November 20, 2003
by Elmer "Bud" Frimoth
and Hal Fischer

SALEM, OR - "OK, so you've got over a thousand members and there's only room for 350 for the video taping of the service. How did you make the decision of who could come?" we asked Pastor Rob Elder of First Presbyterian Church here.

"We offered to do a lottery type drawing among our members early this fall - only immediate family members were to be involved" he replied. "What we discovered was that many people were a little shy about wanting to be the ones 'chosen.'

"Since we are a diverse congregation, it became rather easy to find the ones interested to share in this special service - just over a month before Christmas Eve itself."

CBS-TV will air the program on Christmas Eve, but how do some of the folk in the congregation feel about being a part of it.

"In late summer we knew that we were the church chosen from many other congregations around the country who were also willing to be a part of this venture. Right away in August, committees were organized to handle such things as 'decorating the church' - no easy task because we have two large trees with hand-tied ornaments - the total music program and selections...even the task of providing meals for the crew producing the program," Elder continued.

"All of our committee people were excited and have been going out of their way to make sure the experience is a great one - not just for our congregation, but that it might let the nation know a little more about us as a denomination."

How did it change what will normally happen at Advent and Christmas?

"Normally we have a very full season of special events and especially on Christmas Eve" Elder noted. "From the Session, Deacons and others they all said, let's stick to our four regularly scheduled Christmas Eve services - but not have the choir have a special musical program. They've had to work really hard getting ready musically for Christmas in November.

"Since all of our choir members are volunteers we didn't want to lay even more work upon them. For the television service we'll also have our youth and children choirs along with the bell choir for music. We've broadened it out to the community by having three choirs from Willamette University as well. There'll be over 42 minutes of music out of the hour program, so there's a lot to do."

How will you share your congregation's diversity in this service of worship?

"We have men and women members of different ages from Laos, the Philippines, Central America and African Americans who will be taking part with readings or participating musically as well," Elder said.

The congregation had to "clear the deck" of all other activities for this week in order to make the service happen. Last year the CBS service reached more than 2 million viewers - even at the midnight hour."

Elder said the church "wanted to make sure that we represented all of the Presbyterian churches, not just First Church, Salem, Oregon. Here are Presbyterians at worship to give glory to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior."

It seems quite appropriate that the church is in Salem (Shalom, Salaam, Peace) and sits across from the Oregon state capitol building. What a great place for the witness to Christmas' true meaning - the proclamation of the coming to this blue mud-ball in space of the Prince of Peace.

PCUSA News
Bud Frimoth is an audio-visual producer and professional clown in Portland. Hal Fischer is a retired journalist and journalism professor living in Salem. Both are Presbyterians.