborn said the play's theme is that it's easy to be surrounded by Christmas celebrations and decorations, and still miss the true meaning of the holiday.
"Our main character, Bruce Duncan, has heard the Christmas story of the birth of Christ all of his life, but never realized the truth of the story," he said. "Our goal is that people will connect with the truth of Christmas, not just the story of Christmas. We want to present that Christmas, and all of life as well, is because God so loved the world that he sent his only son, Jesus."
Church members auditioned for parts; Lambert said there are about 75 characters. The show runs just under two hours.
Admission is free, but those who want to attend must get tickets online or by calling the church. A week before the show, he said requests were already pouring in.
"We're seeing a lot of local groups requesting blocks of tickets," Lambert said. "We anticipate a lot of groups."
The sanctuary can seat up to 5,000, and he hopes it will be full. For those who dawdle, he cannot guarantee seats.
"We hope that we will have some tickets available at the door," he said. "As large as our building is, it's hard for us to imagine turning anyone away."
NOT JUST ONE
Rayborn hopes this won't be a one-shot deal. He is already looking ahead to future shows through the church.
"Along with that, as we build a catalog of presentations and dramas, I would love to see them being used by other churches and ministries that desire to present the gospel of Christ in a way that relates to people where they are," he said.
For Lambert, the show has taken many man-hours and church resources, but he said when the lights dim for the first show, it will be all worthwhile.
"We really want this to be a gift for the region," he said.
Tickets are available online at firstsouthern.tv/christmas, or by calling the church at 732-1300 and asking for the Worship Ministry Office. The doors open at 6 p.m. both nights and the show begins at 7 p.m.
photo Mitch Rayborn. Photo/Kelley Chambers
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