Edmond ministry hopes to welcome community at special lighted Christmas event
Members of a Christian ministry are inviting the surrounding community to help usher in the Christmas season with three nights of holiday lights, music and activities.
Beautiful Restoration will host "Beautiful Lights of Restoration" from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday at 19000 Terra Place. The ministry's property is east of the corner of NW 192 and Western Avenue near Edmond. Over the course of the three nights, special music from musicians like Kyle Dillingham and Tom Nix will be performed and guests will be treated to smores, hot dogs and Christmas carols. Visitors will also get to look inside what the ministry calls the "Mansion at Terra Place," which has undergone extensive renovations since the ministry purchased the property in 2019.
Kaylene Balzer, who co-foundered the ministry with Lisa Clark, said the idea for the event came from scripture, specifically The Message Bible's translation of Matthew 5:14-16 which says, in part, "You’re here to be light. ... Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand — shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives."
"We've always called this a city on a hill," Balzer said.
The ministry has an experienced individual working with it on the Christmas endeavor.
Ed James, an event designer who spent almost 40 years of his career in Nashville, Tennessee, moved to Oklahoma with his wife about 18 months ago. He said he learned about Beautiful Restoration through one of the ministry's participants. James, a graduate of Oklahoma Christian University and the University of Central Oklahoma, said he learned more and more about the ministry during the pandemic and he liked what he discovered.
"My love for Beautiful Restoration is because they celebrate life," he said.
Over the years, James has created event sets for numerous well-known recording artists along with other entertainers and organizations. He said he started in 1983 doing backdrops for contemporary Christian recording artists Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. He has served as event director for other recording artists like George Strait and Winona Judd, and even worked on special events at the White House. James said he recently has been asked to work with Riversport Rapids & Adventures in Oklahoma City and he will be working on projects for the2022 Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, California.
Ministry journey
In March 2019, Beautiful Restoration celebrated the purchase of the Terra Place property, which includes the mansion at 19000 Terra Place and a "gatekeeper's house" at 19200 Terra Place, where the group currently holds weekly ministry gatherings. At the time, Balzer said the ministry closed on the 16-acre property for $1.3 million.
The colonial-style mansion on the property has a history that includes being the former home of Oklahoma Gov. J. Howard Edmondson, among other things.
In January 2020, the ministry came under fire by nearby residents for its plans to open a coffee shop and build tiny homes as temporary living space for community members needing restoration and second chances.
The ministry sought to rezone the Terra Place property for up to 50 tiny homes but some neighbors told the Oklahoma City Planning Commission that they were concerned about the type of people who would be living in the tiny home community.
Beautiful Restoration eventually amended its original rezoning request by decreasing the initial number of tiny homes to be constructed on the property.
Balzer said Beautiful Restoration hopes to welcome neighbors as well as ministry participants for "Beautiful Lights of Restoration."
"We want this to be an open house for the community. We want them to see what we're about," she said.
Lights of Restoration
When: 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday, 19000 Terra Place.
Cost: Free.
Information: Check out the "Beautiful Lights of Restoration" page on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Edmond ministry hopes to welcome community at special lighted Christmas event
