Bringing Bethlehem to life

An army fell to work at Antioch Baptist Church on Sunday to prepare for Bethlehem Revisited, the annual walk-through replica of the town on the night of Christ’s birth.

The free event will be 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 9-11. The public is invited.

Organizers said the church makes every effort to present an experience that engages the senses and makes guests feel they are actually roaming the streets of Bethlehem on that historic night. Crackling fires, scents from the spice shop and merchants that offer things to taste welcome visitors. A priest that reads from the scriptures, a story teller and many shop keepers to interact with provide entertainment for guests. Visitors may make their own candle at the candle shop or have their name written in Hebrew or Greek by a scribe. At the end of their visit, the innkeeper will usher them to the stable, where they may view the live Nativity scene.

Joey Slayton, the church’s college minister, smokes venison that is served to visitors and is also one of the actors in the town. He is a scribe who writes guests’ names on parchment in Hebrew and Greek.

“That’s something they love to take home with them because it’s their name written in a different language,” he said, adding some people put the parchments on their Christmas trees.

“That makes it pretty special,” he added.

Slayton continued, “Bethlehem is a one-of-a-kind experience. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s not like a haunted house that’s a walk-through. It’s not like some of the light shows that you drive through. It’s interactive. We try to make it feel like you’re in the city where Christ was born, and people come away feeling like that’s where they’ve been. 

“It’s one of the things that really brings our church together. From young to old, the church as a whole comes together and puts on a giant program for thousands, and we only do it as a gift to the community. It’s a very special time for our church.”

Following the tour, guests are invited inside the church for free cookies, hot chocolate and coffee.

Toya Aultman heads up efforts to decorate the activity center of the church, where refreshments are served. She said she tries to create an inviting atmosphere, and this year, it will also be educational.

“‘God’s Gift to the World’ is the theme,” she said. “We decorate in here for people to enjoy.”

She said the Christmas around the world theme will include flags of the world and posters depicting Christmas traditions of various countries.

Sandy Burks is in charge of a large group of volunteers that keep the cookies and hot chocolate flowing. She said after a chilly walk through Bethlehem Revisited, hot chocolate is a good way to warm up.

“We make hot chocolate by the five-gallon tub and we have people that bake cookies,” she said. “We have people baking and putting them on trays. We probably go through 30 gallons of hot chocolate a night. There’s no telling how many cookies. If everyone stopped at two, that’s 8,000, but everyone knows you don’t just have two. We probably go through 20,000 cookies.

“We always try to have music in the background, so there’s that pleasant atmosphere of Christmas. We get to talk to them and they tell us either it’s their first time … or that they come every year and it kicks off their Christmas season. We have people who walk around cleaning the tables, talking to people and making them feel welcome and that they’re special.”