BUTTERWORTH: The Christmas celebration this year will not be the same due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. However, a band of youth from the Harvest Revival Centre (HRC) aims to maintain the festive spirit in these trying times.
Bernama visited the HRC in Seberang Perai on Dec 12 and found a church choir group singing ‘Feliz Navidad’ and ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ on stage.
Although the stage was decorated and the group members were dressed according to the festive theme, they were carolling to no one but the camera.
HRC youth leader Carmeline Augustine said the carolling would be recorded and broadcast live through social media pages by Christmas Eve this year.
Apart from the carolling session, she said the Christmas Eve live stream would include readings on Christmas story scriptures by HRC senior pastor Rev Dr Bernard Augustine.
“This is our first time live streaming a Christmas service for our church community. We do hope that our efforts will keep the Christmas spirit going,” she said.
She said while the church would still open for Christmas Eve services, it would only accommodate up to 80 people in line with the standard operating procedures.
“Those who wish to attend the Christmas Eve services at our church will have to RSVP earlier,” she added.
Meanwhile, Carmeline said the Covid-19 pandemic had impacted the church greatly as donations received were not as generous as before.
She said several regular church-goers had expressed their concerns regarding the pandemic and how it had affected their mental well-being.
“We do hope that the pandemic will end soon so people can return to their normal everyday lives, but for now, especially for Christmas this year, we advise everyone to stay safe and healthy,” she added. – Bernama
