Bethlehem Event

2000 was a Bethlehem Event year!

On December 16 and 17, 2000, we again reinacted the story of the birth of Christ in the City of Bethlehem.

Before 2000, our last Bethlehem Event was in 1996. For those who are unfamiliar with the event, there are videotapes in our church library with highlights. More than 6,000 guests attended the event in 1996. Join the fun!

The purpose of the Bethlehem Event is to enhance understanding and appreciation of the Christmas story by immersing the participant and the visitor in the historical details of the period. This program is designed to include family and friends as reinactors to reach out to touch the lives of others with a valuable Christmas experience.

The event takes the visitor into the village of Bethlehem on the day Christ was born. All visitors are there for the census and experience the Christmas story from that point of view. They are given information to use in their travels from factual newspapers to the viewing of antiquities and other materials in the museum.

We recreate the village as accurately as possible, from layout and buildings to the smallest details of drain pipes and hinges, from fabric dyes and weaves to embroidery on the costumes. The visitor experiences sights, sounds, and smells that bring one to a different time in history. They see the inside of an ancient synagogue, taste unusual foods, smell their special spices, feel camel and flax fibers, hear the old instruments playing music, experience the traders selling their wares, and listen to the tax collector and the Rabbi disagreeing. Each reinactor has spent time studying his or her trade and role in the community. The villagers tell the story of Christ's birth as they may have at the time of the event and they are able to give the visitor an indeph view of life at that time.

We had several special activities in connection with Bethlehem in 2000. The Dr. John McRay interview was presented for the Adult Forum in November. Dr. McRay is a Biblical archaeologist specializing in the area of Bethlehem.

On December 3rd, Biblical scholar, Dr. Richard Simon Hanson, spoke at three events: the Adult Forum, the cast/crew lunch and lecture, and the Community Lecture. His topic was "The Old Town of Bethlehem."

On December 5th, we had an ELCA pastor's conference in which we provided a historical lecture by Dr. John McRay.

On December 6th, we held an authentic ancient breakfast feast for all area clergy in our city of Bethlehem. In the evening, we made a history lesson available for all area confirmation groups.

Finally, on December 16th-17th, the Bethlehem Event was held, and thousands of people experienced the wonder, the mystery and the power of the birth of Baby Jesus.