Dec 22, 2017 3 min read

Last year, Adam Brock was brainstorming with Kurt Jenkins, lead pastor of Central Assembly of God, Houston, about how the congregation could celebrate the Christmas season.

Taking inspiration from the comedy, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” Brock embraced the theme of over-the-top merriment.

“Why does everyone in the world get to be fun at Christmas, but somehow, at church, we have to be stiff and boring?” he asked.

Anyone passing 155 McGovern Road, Houston, can see, the church is now anything but stiff and boring.

Wreaths, garland, lights, snowmen, snowflakes, angels, Nativity scenes, candy canes, presents, reindeer and nine indoor trees create a scene that is … outrageous.

“Everybody kind of thought I was crazy,” said Brock. “I sat down and had conversations with people who didn’t understand, and thought it was celebrating the wrong thing, But the story of Christmas – that God would choose a young, virgin girl to birth the Messiah – it’s all an outrageous story. It’s over-the-top. The details are outrageous.”

Those who were skeptical have embraced the message, and about 90 percent of parishioners wore crazy Christmas attire when asked to the first Sunday in December.

Decorations were donated by congregants at the end of the last holiday season.

“We told the congregation that, as they were taking down Christmas decorations, if they had any they didn’t want to keep to donate,” he said. “We got some great stuff, some vintage decorations, about 40 Christmas trees and bags and bags of lights.”

The church also received enough decorations to fill a 30-foot truck. The new decorations were originally donated by a store to a disaster relief organization that didn’t need them.

“There was 650 feet of pre-lit garland, 400 crystal spheres, more than 6,000 feet of lights, a 7-foot teddy bear and trees from 9 to 12 feet,” said Brock. “We received more than I ever thought we would get.”

Congregants and staff worked for about a month to get the church and grounds ready. The indoor trees are decorated in themes, including patriotism and the Nativity.

Visitors to the church and Central Christian Academy, a school for students through eighth grade, are impressed by the spectacle.

Outrageous Christmas will be on display during the 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Christmas Eve services.

“We’ve had neighbors saying they brought their families to take a peak. It’s been an absolute hoot, an absolute blast,” Brock said. “What we discovered in doing this is, so many people talk about never seeing a church this joyful and fun at Christmas. We carry the most amazing message of what Christmas means, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. It’s been a really cool thing that has brought such unity.”