On a recent weekend recently when temperatures dropped below freezing, a local church ignored the cold to provide the warmth of the season to Columbus.
They did it in an on-the-move world with an honest-to-goodness, drive-through living Nativity, complete with a side-serving of shepherds, live sheep and donkeys, and nine other Scriptural scenes.
“Believe,” presented for free Dec. 7 and 9 at the Bible Church of Columbus, 3010 10th St., on the city’s east side, attracted about 800 people, somewhat shy of last year’s record 1,000 viewers.
Guests saw the Christmas story and other holy highlights, from the Garden of Eden to the Resurrection, unfold just a few feet from their car window.
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“The Bible says that we are to be reaching people and disciplining them,” said Pastor Dave Marvin of the third-year project, inspired by a similar annual program at Faith Church in Lafayette.
More than 100 of the 120 regulars who attend the church portrayed Biblical characters or baked cookies, greeted visitors, directed traffic or distributed audio narration compact discs of depicted scenes as motorists slowly rolled past during the 13-minute presentation, according to leaders of the effort.
Betty Walls, who spearheads the project, said her motivation is simply “to allow people to hear the Christmas story.”
This allows people to do so in the comfortable environment of their own vehicle.
Marvin wrote the Biblical scenes’ script that covered everything from original sin to salvation to the love of Jesus. It all seemed to impress people who drove through.
“I know this was not easy,” visitor Melinda Coomer said. “They obviously put a lot of hours into this and you can really tell. So I really appreciate it.”
Another visitor chimed in with more praise.
“It’s amazing and beautiful and tells the (Bible) stories very well,” Arianna Blair said.
Church member Jeff Bray, a veteran local actor and singer, knew he would be busy with two other community productions on the performance nights. So, ahead of time, he and others recorded the audio, including Scripture, for the compact discs and mp3 players used by motorists for in-car narration.
“It’s a huge undertaking,” Bray said. “It’s massive.”
The scenes serve as a reminder that “the reason for the season is Christ,” Bray said.
So be it if that reminder must be played out in elements more befitting Frosty the Snowman this time of year.
Motorists seemed understanding, for example, that an angel in one scene was carefully outfitted in white mittens against the night chill. And cast members and others seemed to casually accept that Hot Hands warmers and related accessories were necessary for the evening.
Church member Doug Campbell, who played Joseph, acknowledged that he normally pays little attention to the cold. So when wife Gina Campbell volunteered them both to play the first family earlier this year, he readily agreed.
“It’s a good story,” he said. “And it’s a great way to reach people.”
Gina Campbell mentioned that the outdoor presentations caused her to rethink complaining about modern-day challenges with the elements when she realized Mary and Joseph faced harsher conditions in the original events.
“This doesn’t even compare to what they must have gone through,” she said.
The cast has learned to deal with whatever comes along.
Marvin recalled that, on the second night of the first year for the event in 2016, it began raining and one person suggested to Marvin that the event should be canceled. But the cast was more than eager to participate and do the presentation as planned.
So they did just that — and saw that God reigned over less-than-ideal conditions.
“It turned out to be packed that night, from beginning to end,” Marvin said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Drive-through Living Nativity by the numbers” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
3: Number of years for the event
90: Percentage of church members involved
800: Attendance this year
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