Georgia Magazine - December 2023 - 26

The Singing Christmas Tree at Abilene Baptist Church has become a
holiday tradition for many Augusta-area families.
" We don't want them to be
just spectators, " Beachem says.
" This is an experience where
they get to be part of it. "
More than 100 members
Every performance of First Baptist Church of Gainesville's Living
Christmas Tree includes a live Nativity scene.
'It's a chance to forget the world
around you and cherish the great
music and the true meaning of
Christmas.'
are on stage or working
behind the scenes at each
performance. Stephenson
spent more than 10 hours programming the thousands of
twinkling lights on the tree to move and flash in sync with
the music.
Church member Whitney Pallas is looking forward to her
second year of singing in the tree.
" I get such enjoyment [from] looking out into the faces of
our congregation, " she says. " It's a chance to forget the world
around you and cherish the great music and the true meaning
of Christmas. "
East Newnan Baptist Church, 14 Pearl Springs Trail, Newnan.
Performance: Dec. 6: Doors open at 5 p.m., concert at 6 p.m. Free.
(770) 253-0550. eastnewnanbaptist.org.
Peace during a busy season
First Baptist Church of Gainesville has staged its
Living Christmas Tree for 22 years.
" Some of the musicians and singers have been there every
year, " says Kayanne Smith, administrative assistant for the
church's music program. " I've been part of it for at least 10 years
now. It's been such a blessing. "
Nearly 100 singers participate, positioned over 10 tiers in
the 35-foot-tall tree and on the stage. They are accompanied by
an orchestra in the front of the sanctuary.
Church staff and volunteers spent months preparing for
this year's performance, titled " The Beautiful Impossible. " While
each year's Living Christmas Tree has a different musical lineup,
there are some constants.
One favorite tradition for singers and guests is the live
Nativity staged during the concert. Cast members assemble a
crèche built by a church member, and Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus,
shepherds and wise men take their places as the choir sings.
" We usually have 'We Three Kings,' which is a favorite of
26 Georgia Magazine December 2023
-Whitney Pallas
both the choir and the
audience, and we always
close with the 'Hallelujah
Chorus,' " Smith says.
Smith says that the
long hours of practice end
up bringing a particular
peace during the busy
holiday season.
" We are energized by being part of such a wonderful
experience. It's Jesus-centered and sets the mood for the
season, " she says. " You memorize the music, and it stays with
you always. "
First Baptist Church of Gainesville, 751 Green St. N.W.,
Gainesville. Performances: Dec. 7-8 at 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 9 at 4:30 p.m.; and
Dec. 10 at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Free. (770) 534-7354. fbcgainesville.org.
Rosalyn Dunn is an Atlanta-based freelance writer.
Origins of the singing Christmas tree
The concept of the singing-or living-Christmas tree has
its origins at Belhaven University in Jackson, Miss.
In 1933, music professor Mignonne Caldwell planned a
concert for faculty and staff with her all-female choir standing in
the formation of a Christmas tree. She thought the community
might enjoy the performance, so she recruited a college engineer
to build a wooden tree frame on campus and moved the concert
outside-and a tradition was born.
The school, now a coed institution, continues its annual tree
to this day, with a larger chorus of about 100 Belhaven Concert
Choir members, other students, faculty, staff and alumni.
The idea began to spread across the country, especially in
the South. The productions grew larger and more elaborate with
the rise of megachurches in the 1980s.
Some of the country's largest singing trees are at Bellevue
Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., which has a 44-foot-tall tree
with 100,000 lights and a cast of more than 400, and First Baptist
Church of Orlando in Orlando, Fla., which has two 40-foot trees
in its sanctuary. Similar productions are staged across the
country as well as in the Philippines, South Korea, Canada
and Switzerland.
COURTESY ABILENE BAPTIST CHURCH
COURTESY FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF GAINESVILLE
http://www.fbcgainesville.org http://www.eastnewnanbaptist.org
Georgia Magazine - December 2023

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