First Baptist of Lodi to host drive-in movies throughout December

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, many churches have had to cancel annual holiday events and gatherings.

However, one local church has come up with a way for families to still enjoy the Christmas spirit in a safe environment.

First Baptist Church of Lodi will begin showing a film its members produced themselves in a drive-in format next month.

The film, “The Thrill of Hope, a Weary World Rejoices,” will begin showing at the church’s parking lot Dec. 7 at 6:30 p.m.

“We’ve always done a big Christmas concert, but unfortunately, we won’t be able to do that this year,” lead pastor Glen Barnes said. “We just tried to be creative and produce a professional-quality production, and figure out what we could do that would be fun for families.”

Barnes said the film, just over an hour long, will be shown about 10 times throughout December on a 30-by-20-foot screen that will be installed this coming week.

Dane Burg, pastor of worship and creative arts, said the film is filled with songs of the season and begins with the pains and frustrations experienced in 2020, but journeys toward a place of hope.

“As we thought of a working title, the words ‘weary’ and ‘hope’ kept showing up, and for good reason,” he said. “Many of us are feeling weary and worn out, whether it’s from COVID, or the fires, or the election, or from loss, or from… well, suffice it to say, we could all use a little hope. And so, that is the heart behind this film — to join you in the brokenness of life, acknowledge that reality, and then start to journey together towards hope.”

The church plans to show a variety of other holiday and family films, such as “Miracle on 34th Street” or the animated classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

Some films in Spanish will also be shown, but Barnes said the church had not finalized which ones.

The final showing will be Dec. 22, and the church will host Christmas Eve on the Terrace the following two days. Guests will be able to make S’mores and socialize, with social distancing rules in effect.

“For us, we just wanted to do something fun, and we wanted to help people get out of the house,” Barnes said. “We know people have been looking forward to concerts and events and are unable to go to them, so they can do this.”