Things are getting busy as we prepare for our Christmas activities. One role I have taken on this year is that of Nativity Play co-ordinator. This is even more complicated than it would be under normal circumstances (which is probably why we haven't had a Nativity for a few years). In church we have a number of children who are English speaking. However, we are a Slovene speaking church. We therefore want to be able to produce a play where the children can understand what they're supposed to be doing, and it needs to be understandable for the congregation. The solution we have come up with is to have one of the Slovene teenagers act as a narrator and have all the children mime and act out what is happening, without having to say anything themselves. We had our first rehearsal on Sunday, with the aim of performing it twice, once on 21st December and once on Christmas Day itself. Whilst I'll be there for the Sunday performance, I will be back in the UK for Christmas. Fortunately I have several people willing to help out and to take over when I'm not there. Please pray for this event, and especially for the children. One boy in particular has the most to do and is quite nervous about his role.
Another aspect of Christmas prep is the music in church. In previous years one lovely lady has had all the responsibility of organising it all since no one else had the ability to lead. This year we are blessed by people who are able to play the piano and are willing and able to help out. I have been involved in choosing the songs for the next month and I will help with leading the singing in church.
Of course there are all the fun things that come with this season (of course I'm not implying that the things above aren't fun!) We will have a trip to the Christmas market in Salzburg, I'm involved in Christmas concerts with my choir, and of course the youth group will have a Christmas party!
As you can see, this next month will be full of extra activities on top of my normal ministries. Please be praying for all these events, and most of all, please pray that we wouldn't lose sight of the real meaning of Christmas - celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ!
