Trinity United Methodist Church: Christmas story comes to life

The Christmas story came alive for 180 visitors at Trinity United Methodist Church Sunday afternoon, Dec. 2. The program, written by Group Publishing, called "One Starry Night," was the culmination of 10 months of preparation.

The three-hour event far exceeded the expectations of the three primary leaders, Sheila Rader, Regina Truitt and Ellie Robinson. They attributed much of the success to the creative work of Paul Sipson, who developed specific scripts for the guides who led the children and their adult chaperones and parents through the seven different rooms.

But the physical work was done by scores of church members of all ages. The experience included walking through rooms of the church, which had been transformed into some of the main events in the Christmas story, particularly in Bethlehem, but also including Nazareth and Jerusalem. Depicted in various ways were the carpenter shop in Nazareth, Herod's palace in Jerusalem, the city gate of Bethlehem, the census office, the inn, Stare-Gazer hill, and the stable and manger, where Mary and Joseph told their story.

Concluding the walk through the rooms and hallways, where soldiers patrolled menacingly, was the market place, where various shops could be visited, crafts made and pictures taken with a starry night in Bethlehem backdrop.

Everyone agreed it was both a monumental effort and an emotional, moving way to introduce families to the real meaning of the season.