By By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER
Lifestyles & Features Editor
A Christmas tradition associated with Old Ford Church of Christ celebrates its 15th season this week.
A Christmas panorama begins Wednesday and continues through Friday at the church, located on U.S. Highway 17 north of Washington. The free event runs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. nightly.
“We started out with, I think, 12 scenes at the very beginning and we have up to 16 now,” said Shirley Hardison, church secretary.
The idea of presenting the live, drive-through panorama began to take shape in 1995, according to Eddie Bowen, the church’s minister.
“The idea is to celebrate Christmas, focusing on Jesus’ birth, and to really exhibit the full extent of His purpose on earth, beginning with the prophecy and ending in His glorious resurrection from the dead,” Bowen said.
“This is an outreach to the entire area,” Hardison added. “People come from all around.”
This year’s program is presented in honor of Jimmy and Doris Byrd, who helped manage the panorama over the past decade or so. The project has been a success each year because of the dedication of the church congregation, Bowen said.
“We are broadcasting that Christ will never be erased from Christmas here, nor will we minimize the meaning of Christ in Christmas to any degree,” Bowen said. “This involves a large portion of our church family. We include small children, toddlers 3 or 4 years old, and up to ‘whosoever will.’”
The church has a large closet with costumes gathered over the years, enough to outfit everyone from angels to Roman soldiers, Bowen said. And adding a touch of authenticity to the setting is a variety of live animals, including horses, donkeys, a pig, sheep, goats, geese and doves.
Church members brave the cold and wind to bring the story of Jesus to life; only severe weather interferes with the program.
“One year we had rain one night, and we had a storm that knocked down some of the scenery,” Hardison said. “But I think we’ve only had two nights where we had to cancel.”
The panorama and the message it shares is important to the Old Ford congregation and to Christians throughout the area, Bowen said.
“The modern secularization of America is fueling renewed adoration of the truth and bringing a more passionate desire to let the joy bells ring,” Bowen said. “We want to let the bright light of Christ shine more brightly.”