The Christmas Pageant

For nine years the 7th Ward has presented a Christmas Pageant to the community, acting out the events from Luke 2. The chorus, in which most of the senior missionaries sang, practiced every Sunday night for about six weeks before the pageant.

Fliers and pass-a-long cards were prepared and two weeks before the event I placed this in our elevator in our apartment building. I also went from door to door in our apartment building inviting everyone to come (but I'm not aware that any did).

Previously it was held on the north side of the city in a stadium, but at the last moment (two or three weeks) it was discovered that it would not be available this year. So it was decided to hold it between the temple and the chapel. This was taken Sunday morning, December 12, before the chairs were put up.

This was taken Sunday night between performances with chairs and people.

This was the area for the manger scene and space for the risers for the chorus and for actors to move about.

This suggests the Inn where there was no room.

There were two performances -- one at 5 PM when it was still light ...

... and one at 7 PM when it was dark.

These are some of the children's costumes.

Some members of the chorus.

Senior missionary members of the chorus. At the rehearsal the day before, they still had no one to play the part of Caesar, so the director (who didn't know me from Adam) pointed at me and said, "You... you are Caesar." They took the purple robe off of the wise man and I put it over my shepherds garb for my 5 second appearance. I walked out, stretched out one arm as if issuing a decree, and then exited, handing off the robe to the wise man, and climbed onto the riser to sing our first song.

A Roman soldier.

The temple president and mission president's wife were in the chorus.

The children's choir sang one number.

Our chorus (about forty members) sang four numbers and some carols with the congregation. They brought the electric piano out from the church building.

This is the manger scene with the shepherds and the wise men come next. In the street behind this scene was an electric powered hydraulic lift on which they placed an angel, but I don't have a picture of that.

At the end, a chorus of young missionaries from the Taipei area sang a number. In front of them is a table where the narrators sat, giving introduction, narration, and closing in English and Chinese. It was deemed a successful activity.