When First Baptist Church of Lawton, Okla., sensed godly inspiration to add a second weekend to its Living Christmas Tree, Senior Pastor Mike Keahbone didn’t realize what was in store. “To ask for a church to do it two 

weekends back-to-back was a difficult, difficult ask,” Keahbone told Baptist Press, citing the long hours and labor required in the production. “But it just felt like the Lord was in it.”

The additional weekend, Dec. 1-3, accommodated an exclusive performance Dec. 2 for Fort Sill soldiers that drew 116 professions of faith among 700 attendees. Keahbone had been working to invite the soldiers to the 42nd annual event that at one time drew heavy attendance from the large Army base adjacent to Lawton.

First Lawton began the evening with a dinner of grilled burgers and hot dogs in advance of the service. The church gifted soldiers with a commemorative challenge coin First Lawton commissioned with the logos of all six U.S. military branches on one side, and the Living Christmas Tree logo on the flip side. Gideon Christian Fellowship provided New Testaments with the Psalms.