First Assembly of God Wortmanville (FAOGW) 2021 Virtual Christmas Presentation promises to be more epic than the inaugural virtual presentation in 2020! Under the theme Jesus: Christ Over Crisis 2, the sequel will be aired on FAOGW’s social media Facebook and YouTube platforms. The virtual platform is being used as Guyana and the rest of the world continue to observe COVID-19 precautionary measures.
Deacon Orson Smith, who plays a major role in planning and coordinating the Christmas presentation, shared briefly how the team has been working to ensure a quality production reaches viewers. They also make certain that this presentation ministers the name and hope of Jesus Christ. It is for this reason, he said, that this year’s presentation is sub-themed ‘Hope.’
After the first COVID-19 case was detected in Guyana in March of 2020, a prolonged lockdown period ensued with social activities being restricted to fewer persons. Thus Christmas presentation became virtual to sustain delivery of the true message of Christmas, and comply with statutory COVID-19 guidelines.
“When we hosted the virtual presentation in 2020, we did not anticipate that one year later we would be in a similar situation. However, this year while we are doing a continuation of the presentation, we know that we are not without hope and that’s the reason why the focus this year is with an emphasis not on the fact that we are in a crisis, but we have hope of coming out of this crisis,” Deacon Smith said.
Just when the team thought they would be fraught with challenges, new talents were discovered especially in the technical area of producing the presentation. “As a matter of fact, you may think doing this in a pandemic would result in many challenges, but as we reflected on last year’s production, we were able to do things that we never imagined we could have done. The circumstances brought out the creativity in us even more,” Deacon Smith added.
With the help of the Holy Spirit, the challenges that were surmounted made the team more determined, fuelling energy and desire to minister and spread the Gospel to all.
According to the FAOGW leader, this year’s presentation is likely to be far better than 2020. Without disclosing too much about the 2021 line up, Deacon Smith indicated there will be wider representation of the total FAOG body, including outstations and the diaspora. This means fresh faces, new talents and much, much more. Due to COVID-19, the one main missing attraction from the Christmas presentation will be the carolling by the FAOGW Combined Choirs. Nevertheless, there will be smaller groups presenting musical renditions. Main items on the programme include songs, dance, drama and spoken word.
Given the current situation, Deacon Smith said, one may have expected there would be no Christmas presentation but he explained, “In this part of the world, Christmas means a lot to us. It means socialising with family, it means attending different churches, giving gifts, eating, family gatherings and we are accustomed to that. The Christmas presentation is a tradition that we have and we want to maintain certain practices and do so in the context that we don’t want people to feel everything is gone from the usual Christmas. That is why we found it necessary to continue the expectation.”
Hundreds have viewed the live broadcast of the presentation last year, but since it has been aired, the production racked up 2400 views from all across the world. Deacon Smith posited that while it may come across as entertainment, the primary goal of the presentation is to minister the Word of God and the true meaning of Christmas. The church may not have the opportunity to present the message the way it used to (street ministry) but the resources available are being utilised effectively.
“The pandemic itself forced a lot of people out of church and many had to find new ways to fellowship. Fortunately for FAOGW, we already had an online presence with our main services being streamed. As a result it was not difficult to transition the Christmas presentation to the wider world. This gives us a wider audience that we can now leverage using the Christmas presentation to propel our message.”
The Christmas Presentation “Jesus: Christ Over Crisis Pt. 2” is set to go LIVE on Saturday December 25, 2021, Christmas Day at 10am on the church’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
