Gateway Church first produced their living nativity production, Bethlehem LIVE! in 2005. The production was the brainchild of Mary MacLean, whose husband, Ron MacLean, was the senior pastor at the time.
“We built a town of Bethlehem in our gym that had different vignettes, and different vignettes told different bits of the Christmas story so that as people toured through, by the end of their tour, they had the full Christmas story,” said Lydia Thomas, Mary and Ron’s daughter and the current executive director of Bethlehem LIVE!
Thomas first got involved with Bethlehem LIVE! as a teenager, working in various roles before becoming the executive director this year.
“I was involved in many different areas over the first ten years,” she recalled. “I did a lot of admin stuff, back-end stuff, and then got a little bit more confident and started acting.”
The production was held annually every December for 10 years, with over 52,000 people attending over that time with free admission. But in 2015, with many big changes for Gateway in the works, they took a break.
“We were in the middle of an expansion and just felt like we needed to take a break from doing Bethlehem LIVE!,” Thomas explained.
Another 10 years passed, and then Thomas and others at Gateway felt the urge to bring Bethlehem LIVE! back, this time in their new building in West St. Paul. Upon deciding to relaunch, they asked their congregants to help, and the volunteers “came immediately.”
As it has been a long time since the last Bethlehem LIVE! they are starting small compared to previous years, with three shows from Dec. 12 to 14.
“In previous years, we used to do six shows,” Thomas stated. “This year, we’re just starting with three just to ease back into it, figure out what we can manage, figure out crowd control.”
Demand has been high for tickets, which remain free, as all shows quickly sold out. Thomas said they are considering expanding their schedule for next year.
It takes a lot of work to put on such a large-scale living nativity. According to Thomas, they have had over 400 volunteers in previous years, both in acting and non-acting roles.
“The biggest thing is getting all of the actors. We have over 100 actors that we have to get,” she explained. “These are all volunteer positions, all from the church […] Anyone who is wanting to act has the opportunity to act, whether they want a lead speaking role or if they want a non-speaking supportive role. And then there’s also non-acting volunteer areas, so we have people who have signed up for parking, people who have signed up to be in the welcome rooms, being a host, giving out hot chocolate and cookies […] We have people praying, we have people preaching the gospel.”
According to Thomas, the highlight of the show for many is when they get to see baby Jesus, played in every show by a real infant. This tradition will be extra special for Thomas this year as her own newborn son will be playing the role.
“When you come around the corner to where the manger is and it’s a real baby, it really brings the story to life [that Jesus] was this little innocent baby lying in a manger, and it just makes it so real for people,” she said. “You see that on people’s faces when they round the corner and they see that it’s a real baby, that it […] brings the story of Christmas to life.”
Above all, Thomas hopes that those who walk through the streets of Bethlehem LIVE! will be impacted by seeing the nativity story come alive.
“The stories that you hear about people who are impacted and whose lives were changed through us doing this and that we have the resources and availability and gifting in the church to be able to gift this to the city [make this] hugely rewarding,” she reflected.
For more information on Bethlehem LIVE! visit bethlehemlive.com.
