Tour presents life in Bethlehem marketplace

Come to Midway First Baptist Church and experience what that miraculous night might have been like when Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

The tour suggests life in a Bethlehem marketplace as rumors circulate about a miraculous child. It takes place 6 to 8:30 tonight and Sunday.

As visitors begin their guided tour through the Jewish marketplace, their first stop includes a visit with the tax collector.

Other exhibits and shops include a basket weaver, fruit and vegetable stands, the storyteller, fish seller, jeweler, the synagogue, city oven and bakery, an inn, a pottery maker, carpenter shop, oil merchant, cloth weaver, cloth dyer, spice shop, salt seller, wine merchant, brass and metal merchant, the Roman soldiers’ headquarters and more.

During each 20-minute tour filled with volunteers in period costume, tourists can interact with the merchants and their guide and will probably hear, more than once, rumors about the birth of a savior of mankind.

The event, which focuses on helping people consider whether they have Christ in their lives, culminates with an overview of the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Admission is free and reservations are not required. The church is at 1415 N. Farm to Market Road 2148, about 1.4 miles from U.S. Highway 67 and a half mile from U.S. Highway 82. For more information, call the church office at 903-334-9707.