Newton United Methodist Church will have its annual drive-through nativity on Sunday from 5:30–8:30 p.m.
This year will mark 26 years since the first Nativity.
Mitchell Thomas, spokesperson for Newton United Methodist Church, said in an email that there are 10 scenes from different periods surrounding the Christmas season, such as the three wise men and King Herod, Mary and Joseph at the Inn, the manger scene and other key scenes in the Christmas story.
The production features approximately 60 cast members working in two 30-minute shifts plus 10 scene directors. In addition to the cast, there are many others working behind the scenes directing traffic, preparing and serving food, and working in the set-up and take-down of the Nativity Scene sets. These include members of NUMC as well as many volunteers from the surrounding churches in the community.
The format doesn’t typically change, but Thomas said scenes and costumes are repaired, updated or replaced as needed.
“We also have members who graciously bring live animals to the Nativity each year for a few of the scenes – donkeys, sheep, and even and alpaca,” Thomas said. “All of the cast members try to remain perfectly still, so it adds a little bit of excitement when you throw a live animal in the mix. One year we had a sheep escape and make his way over to Wal-Mart. He was safely recovered.”
Thomas said they have been working on the Nativity ready for several months in advance. For the last two years, Jacki Thomas has been in charge of coordinating the Nativity.
“There are typically several planning meetings to coordinate who is going to do what, when the Nativity is going to be held, and when the Nativity scene sets are going to be put up,” Thomas said. “The weekend before the Nativity, a number of volunteers meet to set up the scenes – a process which typically takes several hours.
“We don’t have any exact counts, but we estimate several hundred vehicles come through each year, with most vehicles containing multiple people.”
From the time the Nativity begins, Thomas said cars are back-to-back and non-stop as they go through the Nativity.
“It is wonderful to see the excitement on children’s faces,” Thomas said. “I know many people who come from Union and Decatur to bring their families to the Nativity each year. We also know of several people who live as far away as Brandon who come over to drive through the Nativity. Also, it really gives you a sense of unity across our community to have so many people outside NUMC come and donate hours of their time to volunteer with us and help make the Nativity happen.”
