We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Pastor Jack Graham of Prestonwood Church to talk about the Christmas season, Prestonwood’s Christmas traditions and so much more! A portion of the interview was published in Daystar’s December newsletter, but you can read the full interview right here:
Q: Christmas season is always a big deal at Prestonwood. Tell us about some of the events you have going on this holiday season. (The Gift of Christmas & Christmas Eve Candlelight Service)
A: We have 13 performances of our annual Christmas production, The Gift of Christmas beginning Dec. 5. People come from all over the region, including Oklahoma and Louisiana, and it is truly an annual tradition for many families. Some 70,000 people are expected to attend this year.
Christmas Eve is one of my favorite services of the year. This year more than 30,000 are expected at eight candlelight services at our Plano and North campuses, including one in Spanish in Plano. I never tire of seeing one small candle leading the entire Worship Center to become awash in light. It’s a beautiful picture of our Savior’s light shining through His people.
Q: What does it take to put on such a large-scale, Broadway style production like “The Gift Christmas?”
A: It takes a great deal of time and commitment from our staff and the hundreds of volunteers who make this happen. And, most importantly, it’s their passion for sharing the Gospel with those who would otherwise never walk through the doors of a church. The planning for the following year’s production begins very early, pretty much right after the last production ends. There’s so much that goes into the musical production itself, but also the technical aspects, including sound, lighting, rigging. And, of course, we have to prepare for the camels and the flying angels!
Q: We’re excited to air Prestonwood’s Christmas Eve service this Christmas season! What is one thing viewers can look forward to with this?
A: I encourage every believer to attend a worship service in his or her local church. However, I would invite you, if you can’t attend such a service or if you just can’t get enough of the joy we experience when we celebrate the birth of our Lord, tune into Daystar and worship Him with us.
Q: What personally inspires you to put on such major productions each year given the time and money it costs?
A: We’ve had a Christmas production for about 30 years, and though each year it becomes more and more elaborate, and more technologically advanced and interactive, the most important thing hasn’t changed—we continue to share the life-changing message of the Gospel through the story of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All the planning, all the long hours, it is all worthwhile, whether two people or 200 people make professions of faith.
Q: What is your favorite testimony that has come out of these productions?
A: A decade ago, a member invited a woman to our service. Earlier that day, that woman had filed for divorce from her husband. She had no faith whatsoever. She was broken. She had never attended church. But her desire to be with a friend and be entertained by a Christmas production brought her to us. That evening, at the end of the show, she accepted Christ as her Savior. She reconciled with her husband that same week. And to this day, she is a faithful member of our church who loves the Lord and her family.
Q: Why is Christmas such an important time of year for the church to be engaged with the community?
A. At Prestonwood, we always say that we exist for those who are not yet here. There’s no better time to reach the lost and the looking than at Christmas and Easter.
Q: What is your favorite family Christmas tradition?
A: After our last Christmas Eve service, I arrive home and my entire family is there waiting on me to start a wonderful dinner and then open presents around our beautiful Christmas tree.
Q: What is your favorite Christmas Gift you’ve ever been given?
A: In 1967 my parents gave me an A2000 baseball glove. I played with it throughout my high school and college baseball career.
Q: What is something you are most proud of from 2015, and what is something you are looking forward to most in 2016?
A: I am proud that in 2015 I was able to serve as the Honorary Chairman of the National Day of Prayer. In 2016, I look forward to serving Christ through Prestonwood Baptist Church and PowerPoint Ministries.
Q: How do you encourage your congregation to start the New Year right?
A: By committing to start every day in prayer and Bible study and prioritizing your time to keep that commitment
Q: You’re program “Powerpoint with Jack Graham” airs each Sunday at 8 a.m. on Daystar, and you’ve been involved in television and radio ministry for 20 years! Why do you think it’s important to make use of such mass media platforms to reach outside the four walls of the church?
A: Television, radio, and the Internet allow us to proclaim the Gospel to people where they are. Some people cannot get to a church. Some people don’t have a growing, Bible-believing church near where they live. Some people thirst to hear the Word in their car, in their home, or in their office throughout the day. Daystar helps us to meet the needs of these people. Daystar helps us proclaim the Gospel to this world.
Pictures from Prestonwood’s “The Gift of Christmas”
Click here to learn more about “Powerpoint with Jack Graham” on Daystar Television.