It is no simple task to recreate the entire village of Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago.
But for the seventh year, Journey of Faith Church in Manhattan Beach is undertaking this massive effort – from Wednesday to Sunday, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and until 9 p.m. on the weekend – to show, not tell, the story of baby Jesus’ birth. The church is expecting more than 12,000 visitors during the five-day period of Journey to Bethlehem.
The best part about the annual Christmas event is that it is entirely volunteer-based, said John Crowe, creative director. Everything from the cast to production to costume design falls into the hands of the local volunteers.
“Everyone who comes and volunteers, they’re doing it because they believe in the message that they want to give out to the Manhattan Beach community—that God sent a gift to mankind and we simply want to share that,” Crowe said.
Each night features a cast of more than 200 costumed actors, dozens of live animals and food from the time period.
A pregnant Mary will ride a donkey into Bethlehem every 45 minutes with her husband Joseph, and guests are invited to visit the stable to greet baby Jesus, who is played by a rotation of a dozen local babies whose families volunteer them.
“The majority of [babies who play Jesus] come from families who attend our church,” Crowe said. “We cast a dozen babies to play baby Jesus over the night. We’ve had different ethnicities, different ages, both boys and girls.”
