The Living Christmas Tree, produced annually at New Hope Baptist Church, is no ordinary holiday musical.

With a cast of 350, a full orchestra, and singing and dancing to rival the pros at Radio City Music Hall in New York, the show is a Christmas treat for the senses.

This year's presentation is no exception. A drama written by Randy and Julia Jones entitled “A Place You Can Call Home” will open Thursday at 7 p.m. and play through Sunday with two matinees on the weekend. Tickets are free, but are no longer available as the demand has outnumbered the supply.

Coordinator for this year's event is Terri Younker, who, along with minister of worship John Conrad, is running church members through their rehearsals. Last week, the choirs led by Conrad practiced downstairs, while set designers hauled in weighty flats for the play, setting them up against the partially framed stable. The technical crew, led by Bill Entrekin, worked on installing microphones around the towering tree, which will be filled with singers during the two-hour production.

According to Younker, plans for the performance began in August with a Christmas retreat. Rehearsals started in earnest in September. Every person involved in the mega production is a member of New Hope Baptist Church, from the children in the choir, to the adults playing the leading roles in the play. Even the script was written by church members, Younker noted. “Months of prayer and preparation by hundreds of folks have preceded this event, which involves not only our music ministry but our entire church family,” Conrad said.

The story is set in 1945. “It's after the war and the soldiers are coming home to celebrate Christmas. There's a captain, [played by Joe Stanley] who comes home to his wife [played by real life wife, Kim],” she explained. The circumstances that surround his homecoming and the experiences of a young lieutenant in his search for a place to call home play out against a background of swing music, reunions, family and faith.

The Stanleys are career entertainers who have appeared in USO shows, theme parks and night clubs around the world. They now serve as worship associates at New Hope's south campus at Starr's Mill and maintain a Fayetteville-based ministry.

The Living Christmas Tree has become New Hope's annual gift of song and praise to the community. Now in its 14th year, the show not only entertains, but focuses the audience's attention on the “Christ of Christmas.”

“For many, the Living Christmas Tree has been a time of personal commitment or reaffirmation of the lordship of Jesus in their lives. As we worship and celebrate together, we invite you to consider your relationship with the Christ of Christmas,” Conrad added.

The traditional scene of Jesus, Mary and Joseph at the manger, surrounded by live animals with a choir of angels overhead, is followed later by a heart wrenching crucifixion scene. The song “Mary, Did You Know?” can wring a tear from the most cynical eye.

Some of the more familiar songs included in the show are “I'll Be Home for Christmas,” “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “O Holy Night” and “The First Noel.”

Unused tickets may be turned in at the church office. To check on any available seating, phone 770-460-4838.

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