6 feet away in a manger
Houston-area churches find creative ways to continue live Nativity traditions
It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Houston, when members of Memorial Drive United Methodist Church began asking whether the church would host its annual live Nativity in spite of COVID-19.
“The answer is yes,” director of youth ministry Mark Bogart told the congregation. “If we are confident that we can do it safely and responsibly — that’s our first priority — we’ll do whatever it takes tomake it happen.”
After all, the live Nativity has been a favorite event for the church for decades.
“We’ve done it forever,” Bogart said. “There are certainly folks that are now coming as parents, who participated as children. I’m one of them.”
Every year, children look forward to watching the Christmas story come to life — and seeing the camel, donkey and baby goats — on the church campus.
Not continuing the program was not really an option. Instead, Memorial Drive United Methodist Church leaders brainstormed ways to keep it going.
“The discussion was more about how we could do this safely,” Bogart said. “We are very much committed to putting on this performance as a service to the community. It’s a time-honored tradition.”
To ensure safety, the Nativity was moved to allow distance between the masked actors, volunteers and guests. They added volunteers and handsanitizer stations in the midst of the angels and shepherds.
“We believe we can honor the story and wear masks at the same time,” Bogart said. “We’re providing some joy and a sense of normalcy during the Advent season.”
When children see the Nativity, their faces light up, he added.
“It’s a gift for their parents to watch their children at the Nativity,” Bogart said.
And parents also are reminded of the magic of Christmas.
“They get caught up in the story as well,” Bogart said. “In the midst of all this turmoil, all this uncertainty, there was this simple and beautiful birth. In the midst of uncertainty, Christ is with us.”
The same spirit drove the Church of St. John the Divine, an Episcopalian congregation in River Oaks, to rethink its Christmas celebration and live Nativity.
“I don’t think there was ever a question of if we could do this. It was just a matter of how,” said Dawayne Gaspard, director of audio-visual services. “We’d figure out a way to do it, so we could still be connected and still tell the story.”
These churches are among a handful of congregations in the city that found a new way to host a live Nativity this year, once again tapping into the creativity that enabled online worship and socially distanced pews.
“We never stopped doing church during this whole pandemic,” Gaspard said. “We just figured out new ways to do things.”
That meant consolidating the usual holiday festivities into one at St. John the Divine. Typically, the Nativity is showcased in three separate tents — and visitors stop at each during the church’s annual Christmas on the Boulevard, which also features a Christmas concert and jazz reception.
This year, organizers opted for one, socially distanced outdoor location, during which a series of vignettes rotated on a central stage, in between Christmas music and guest performers.
Guests were required to wear masks and to make reservations prior to the event.
“One of the main tricks of 2020 has been how to turn a parking lot into a performance hall,” Gaspard said.
“This time of year, a lot of people aren’t going home; they won’t be seeing the people they normally visit or gathering the way they used to,” said Andrea Meier, director of communications for the church.
But they will still witness the story of Christmas — live and in person.
“We need good news right now — and this is the best news, that God sent a savior to redeem us, that there is a thrill of hope in Christmas,” Meier said. “And in 2020, more than ever, people needed to hear that message.”
At Friendswood United Methodist, Christmas is usually the busiest time of year, according to the Rev. Jim Bass. On Christmas Eve, as many as 2,600 congregants regularly attend the service.
These days, most members are still watching virtually. But since the church hosted its live Nativity outdoors, Bass felt comfortable continuing the tradition — with a few changes. Members and guests were invited to bring lawn chairs to watch the fifth and sixth graders re-enact the narrated story. Audience members remained seated with their family groups and observed social distancing.
Children’s minister Lee Ann Love glued beards on masks for the young actors to wear during the production.
She explained that the live Nativity is an important teaching tool.
“When you get to go outside, and you have real hay and the donkeys, it just brings everything to life,” she said. “You never know who doesn’t know the story. I always tell the students, they might be telling the story to someone for the first time.”
Our Savior Lutheran Church and School, in northwest Houston, found a way to share the story without asking visitors to leave the safety of their cars: a drive-thru.
This was the first year for the congregation to hold an event — and the Rev. Kelly Krieg expects the staging to grow more detailed in the future.
“We’re starting out slow and will build on it,” he said.
Guests entered in front of the church and wound around the Christmas story, with three live scenes to enjoy, complete with wise men, shepherds and live animals. Children were also given a coloring book to take home.
“We wanted to do this so people can feel safe in their cars and still have a way to get out to celebrate,” Krieg said.
The event also provided an opportunity for neighbors to check out the campus, which features a unique sanctuary, modeled after German Lutheran churches.
Krieg said that the Christmas story carries an especially meaningful message this year.
“We look back 2,000 years ago and rejoice,” he said. “We look at the present situation, and there’s anxiety, fear, the loss of loved ones. It’s hard to rejoice when times are so difficult. We want to spread this message of hope of the Christ child.”
Bass added that Jesus appeared in the midst of challenges and obstacles.
“He entered in a very difficult time, and He enters into our world not in the best conditions. He was born in a manger, not a palace,” Bass said.
That’s a reminder of His presence even in the worst situations, Bass added. “Even in the midst of the pandemic, He’s still stepping into our lives.”