If you arrived five minutes before Saturday’s holiday concert by the Acadia Choral Society, chances are you had to sit in the back of St. Saviour’s Church in Bar Harbor. Enthusiastic community members were lined up at the door to hear this massive group, led by Shirley Smith, perform its annual Christmas fare.

Since the group has been around on and off since 1958, it has had a lot of time to gather fans — and they are willing to line up at the door to get in.

As community choruses go, this one has some astonishing assets. The most obvious one is Jay Emlen, a tenor who brings new shimmer to the definition of Christmas gift. In John Tavener’s “God Is With Us, A Christmas Proclamation,” Emlen performed a solo from the center aisle of the church, as if in a call-and-answer with the more than 70 singers before him. It was a chaotically powerful piece of music and the most stunning performance of the evening.

In another handsome moment, Emlen joined with countertenors Tom Wallace and Geoff Knowles for a 15th century carol, “There Is No Rose of Such Virture.” The clarity of these three voices rang through the church like a bell announcing the most exquisite news of birth and hope and miracles.

Wallace, by the way, deserves second and third credits for his accompaniment on piano and organ. His contribution to this chorus was weighty and bright. A small ensemble of musicians on strings and brass added mighty dynamics, too.

By Smith’s own admission, many of the pieces in this concert were chosen not for their pertinence to the season but because of her own tastes. She chose three works by the contemporary composer Morten Lauridsen, whose work is nicely layered and pretty but musically pastel. When the singers took on Gregorian chant, or works by Palestrina, Gabrieli, Monteverdi or even Poulenc, the sound and themes were more satisfying.

No holiday concert would be complete without traditional carols such as “The Holly and the Ivy” and “Deck the Halls,” for which the audience was invited to sing along. A performance of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was amusing as the exact number of singers for each role sang out in turn — with the audience adding “five gold rings.”

There’s no mistaking that the male singers in this group have an edge on the female singers. Additionally, some in the audience might have wanted to hear a program more solidly devoted to the season. But there’s also no denying the warmth this choral group spread generously and merrily this holiday season.