The arrival of the Christmas season heralds a deluge of activity: gifts to wrap and buy, cookies to bake, Christmas cardsto send, and gatherings with family and friends. It’s easy to lose to focus on the reason for celebrating Christmas. Each year, the people of Clear Fork Alliance Church offer an opportunity to “Experience Bethlehem” and set aside the secular activities and focus on the “real reason for the season.”
This weekend visitors are invited to take part in the live Christmas story and travel through the scenes of the birth of Jesus, following the star to the manger. At Bethlehem visitors can register with the census taker, receive a free bag of gold coins, and spend them at Bethlehem’s various shops.
This event, offered Friday through Sunday, is an opportunity to “experience” the sights, smells, tastes, and sounds of Bethlehem. See soldiers arrest beggars in the streets and children stomp grapes into juice; smell flowers in the perfume shop and see the live animals in the stable; hear angels sing and anvils clang in the metal shop; and sample breads, fruits, and juices in the food shops.
“Experience Bethlehem” will be held on December 12, 13, and 14. Tours will be Friday and Saturday from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. and on Sunday from 2 – 4 p.m. The event is free, entirely indoors, and handicapped and family- friendly.
It is held at Clear Fork Alliance Church, 1008 St. Rt. 97 E., Bellville, Oio across from Clear Fork High School. Call 419-886-4333 or visit www.clearforkalliance.org for more information.
