Unity & Evangelism: The 36 year Legacy Of The Bible On Parade

Every December, local residents gather along the streets of Melbourne to watch a procession unlike any other. Costumed figures from Genesis to Revelation, towering banners, a massive golden key, and an eight-foot Bible move slowly through downtown as churches across Brevard unite to tell one story: the story of Jesus Christ.

For thirty-six years, the Bible on Parade has served as a countywide testimony of unity and evangelism. It is one of the longest-running Christian community traditions on the Space Coast, and its purpose has remained the same since the first procession in 1990: to put Christ at the center of Christmas.

I spoke with Psalmist Chad of Jesus is the Key Church, one of the longtime leaders and documentarians of the parade, about the vision that sparked this event, what spectators experience each year, and why unity and evangelism continue to define one of Brevard’s most unique public witnesses.

Connor Mahoney: The Bible On Parade started in 1990, but I understand the vision was conceived in 1989. Pastor Janna was stopped in traffic watching a Christmas parade go by, and a moment of reflection led to a vision of a giant golden key and a Bible. What was the significance of that event to what became The Bible On Parade?

Psalmist Chad: She was caught in a traffic jam as a result of the Christmas parade in Palm Bay in 1989. She was on her way somewhere, but she was looking for the presence of Christ—something that represented what we as Christians celebrate at Christmas, a nativity scene or something. And there was just nothing. There was a lot of candy and merriment and Santa Claus at the end shouting “ho, ho, ho,” but no presence of Christ.

So she said to those in the car, “Why don’t the Christians do something about that?” And as she retells that story every year for the last 36 years, it’s as if all the fingers were pointing back at her, as though she had done nothing about it.

She went into a time of prayer and fasting after that and it was then that she had the vision. She saw the gold key with a big black door. And as she gave it her attention, the key said, “Jesus is the key that unlocks the Word of God.” In the vision she saw every book of the Bible come to life right in front of her. And then on either side she saw people in everyday clothes watching this living drama—some people crying, others expressing all kinds of emotions. Finally at the end of the vision, she saw the people on either side get up and follow this parade of people.

So that was in 1989. And the heart of it was, and still is, to put Christ back into Christmas and make sure we don’t forget the reason for the season, which is that God so loved the world that He gave this gift to us. At the time they said it couldn’t be done. "Catholics won’t join with Baptists" and so forth. There were all these obstacles. But in the first year, 45 churches across denominational lines joined together to put on this event. In 1990 the first Christian Christmas procession was born: The Bible On Parade.

CM: Tell me what actually takes place on parade day. What is the experience like from the perspective of spectators?

PC: As we travel along the parade route—which you can find on our website—the spectators will be taken back to Bible times.

The first float is exactly as the vision unfolded: a big gold key with a giant eight-foot, ten-foot Bible. After that the banners represent each book of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus. Each church takes a scene or Scripture they can proclaim from that book and portrays that scene so people can see the Bible come to life.

As it moves toward the Gospels, it really climaxes with the birth of Christ, then the crucifixion, and the resurrection. The whole Gospel story is dramatized on the city streets.

My role is to take video and audio. While the parade is proclaiming the gospel, I’m on the city streets listening to kids ask their parents or grandparents, “What’s that about?” or “Why is he carrying the cross?” I hear the storytelling as families explain what they’re seeing. It’s an incredible release of the message in simplicity but in the power of God for all to see.

CM: I read that at one point you handed out tracts that answered the question, “What is a Christian Christmas all about?” I don't know if that is still done, but maybe you can answer that question for me. What is a Christian Christmas all about?

PC: Yes. Right before the parade goes out, we have forerunners. A forerunner hands out to everyone on the street a pamphlet. Each book of the Bible, and each church that’s taken that scene, is laid out in it. And on the back is “What is the Christmas story?”

I don’t have it to read verbatim, but it’s simply this: God so loved the world that He gave the world this incredible gift—His Son Jesus Christ. It’s a gift of forgiveness, love, and redemption, not condemnation. Our objective is not to protest the world; we’re there to profess our faith.

It’s really a message of God’s love and grace to reconcile humanity to Himself through this gift. And as the participating Church gathers together in love and unity, that is the sign people need to see—our love for one another instead of the bickering or disunity that happens sometimes. They see the body coming together in love and unity for one purpose: to tell the story of the greatest One this world has ever known, Jesus Christ.

CM: Let me give you two words I know you’re familiar with: unity and evangelism. How are those two things present in preparing and presenting The Bible On Parade?

PC: It’s the prayer and heart of the Lord that we would be one. That’s what He prayed in John 17. We are representing one body, so it’s important that we come together with one common goal and one aim: to lift Jesus Christ up.

So the purpose is twofold. First, to bring the body of Christ together across denominational lines so we come together in what we believe, and who we believe in, and the purpose of why He came. If we can’t agree on that, there’s a disconnect. But we do agree.

