Celebrating the lord’s birth

Camp Antioch hosts nativity during the holiday season

A local church put on their annual nativity display during the Christmas season for the second year.

Antioch Baptist Church hosted their drive-thru live nativity scene in recent days, and brought out more than 370 people attending during the two day event on Dec. 14 and 15.

The event was hosted at Camp Antioch, across the street from Antioch Baptist Church. When people arrived, they found church members ready to provide a pamphlet explaining each scene on display. The event also served as a canned food drive that brought in donations for those in need during the holiday season.

Opening the drive thru experience was also the beginning of the nativity story, where Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel, sent to Nazareth to bless her and bring about the foretold King of Kings and savior.

Moving onward, those who came out to experience the Christmas season saw the young couple brought to life as Mary and Joseph made their way to Bethlehem with only a donkey to carry the soon to be mother along the road.

Then when the time came for Jesus’ birth, people who came to Camp Antioch found the shepherds in the field outside the village, keeping watch over their flocks at night when the angel bringing forth the good news appeared before all.

When drivers reached the final scene, they found “The Manger,” that culminates with the story of the birth of Jesus and the wise men who followed the East Star and stopped where baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

“We wanted to do something very special as an outreach to the community,” Organizer Cathy Campbell said.

The church also hosts vacation bible school and other community events throughout the year.

“Our main goal is to spread the true meaning of Christmas so that all can be reminded that Jesus is the reason for the season,” Campbell said.

Campbell noted how blessed they were to have so many volunteers, especially students.

“It’s going to be bigger and better next year,” Campbell said. “We are hoping to have another church or two involved along with us, as well as a choir.”

lorene Parker Shepherds were greeted by an angel delivering the good news of the bith of the savior in a third scene at the drive thru Live Nativity at Camp Antioch on Dec. 14 and 15.

lorene Parker Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem where soon the young mother to be would give birth to Jesus in one of several scenes in the Live Nativity hosted at Camp Antioch on Dec. 14 and 15.

lorene Parker The angel Gabriel delivers the news to Mary of her coming child in the opening scene of the drive-thru nativity at Camp Antioch on Dec. 14 and Dec. 15.