How to Make Sure Your Christmas Service Runs Smoothly

Did you know that now is the time to start thinking about your Christmas services? The story below is about how audio and video systems can ruin a Christmas pageant– and a recommendation for how to stop that from happening.

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After months of expectation, the Christmas pageant service had finally arrived. This year, the children’s ministry staff had poured hours of time into costume creation, set construction, and mayhem management during rehearsals. Preparation for the pageant was always a struggle, but the play had been coming together nicely in the past few weeks as the elementary school children finally started to remember their places, and occasionally their lines. Parents, kids, and the rest of the congregation were all excited for the big night – and for the celebration of Christ’s birth that the show represented.

The Mic

The murmurs in the packed auditorium of parents dissipated into a hush as the room lights dimmed. Onstage, a nervous but determined fifth grader began to recite the beginning of the famous story. Her parents looked on proudly, Dad filming the scene with his phone.

She was about halfway through (“But the angel said to them: Do not be-“) when suddenly the wireless mic she was using cut out. The batteries had died.

Unaware of the disturbance, she resolutely finished her piece. Her parents looked around, frustrated. “I was going to post that video on Facebook,” her dad grumbled.

“Don’t worry, dear,” his wife consoled him. “We can just tweet about how great she was instead.”

The Star

Behind the audience, the wise men had appeared. They made their way slowly down the aisle, guided by the bright light of the Christmas star.  Things were going well until suddenly the star flickered twice and went dark. The spotlight that was supposed to be guiding the way had burnt out.

“Where do we go, again?” asked a bewildered wise man. Luckily, the pageant director knew the answer, and for the rest of the journey towards the stable, her whispers replaced the star’s guiding light.

The End

Finally, the show had reached its end. The director of children’s ministry had prepared a short video segment for its conclusion, summarizing the Christmas story and thanking the volunteers. Unfortunately, as the cast and volunteers stood on stage prepared to receive their accolades, the video cut out. The projector bulb had burnt out. Confused, the cast and volunteers looked around.

The director of children’s ministry stood up in the back and did her best to thank everybody. Regrettably, she hadn’t thought to write down the people she wanted to thank. She did her best to remember as many volunteers as possible, ended with a “Merry Christmas, everyone,” and sat down.

“She forgot to mention you, Janice,” said Janice’s husband. “You spent about forty hours helping the kids with their lines, and probably another forty making those costumes for the wise men.”

“Oh, it’s alright,” replied Janice. “I’m just glad the play is over.”

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Don’t let this be your Christmas pageant story this year. At Audio-Video Group, we offer a System Preservation Program. Under this program, we’ll come and check on your audio and video systems two times throughout the year. We’ll review all the parameters of your equipment to make sure it’s functioning optimally in your space and make any tweaks that are needed.

This way, when Christmas pageant season rolls around, you can be sure that your mics are fully functioning, your lighting is maintained, and your projector is working perfectly. The only thing we can’t guarantee is whether or not your actors will remember their lines.

Don’t want your Christmas star to go out at the wrong time? We strongly advise getting your AV systems checked as part of our System Preservation Program. Call AVG at 301.668.4448 to get involved in the program, or visit www.audiovideogroup.com for more information.

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