Second, as we come together, we lift Jesus up for all to see. Scripture says, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto myself.” That’s evangelism. We’re like flashlights pointing to the greatest story that ever lived, saying, “This is the Christ. This is Him born in a manger. This is Him dying on the cross and raised from the dead.” The message is visual. And in lifting Jesus up, lost people are drawn to Him.

Here’s an interesting twist. The Bible On Parade is in its 36th year. It was born from a moment when Pastor Janna was caught in a traffic jam looking for the presence of Christ and saw nothing. Now, every year, some people still get caught in traffic trying to get from point A to point B — but this time the presence of Christ is fully glorified before their eyes. And we do not underestimate the Spirit of God to cause a person watching to realize, “There’s an absence of Christ not in this parade but in my life.” And they can have a conversion—an affair of the heart between them and God—right there on the city streets.

CM: In the first year, 45 churches across all kinds of denominational lines participated. Just to read verbatim from your website: you had Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Charismatic, denominational, non-denominational—all joined together to “Profess Thru Procession Unity In Jesus Christ." Those are incredible gaps to bridge. What have you learned about cultivating unity across churches that differ so much in culture, doctrine, and style?

PC: There are foundational points we never deviate from. Then there are doctrinal issues that create division between good-hearted people. We focus on the simplicity of what God did in sending His Son and our salvation based on that reality.

We’re not getting caught up in extracurricular doctrinal issues. We’re not talking about post-trib, mid-trib, pre-trib, etc. We focus on the simple Gospel. “I’m not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation.”

That simple message is that God so loved. And we focus on His heart, which is love. God didn’t send His Son to condemn the world; the world was already condemned. He sent His Son so the world might see the light and find rescue and hope.

We come together in the love of God. And if we profess love for God, then we must love one another in the same way. We’re not giving people the Baptist Church or the Catholic Church or the Methodist Church. We’re giving them the life of Jesus Christ. We promote Him, not our particular expression of Him.

CM: It might be a little too late for somebody to get involved right now, but if there were a pastor reading this, or anybody, and they wanted to do something to get involved, whether it be this year or next year. Where should they start?

PC: It’s never too late. The event takes place Saturday, December 6 at 2 o’clock. If you’re a believer, pastor, or church in the area, there are two ways to participate.

First, if you show up at The Bible On Parade, there’s always a need. We have banners—132 people are needed to carry them. We provide everything.

Second, if you can’t serve directly, show up anyway. There’s always a need for people to help or serve or just be there. A crowd does beget a crowd. So if you're not involved in the parade, I would highly encourage you to come out and support the work anyway. Bring your churches, bring your members, get out on the streets, and be present.

Let me tell you, I recently ran into somebody who was opposing Christ and felt it worth their time to make their voice heard. I wasn't bothered by it—I was stirred. If they found it worth their time to oppose, to voice their opposition to the work of God, shouldn’t we as the body of Christ find it worth our time to vocalize our support?

So even if you can't be involved, or can't carry banners or have a float, I would say that even just being present—coming out, supporting, encouraging the body of Christ that has joined together on the city streets—matters. It’s not a small thing to take the Word of God onto the city streets and process. We have all these cantatas and events where we bring people into our churches, and those are admirable. But this is unlike any of those. This is us going to the world and saying, “Here it is. Here’s the Gospel on display.” And it’s for the population of Christ. It’s not for the population of any one denomination. It’s for people coming to know Him alone.

So I would say that when anyone hears about the parade, the best thing they can do—if they can’t be there to help carry a banner—is to show up on the parade route. They can find the parade route at bibleonparade.org. But yes, it’s still important work to just show up, because a crowd does beget a crowd.

CM: I don't want to put you on the spot to say something profound, but I do want to give you one last opportunity to voice your heart. You've been doing this for quite a long time now. After everything you've seen God do through The Bible On Parade, what do you want the body of Christ in Brevard to hear from it?

PC: God so loved this world that He did something about it. And the Word of God is not powerless. We don’t need to be elaborate. All we need to do is present the Gospel in honesty and simplicity and trust the power of God to do what we cannot see.

The first conversion we know of was in 1990. My wife’s son was five or six, and he prayed and asked Christ into his heart that night after the Bible on Parade. Sometimes we measure things by what we see, but many things we never get to see. When the Word of God goes forth, it accomplishes God’s purpose.

I always say, “It doesn’t take many of us; it just takes all of us.” If we come together like Gideon’s army—we don’t need a multitude—we just need those willing to be united and loving and present the truth to the world. God will do the miracle.

Even if we never saw the results, it would still be worth taking the Word of God to the city streets. Like Joshua around Jericho; to just go around and let the word of God go forth. To me it’s the most important and significant work. I feel honored that we get to do this in Brevard County and publicly profess our faith together for the world to see.

The 36 annual Bible On Parade will take place at on December 6 at 2 p.m. beginning and ending at the Melbourne Auditorium. More information, including the parade route, is available at bibleonparade.org.

— Christians of Brevard is a multi-church initiative that seeks to amplify the voices of local churches and ministries for the purpose of encouraging the local body of Christ and advancing the Kingdom of God. Join our Facebook community @ChristiansOfBrevard