|
By Bobbi-Sue Menard
THE LIVING NATIVITY at Willow Park Church in Rutland
draws thousands of spectators to witness the Christmas story.
The huge production is the result of countless hours of
preparation, including barn-yard animal recruiting, cookie baking, live
performing and traffic directing.
“This takes [many] volunteers from our church,
and it is our gift to the community,” says Eva Wiebe, coordinator of
large events at Willow Park Church.
The Living Nativity has been offered for well over a
decade, and Wiebe believes the longevity of the event is due in part to the
fact that it is both familiar and new every year.
Building on the eternal themes and story of Christmas,
Willow Park Church creates a slightly different show each year.
The three-part event consists of the outdoor town of
Bethlehem with live animals; an indoor live stage show; and a reception.
The Bethlehem setting is designed to “give people
a sense of the sights, sounds and scents” of what the first Christmas
may have been like.
The animals vary from year to year, and in the past
have included donkeys, sheep, llamas, chickens and other barnyard
creatures. Wiebe relies on Maureen Postnikoff to recruit the animals, and
each year about 30 creatures fill the barnyard scenes.
“Maureen will drive around, and if she sees an
animal that would work she goes ahead and asks. It is by people’s
good graces that we have the animals. We would love to have more of
them,” says Wiebe.
The stage presentation of the Christmas story takes on
a new script every year, and this year the story is called: Imagine God Came Down.
The half-hour presentation is told from the perspective
of the angels witnessing the event.
“The purpose is to get people aware of the wonder
of God coming to earth as a baby. We want to bring them into the idea of
how amazing that is.
“Philippians 2:6-11, where Jesus is explained as
the very nature of God, sums up what we are trying to show people,”
explains Wiebe.
After the live stage performance, guests are ushered
into the main hall, where live mannequins are on display – and
cookies and hot chocolate are served.
This year’s theme is the rural community that
surrounds Kelowna, and displays will include a barn and train.
The cookies, always popular, are baked by the Willow
Park congregation; some 30,000 cookies are eaten each season.
Continue article >>
|
Touring the event takes up two hours, and is very
kid-friendly. Everyone involved in the production is dedicated to a
successful time for all attendees, says Wiebe.
“It takes about four to five hundred volunteers
to stage the show, and that is not counting the people who bake and donate
the cookies,” she explains.
While some 8,000 spectators attend each year, Wiebe
says Willow Park has never surveyed the crowd. However, she is certain that
well over a third of the attendees are from the community in general.
The huge crowds and outreach to the community are all
very important, and Wiebe takes tremendous satisfaction in the glowing
faces of children at the event – and in knowing that the
Christmas story is still important to people who may not have a
relationship with Christ.
“Probably the biggest benefit is the sense
of community built in the church itself,” says Wiebe. “A
lot of people at Willow Park volunteer for the first time at Living
Nativity.”
This year, 13 shows are planned – and there is
the possibility of adding one extra show, if the crowds push the event to
capacity.
Wiebe is grateful there is so much experience in
staging Living Nativity, but also notes the need to recognize practical
limitations. Nevertheless, enthusiasm reigns.
“We are pretty much maxed out,” she says,
but emphasizes: “We can add one more show and we try to be flexible.
It’s a lot of people.”
December 2008
|
