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Both the adult and kids choirs perform during the West End Baptist Church’s Christmas Celebration. (JILL GREEN | CONTRIBUTED)

Over 200 members of West End Baptist Church helped put on the program for the community. (JILL GREEN | CONTRIBUTED)

Scenes from high above the West End Baptist Church’s Christmas Celebration. (JILL GREEN | CONTRIBUTED)

A scene from the ‘That’s My King’ Christmas Celebration at West End Baptist Church. (JILL GREEN | CONTRIBUTED)

West End Baptist Church had its most recent Christmas Celebration on Dec. 14-15. (JILL GREEN | CONTRIBUTED)

By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

West End Baptist Church held its annual Christmas Celebration program on Dec. 14 and 15 that welcomed over 2,000 people inside the church to see the three shows over the two-day period. Director of Music Ministries at West End Baptist Church Paula Kornegay put together the program for the fifth year, but her extensive background in constructing Christmas programs made this year’s one to remember.

The Christmas Celebration has been a long-standing tradition for many years at the church each holiday season. Each program has a theme associated with it, and this year’s was ‘That’s My King.’ Each year’s program has different music, drama and scenes with it, but each one goes back to its main goal — showcasing the story of Jesus Christ.

The plans for the program begin each August when WEBC hosts a kickoff event to gauge the participation for the program and get an idea who may be interested. Kornegay pulls in music and drama to fit whatever the story that year is centered around. From there, auditions are held for solo performances and special scenes, and the Lord puts the rest of the things in place for Kornegay and the group.

Kornegay said the primary reason WEBC hosts the Christmas Celebration each year is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, but also to share the entire life of Christ all the way through his death, burial and resurrection. Kornegay has been putting together Christmas programs for well over 25 years, and for churches in Pelham and Louisville, Kentucky before getting to WEBC.

“The thing I believe that comes out of this is the building of community within our church at West End and reaching outward into the streets of Chilton County,” Kornegay said.

This year’s program had around 200 church members at WEBC that participated or helped put it on. That number included the adult and kids choirs, the drama group, backstage managers, greeters, parking assistance and nursery assistance. This brought in over 2,000 people to the three, two-hour shows that WEBC had in the evening of Dec. 14 and the morning and evening of Dec. 15.

“I have been doing this for 25-30 years, and this is the longest one I have ever written,” Kornegay said. “I do not know how it ended up so long, but it was what the Lord said to do. It was really neat this time, and out of all the ones I have written and directed, this was my favorite.”

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