Before and after: Church members setting up the Christmas tree and the finished product.
KOTA TINGGI: The compound of a church here has been transformed into a Christmas wonderland with colourful decorations to usher in the holiday season.
Bethany Church Kota Tinggi president Jack Wong said despite budget constraints, the church in Johor went the extra mile to make this year’s Christmas special.
“Like other houses of worship, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected our funding for two years. However, we decided to put up the decorations to bring cheer to churchgoers.
“In previous years, we focused more on indoor decorations but this time, we wanted to do something different and special.
“We spent about RM20,000 to set up the decorations this year. They were designed and assembled by our own church members who volunteered their time and energy to beautify our church’s compound,” he told The Star.
Wong said it took about a month to plan and design the decorations before setting them up.
He noted that there were four outdoor decorations at the church’s compound, including a 9m-tall Christmas tree that was embedded into the wall of the church, which is more than 60 years old.
Wong said the decorations look their best at night when the lights are turned on, giving the Christmas atmosphere.
“The public is welcome to enjoy the decorations. In fact, we are organising an online photo competition, where people can post photos of themselves with the decorations on our Facebook page.
“Anyone can walk into our church compound to enjoy the decorations that will be available until Christmas,” he said, adding that the church was open daily from 7.30pm to 10.30pm.
