Ice skating, dancing fountains and a drum line might seem out of place at a church service.

But that’s the plan for New Life Church’s “Wonderland: A Christmas Experience” Thursday.

The event will include traditional elements of Christmas Eve services, such as singing and a short sermon related to Christ’s birth.

But there will also be Vegas-like theatrics. Ice skaters will whiz atop a 40-foot long, 10-foot-wide cat walk paved with synthetic ice. Dancing fountains will spray water 15 feet into the air, and a line of drummers will pound along to “The Little Drummer Boy.”

New Life hasn’t forgotten the reason for the season, event director Rob Stennett said, but it also wants to show people that this time of year can be a lot of fun.

 “We believe Christmas is about joy and laughter and hope,” Stennett said. “We want to combine celebration and worship.”

The event combines New Life’s traditional Christmas Eve service with “Wonderland,” which debuted in 2005 and ran for three years. At that time, the production was a family-friendly spectacle that required about 350 volunteers to present.

By combining the two events, Stennett said, the production will marry revved-up entertainment with a “time to worship and pray and contemplate the message of Christ.”

—Call the writer at 636-0367

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