SLATER, Iowa—When the town of Slater celebrates Christmas, it’s like a Hallmark Christmas movie: food at the fire station, horse-drawn carriage rides, and lighting the Christmas tree on Main Street, followed by fireworks. For the past few years, Slater Baptist Church has added to these festivities with a live nativity.
This year, community leaders desired the church’s nativity scene to be held on Main Street, right in the heart of the Christmas celebration. “We are very thankful to God for opening up this great opportunity to us,” says Joel Newman, the event’s organizer.
The live nativity featured more than just church members posing as Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus, and a few shepherds. The church offered a Christmas ornament craft for visitors to complete and a nativity scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt involved seeking out the characters of the nativity and the Bethlehem scene to ask questions and learn more about the Savior’s amazing birth.
Besides the manger scene, the living nativity had live animals, an innkeeper, a Roman soldier, shepherds, angels, census travelers, and wise men. The wise men were a block or two away, since they were still traveling at the time of Jesus’ birth. The wise men also brought gifts—oils of frankincense and myrrh for people to smell and chocolate “gold” coins.
People enjoy participating as characters, and visitors love the experience, says Newman. “We are extremely thankful for the grace God gives us to show Jesus’ love to our community.”
