Today I was asked if people need a ticket to attend the Derby Rock Opera, which is Aviator Church’s 2011 version of a Christmas Eve family experience.  The Answer is yes and no.

Every year, we face this crazy Christmas Eve dilemma when we plan the worship experiences.  The age old questions are “How many people are coming?” and “When is the best time for families to attend?”  This year to be family friendly we are offering two nights so that those who are heading out of town can attend and those staying in town can invite their friends and family.  Since we are a young church, we expect a lot of people to go out of town but every year we are surprised by people and our attendance break downs.

We also like to know a count so that our greeters and hospitality teams can prepare for guests and have enough refreshments and gifts for visitors.  So knowing how many to prepare for helps.  That is where the online free ticket idea came in to save the day.

Do you NEED a ticket to attend?  No, it’s free and as long as there is space, we are happy for anyone to attend.  We want everyone to attend.  We opened up to the whole city and anyone and everyone is WELCOME!  But we also want the experience to be amazing and we want to make sure everyone is cared for and has enough to eat after the Rock Opera.

So we asked everyone to get free online tickets here, so we can plan ahead, let everyone know it is open to the public, and that this is a special event like nothing we have ever done before.

So the answer is “No. you don’t have to get tickets for the Rock Opera.” and “Yes. If you will get free tickets online, it will ensure you and your guests have a seat and really great treats after the Rock Opera.”

Oh, what is the graph above? This is the break down of attendance patterns so far.  We have a 60%/40% split on the nights and that is helpful to know that so many people are going out of town.  Glad we added the extra night.

Keep inviting your friends, it is going to be great!