A Nativity experience
Because of pandemic, Anne Arundel churches host drive-thru scenes
Caroling is canceled. No Christmas tea. No community dinners.
The coronavirus will prevent Davidsonville United Methodist Church from its usual Christmas traditions, but it can’t stop the congregation from sharing the story of Jesus Christ’s birth.
Earlier this summer, when the church realized its traditions wouldn’t proceed, Jackie Weavill was inspired by a childhood tradition from her own life: a drive-thru Nativity scene. She remembers how seriously she took bringing to life that story and seeing so many from the community drive by.
So this year, Davidsonville UMC will host its first-ever drive-thru Nativity
scene.
“Especially this year, with COVID, sharing some joy every way we can is really important to us,” Weavill said.
After months of planning, Davidsonville UMC will transform its parking lot into Bethlehem Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. The public is welcome for the drive-thru experience, and the church is collecting food for a local pantry during the event.
Weavill said planning for the Nativity involved working out how many floodlights and extension cords they would need for lighting.
They borrowed costumes from churches that had canceled their Nativity and asked the Annapolis Woodworking Guild members to help build the manger.
Four scenes will be displayed, and to further prevent the spread of COVID-19, different families will do each scene, so households stick together.
The drive-thru Nativity will also include live animals: sheep, a cow, a goat and a camel. Weavill said they were able to afford the rental because other events were canceled.
“Animals are something kids connect with so deeply,” she said.
Davidsonville UMC isn’t the only church bringing the Nativity story to drivers.
At Grace Pointe Community Church in Severn, Pastor of Grace Pointe Todd Ferring expects 80 to 200 cars a night for their drive-thru Nativity that also includes live animals. The show will be held Friday, Saturday and next Sunday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
This is the first year the church has done a Nativity, as they would typically do an opening Christmas event.
“This is (the) best thing we can do for the community and us this year,” Ferring said.
They will do timed audio inside customers’ cars, guiding attendees from scene to scene. He said it would be about 10 scenes with audio in both English and Spanish. The full show will take about eight minutes to drive through.
Ferring is hoping cars can flow through the scenes and won’t have to stop and start audio because of traffic.
The actors in the scenes are all volunteers from the church and community.
“We wanted to provide something in this COVID season that people will feel safe to go to, and the people putting on will also,” Ferring said.
“We wanted to provide something in this COVID season that people will feel safe to go to, and the people putting on will also.”
Todd Ferring, pastor of Grace Pointe Community Church in Severn