Methodist church to present live nativity
Drive-through
nativity display
begins next Saturday
The Christmas story will come to life next weekend as the Hillsboro United Methodist Church presents a drive-through live nativity. It runs Saturday and Sunday nights at the Memorial Field baseball diamond from 6 to 8 p.m.
More than 110 volunteers will be stationed in seven different scenes, which will line the south and southwest sides of the ball field. There is no charge for the event; it's a ministry by the UMC Outreach and Nurture Ministry Team, said Pastor Laney Kuhn.
Visitors will drive their cars to the different scenes, which are: No. 1, Mary and the angel; No. 2, Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem; No. 3, taking the census; No. 4, the manger; No. 5, the wise men; No. 6, the shepherds; and No. 8, the Cross.
Cars will enter the area at the Adobe House drive just off D Street. They'll then head to a welcome center, where they'll receive a tape or compact disc with narration to listen to as they drive through the scenes, Kuhn said. If a car isn't equipped with a tape or CD player, portable players will be available.
As they drive past the scenes, the recording will tell drivers how long to stay at a scene and when to drive forward, Kuhn said.
After they've visited all the scenes, drivers will exit the area onto D Street across the street from the car wash. But first, they'll need to return their tapes and CDs to a UMC volunteer before they leave.
This is the first year the church has done the live nativity. It's the result of a combined effort from all age groups and organizations within the church, Kuhn said.
One huge aspect of the production has been the construction of each scene. The scenes are colorfully painted backdrops built on hinged frames covered with stretched muslin. The muslin was first painted white to harden it, and then the appropriate scene was painted on top of that, Kuhn said.
To paint each scene, volunteers projected the outlines of pictures from a book onto the background with a projector. The scenes were made in September, Kuhn said.
Volunteers are also helping with lighting the scenes, making costumes, and, of course, acting in the scenes. But in this case, the people in the scenes won't have to do much acting, since they'll be standing perfectly still, Kuhn said.
People involved in the scenes will stand in for 20 minute rotations. There will be two sets of actors for each scene per night, with some volunteers coming for two nights.
A multitude of UMC members have helped with the entire project, Kuhn said. Youth coordinator Josh Sears is using his radio expertise to record the narration. The Hand in Hand Circle members are making goodies to sustain the volunteers during breaks at the Scout House. Many people have donated leftover paint to create the scenes. And the United Methodist Women donated money toward the project.
"We're excited about it," Kuhn said. "We have some very talented and gifted people."
