THE 2016 International Headquarters (IHQ) Christmas display brings Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus into today's world, reminding viewers that the Christmas story is not just a tale from history, but that God's Son coming to earth and living as a human still affects the world today. Based around the theme ‘Love Came Down at Christmas’, the 2.5 metre by 2.5 metre backlit images seek to encourage some of the many thousands of people who pass IHQ every day to think again about the Christmas story.
The vibrant images, created by Berni Georges with Kevin Sims – both from the IHQ Communications Section – have three very different settings. One puts the holy family on a commuter train, another places them among a group of homeless people, and the third sees them alone in the midst of a bombed-out city. Each contains a Bible verse that speaks of Jesus coming into the world and a simple tagline: 'God is with us ... today'.
Berni says he was conscious that, despite the settings, he didn’t want the images to be depressing. Kevin agrees, adding: ‘They recognise that life isn’t easy but we hope people will realise that this is a positive message. Through his Son, God is with us whatever our circumstances.’
One new feature for this year is the inclusion of a hashtag – #LoveCameDown. ‘We want people to share the images and the thoughts behind them on social media,’ explains Kevin 'but we also want to encourage people to use the hashtag to share their personal “God is with us” and "God is with me' stories. By telling friends and family the places in which they can see God at work in lives or communities, it provides a simple opportunity to share something life-changing.’
- The images are all available to download from the IHQ Flickr stream at http://sar.my/christmasdisplay2016. They are free to use for Salvation Army corps (churches) and centres (in multimedia displays or as printed posters up to 50cm wide), or to share on social media. Anyone wishing to use the images for large-scale, commercial or other purposes is asked to contact IHQ Communications (email: IHQ-Communications@salvationarmy.org).
Report by IHQ Communications
International Headquarters
